School education (symbolic image) © allOver-MEV/IMAGO
Fewer and fewer trainees want to be trained in companies, a study shows. On the other hand, school education is becoming more attractive for many groups. How experts explain the boom.
This analysis is IPPEN. MEDIA as part of a cooperation with the Europe.Table Professional Briefing – first published by Europe.Table on 10 May 2023.
Berlin – According to Dieter Dohmen, it can no longer just mean that many people today prefer to study rather than do dual training. For the director of the Research Institute for Educational and Social Economics (FiBS), another competitor is emerging for in-company training that is becoming increasingly important: school-based training. Trainees primarily learn at a vocational school, usually with practical phases. The training places are set up by the federal states.
The basis for Dohmen is the country evaluation of the "Monitor Training Opportunities" on behalf of the Bertelsmann Foundation. For the study, the education economist calculated how many school leavers in a given year start in-company training or school-based training. This shows that the decline in training relationships between 2011 and 2021 mainly affects dual training. It declined in all federal states, by almost 18 percent nationwide. By contrast, the proportion of school-based vocational training has risen in eleven federal states.
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Vocational school: Growth especially in health and education professions
"Especially among young people with an intermediate school leaving certificate, school education wins," says Dohmen. "In many federal states, this was able to compensate for the decline in dual training relationships somewhat, and in some cases even compensated for it." The increase in the number of trainees at vocational schools is of particular benefit to nursing and educational professions, which make up the majority of school-based training. In view of the shortage of skilled workers in nursing and daycare centers, this is good news - but also no surprise, as many federal states have expanded the number of places in these professions.
The good employment opportunities and increased attractiveness through better pay and working conditions could motivate these professions, says Bernd Fitzenberger, Director of the Institute for Employment Research (IAB).
School-based education is particularly attractive for young women
The proportion of women is particularly high in training in health, education and social professions. According to the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training, it was 2021 percent in 76. "Men, on the other hand, dominate in dual training – especially in the skilled trades," says Bernd Fitzenberger. For him, therefore, there is no competition between school-based and in-company training. "The addressees of a craft apprenticeship and nursing training differ greatly." In addition, there are only a few professions that offer both full-time and dual training – which also makes it difficult to compare.
Dieter Dohmen sees it differently. "For certain groups, school-based training is more attractive," he says. In addition to women, school education is also more likely to attract young people who find the application process for a company too non-transparent or complicated.
Vocational school: Simpler application process
This is confirmed by Petra Madyda, director of the Lette-Verein Foundation, which runs a vocational training centre in Berlin – the only federal state in which school-based training is now even greater than dual training, at 51.6 percent of trainees. The fact that you can easily register for a school education and be accepted is seen as an advantage by insecure young people in particular.
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"Overall, we find that young people today are no longer as confident and resilient, the pandemic has exacerbated this," Madyda said. This is often accompanied by the conviction among young people that they cannot meet the requirements of companies. "They know the school. Here, social workers and teachers look after and support them individually, word gets around."
Schools can respond more flexibly to trainees
According to Madyda's observations, many young people today no longer want to commit themselves to several years of training. The Lette-Verein Foundation has therefore changed one of its school training courses in such a way that young people can leave school with a degree after just one year. They have also adapted the content at the school to the interests of the trainees – these are often young people who have not yet been able to cope in general school.
"Schools in particular have this flexibility. But companies should also become more flexible. They have to accept that the new generation ticks differently – and always wants to see meaning in the training content, for example," says Madyda. Companies should create structures and put money into their hands to take on young people in training who still need guidance and support.
Dieter Dohmen agrees that training companies that find it difficult to find trainees should learn lessons from this. They have to analyze what school education has ahead of them. Small companies in particular need professional support in training marketing, in identifying and approaching potential trainees – but also in recognising the skills of young people.
School education in other cultures of more prestigious
Dohmen also has a special focus on young people with a migration background. "Parents are particularly familiar with high-quality education from their countries of origin – because practical training hardly plays a role in their countries of origin or is located in the informal economy."
Director Petra Madyda says: "Good career orientation, also with an approach to parents, is particularly important here." In 2015/16, the Lette-Verein Foundation set up a welcome class for refugee women from Syria, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. Language courses and integration have gone well. However, the plan to take on the women in an apprenticeship as housekeepers – today this is called assistant for nutrition and care – failed grandiosely. "The families said: You don't do any training to learn cooking, sewing and cleaning, you can already do that," Madyda reports.
Dual service occupations, which are semi-skilled occupations in the countries of origin, are poorly regarded, according to Madyda's experience. Instead, it should be – if not a medical degree – then at least a school apprenticeship, for example to become a pharmaceutical-commercial assistant: "The main thing is something in a white coat". (By Anna Parrisius)