Press Release

26.09.2012

Training - A look into the future

The new training cycle started at the beginning of September and not all apprenticeship positions have been filled. This year, too, there are more apprenticeships on offer than there are trainees on the market and many companies are unable to fill training places. However, there are also rays of hope among companies that are making targeted efforts to recruit trainees.

According to the Federal Employment Agency (BA), more than 100,000 apprenticeship positions have not yet been filled shortly before the start of the new training year. The transport and logistics sector is not spared from this trend, and there is already a glaring shortage of skilled labour in many areas. Whether in the driver's cab, in the warehouse or in fleet management, qualified personnel are becoming increasingly scarce.

According to Dekra figures, there will be a shortage of more than 150,000 professional drivers in ten years' time. Dekra bases its figures on external studies and its own calculations. The reduction in the German armed forces is particularly noticeable here. In recent decades, the army has trained around 15,000 drivers per year.

In order to increase the attractiveness of some training programmes, the first professional associations have increased the training allowance by 10% in the hope of boosting demand.

But not all companies are complaining about vacant training places. Some logistics service providers have even been able to increase their number of trainees once again. In addition to apprenticeships, more and more companies are offering dual study programmes in which the student completes a university degree with firmly integrated practical blocks in the company.

In contrast to previous years, companies now have to work harder to attract trainees. The training market is becoming tighter, and companies that cannot offer any of the top 10 training occupations (retail salesperson, chef, etc.) must make their own efforts to attract trainees, for example by using online campaigns, "taster days" or "open days" to introduce applicants to apprenticeships.

Qualified skilled workers will always be in demand in the future, especially in the wake of demographic change and an ageing society, the area of training will become more important. Companies should not neglect the development of good training support and should endeavour to recruit the trainees of tomorrow and the skilled workers of the day after tomorrow at an early stage.