“Import of ideas”: France’s passion for craftsmanship

Fewer and fewer young people in Germany are opting for an apprenticeship. In France, on the other hand, crafts are becoming increasingly popular among young people. The idea import-Podcast asks: What’s different?

The number of training contracts concluded in skilled trades has been falling in Germany for years. While around 156,000 contracts were concluded in 2010, in 2021 there were only around 130,000. This not only means that apprenticeship positions remain vacant. The shortage of young people also increases the shortage of craftsmen. Companies cannot find successors. A problem that affects many countries worldwide.

The situation in France is different. More school leavers and young adults are opting for an apprenticeship here again.

In France, young people are attracted to crafts

Around 733,000 new training contracts for crafts and other professional fields were concluded in France in 2021. This is an increase of 40 percent compared to the previous year. What is particularly striking is that around two-thirds of the trainees had a higher school-leaving certificate comparable to university entrance qualifications.

In addition, more and more young adults between the ages of 21 and 25 are opting for an apprenticeship. From 2018 to 2020, their share increased by ten percentage points.

But despite the growing interest in training and apprenticeships, there is still a lack of young people in some sectors. In 2021, just 15 and eleven percent, respectively, opted for training in industry and construction.

Money and image campaign for craft apprenticeships

In order to be able to get more people interested in an apprenticeship, the French government had initiated a number of reforms. Among other things, the age limit for an apprenticeship was raised to 30 years. In addition, companies receive financial support for training. Since January 1, 2023, they have received 6,000 euros from the state for each trainee in their first year of training.

But in addition to the money, an image campaign has also led to a kind of cultural change in France. Skilled trades and vocational training, which have been neglected for a long time, are once again valued.

From the old motto “Il faut reussir dans la vie” (translated: “You have to achieve something in life”) is an “Il faut reussir sa vie” (in English: “You have to make something of your own life”). become – in a way that suits you. Training and crafts seem to be more and more suitable for this in France.

Search for ideas in the tagesschau podcast

For many questions that arise again and again in everyday life, there are guaranteed to be good ideas, possible role models and solutions somewhere in the world: How better to deal with sharply rising energy prices? What to do to eat healthier? Why do people in other countries sometimes live longer?

The foreign podcast daily News searches and finds them – together with the correspondents in the 30 foreign studios of the ARD. idea import wants to look beyond the proverbial box and provide fresh ideas for new input in political and social debates.

idea import appears every second Friday. You can listen to the podcast anytime at home or on the go on your smartphone – every second Friday morning you will find a new episode on our website, in which ARD audio library and on numerous other podcast platforms.