There is a shortage of trainees and skilled workers on the job market. Employers could reach new target groups and compensate for shortages by offering part-time training. This is shown by an example from Bamberg.
“Look, Paul, you can look at the module. You put the cable through here at the back.” Paul Hüttner is standing with his boss Andreas Wünsche in the workshop of a small electrical company in Bamberg. Cables and a measuring device are on the table.
Since October 2022, Hüttner has been doing a part-time apprenticeship as an electronics technician for energy and building technology in the one-man company. He has a 32-hour week, spread over four days. He is usually at the company for two weeks, at vocational school for one week and repeatedly attends one-week courses at the Upper Franconia Chamber of Crafts.
Paul Hüttner (right) stands with his boss Andreas Wünsche in his electrical company.
Consciously opted for part-time training
Hüttner, 31, has deliberately chosen to do part-time training. “I have three children. That’s a lot of work. My wife works too, because the money has to come from somewhere and we simply don’t have time to work anymore.” Hüttner and his wife are lucky that their grandparents can help with childcare.
Hüttner’s part-time training with a four-day week suits his boss. Wünsche has been running his electrical business in Bamberg alone so far and is closed on Mondays anyway. He uses this day to do office work or visit customers and to attend construction site meetings.
Hüttner is a stroke of luck for Wünsche. Many jobs in the electrical trade cannot be done alone, so an employee is helpful. And Hüttner is already well qualified for this training, “you don’t just let someone like that go or be left on the street.”
Part-time training or retraining
Hüttner completed an apprenticeship as a motor vehicle mechatronics technician straight after school, then completed his high school diploma, studied teaching for a few semesters, and then dropped out. Because he has not been practicing his trained profession as a motor vehicle mechatronics technician for more than four years, the employment agency approved his part-time training as a retraining course. This, in turn, is financially supported.
Wilhelm Schmitt, team leader of the employer services at the Bamberg employment agency, explains the difference between part-time training and part-time retraining: “Part-time training is at a young age: I finish school, am 16, 17, 18, 21 years old and start an apprenticeship, which can also be done part-time. I am older, have already gained professional experience, want to learn something new, then we are talking about retraining, which can also be done part-time.”
While the company pays an adjusted training salary for part-time training, a person undergoing retraining receives financial support from the employment agency because he is already in the middle of life, has professional experience and perhaps – like Paul Hüttner – a family. In his case, the Bamberg employment agency covers 90 percent of the wage costs and 100 percent of the school and course costs.
Part-time training hardly in demand among school leavers
There is a shortage of trainees and workers on the job market. Employers could also offer their training positions on a part-time basis. This would potentially enable them to reach new target groups and close gaps.
So far, school leavers have hardly taken advantage of part-time training. In 2022, around 467,600 full-time training contracts were concluded nationwide, and only around 2,200 part-time. This is according to the vocational training statistics of the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden.
Part-time training is mainly taken up by school leavers with children, young people with mental or physical problems or young competitive athletes. However, since the amendment to the Vocational Training Act in 2020, it is open to everyone.
Federal Agency: Part-time training still not well known
According to Daniel Terzenbach, head of the Federal Employment Agency (BA), only one in every hundred women and one in every thousand men opts for part-time training. This could be because many companies and young people are not even aware of this option, Terzenbach continued. Part-time training is particularly attractive for young families, although it is of course less paid than full-time training.
Part-time retraining courses are also much less common than full-time retraining courses, says the BA board. Terzenbach certainly sees the opportunity for part-time training courses to expand the pool of applicants even further.
Electrical specialist pays Skilled worker wages
Andreas Wünsche is already paying Paul Hüttner a journeyman’s wage so that he can make ends meet. 90 percent of this wage is financed by the Bamberg employment agency. Wünsche is grateful for the support. For him, it is a win-win situation. With Hüttner, he is getting a skilled worker for his company. Hüttner had already completed a high-voltage course during his previous training as a mechatronics engineer, says Wünsche. This gives him many points of contact with the electrical trade, says the master electrician happily.
Paul Hüttner also sees the benefit of this part-time retraining as an electronics technician for energy and building technology. This way he can combine family and training and learn the profession that he enjoys. Master electrician Wünsche looks to the future and says with a smile that his customers would also be happy if the business – should he ever stop – was taken over by a capable successor.