The trend towards academization in Germany has been increasing for many years. In 2021 there were more than twice as many students as trainees. Many companies can no longer fill training positions.
The number of students in Germany has increased significantly in recent years. In 2021, there were far more than twice as many students (2.9 million) as trainees (1.3 million) in this country. According to the Federal Statistical Office, there were 4.3 trainees for every ten students. In 1950 there were 75.5 trainees for every ten students.
This is particularly dramatic for training companies: it is now becoming increasingly difficult for them to fill their training positions. On the one hand, the statisticians justify this with the demographic development, which means that fewer young people leave school. In addition, the social change, in which academization, individualization and privatization are becoming increasingly important, is also reflected in the choice of training and makes a course of study more attractive for many.
Significant increase in the number of high school graduates
The distribution of trainees among the various professions has also changed significantly. While in 1950 prospective bricklayers, carpenters and painters dominated among the male trainees, today the future motor vehicle mechatronics technicians and plant mechanics for sanitary, heating and air-conditioning technology are at the forefront. Today, office management clerks, medical assistants and dental assistants are particularly popular with female trainees.
The increasing degree of academization is also reflected in the growing proportion of high school graduates. The number of those who obtained a general higher education entrance qualification or a technical college entrance qualification rose to 34.4 percent in 2021. In 1970 it was still 11.5 percent. At the same time, the proportion of young people without a degree fell from around 20 percent to 6.2 percent.
better educational opportunities for women and girls
One of the most striking changes the statisticians have identified concerns the increasing participation of women and girls in education. In 2021, for example, more than half of the first-year students in their first university semester were women; in 1950 their share was only 18.5 percent.
The proportion of women among trainees has also increased: in 2021 the proportion of female trainees was 34.5 percent; in 1950 the proportion of women among trainees was 24.9 percent. This shows that there are still significantly more men than women doing vocational training in the dual system.