Henrik Henz says of his first days in working life: “They were really good.” In September he started his training as an industrial clerk at Hanse Haus. The company from Oberleichtersbach (Bad Kissingen district) builds prefabricated houses, and in addition to carpenters, it needs people for administration and planning. On the first day there was, among other things, a factory tour, says Henz. Afterwards, he and the other trainees went to Franconian Switzerland for three days, for climbing, canoeing and archery, for team games and to get to know each other. “That’s where we made our first contacts with each other,” says Henz.
What sounds like fun is, from an economic perspective, a stroke of luck. Because young talent like Henz is in great demand: many companies have long considered the combination of a shortage of trainees and skilled workers to be the biggest problem, even ahead of the question marks regarding energy supply. And this despite all the efforts that companies and politicians are now making to convince people of vocational training. There are simply too few school leavers to satisfy the hunger for apprentices.
Seen this way, young people like Henrik Henz are too rare a species for the economy. Even before he graduated from secondary school this summer, the 16-year-old had his training contract with Hanse Haus in his pocket. 21 other trainees started there with him in the fall. He comes from the area and knows people who work for the company; it has a “good reputation” here, says Henz. He also likes the job profile of an industrial clerk. When he studied business administration and accounting at school, he quickly realized that he would like to do something like that as a career. An internship encouraged him to do so.
The start of the new training year was not so successful everywhere. The so-called follow-up placement is still ongoing, so some training positions are likely to be filled in the coming weeks. Nevertheless, in the end a number of places will remain open. After the past years, which were characterized by Corona, the numbers look a little better this time. The Bavarian craft sector recorded almost 21,000 new apprentices – an increase of 1.6 percent compared to the previous year. The Bavarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (BIHK) even reported an increase of 5.3 percent. A good 43,700 young people started training here. “A strong signal,” said BIHK President Klaus Josef Lutz. “The increase could have been significantly greater if there had been applicants for all of the apprenticeships on offer.” In purely mathematical terms, there would be three training places for every unprovided interested person in Bavaria.
Some companies pay for a driving license for young people
In order to attract young talent, companies offer all sorts of treats. For example, you pay for your driving license or – similar to Hanse Haus – organize large welcome events: the main thing is that the new people feel welcome straight away. Bernd Clemens reports something similar. “You fight harder to keep trainees,” says the training consultant at the Würzburg-Schweinfurt Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK). Every year, Clemens travels thousands of kilometers through Lower Franconia, from company to company, to answer questions about training – or, if necessary, to mediate in disputes between trainees and the company. In the past, there was usually an initial consultation in such cases, says Clemens. He then informed me about the terms of termination. Today he knows of a case where the company replaced the trainer. He is now doing something different internally, the trainee has a new supervisor.
Anyone who listens to Clemens and colleagues gets the impression that it is primarily the economy itself that has to advertise on its own behalf more than before: whether digitally on social networks or in real terms as part of school cooperation. In addition, appreciation for young people is particularly important, says Stefan Göbel, head of vocational training at the IHK. “Small gestures also count” – for example, communicating with junior staff at eye level. Companies also use mentors more frequently to help with problems. After all, many trainees are underage. “We have always preached that you have to pick up 15-year-olds,” says advisor Clemens.
The most important things for trainees are interest in the job and proximity to home
Conversely, this means that companies that refuse to adapt to new times will have an even harder time recruiting young talent in the future. This is also suggested by a look at the latest “Bavaria Training Report”, which the Youth of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) publishes annually. When asked why they chose a particular training course, young people cited interest in the job first and then proximity to home. This was immediately followed by “the good working atmosphere in the training company”. The amount of training remuneration only came in fifth place, while the crisis-proof nature of the career choice came in eighth place. The sometimes large differences between the professions are also noticeable. 95.5 percent of the bricklayers surveyed said they were satisfied with their training – a top figure in the survey. Only 52.4 percent of cooks said the same thing. The DGB youth sees this as an indication of structural problems in individual training branches.
In any case, one person’s hardship is another person’s opportunity. Young people who are reasonably mobile can often choose the company they want. And the prospects of being permanently employed there after training are good. If you want, you can even become a boss: around 22,000 craft companies in the Free State alone will be looking for a successor in the coming years. Given the demographic change, no one really knows where they will all come from. The “Day of Crafts”, which has been taking place at all secondary schools since last school year, is considered by supporters to be a great advertising success. Others see this as more of a symbolic gesture with which the state government wanted to accommodate the economy. Strictly speaking, an entrepreneur scoffs on the phone, there should also be a “care day”.
In Lower Franconia, trainee Henz is now looking forward to the next few weeks and months. The vocational school begins in October and always takes place in blocks. The operational part of his training requires him to change departments every four months. Henz thinks that’s good, it gives him insight everywhere. His first task: support customer service, process service orders, and sometimes go to the construction site. “That,” says Henz, “will be a nice change.”