Dropping out or finding a new direction?

Early dissolutions of training contracts have become more and more of a focus for academic studies in recent years. In view of an impending shortage of skilled workers in many sectors, media coverage of the theme has also become much more prevalent. In that context the dominant image is of young people being unwilling and unable to persevere, while terminating a contract is viewed negatively as "dropping out”. The outcomes of the study presented here draw a more nuanced picture: they give insights into the reasons for early contract dissolutions in the skilled crafts sector, and also into young people’s subsequent prospects after having dissolved a contract.