The structural shift in the economy and in work means that well-qualified skilled workers are required, particularly at the medium qualifications level. However, while skilled worker shortages are already visible in individual sectors and occupations, there are increasing indications that a considerable degree of skilled worker potential is not being used. This issue of BWP looks at skilled worker potential and at the question of what needs to be done today to tap more effectively into such potential via tailored initial and continuing training, more qualified immigration, and effective integration processes.
The transitional sector offers alternative qualification pathways to young people without direct access to training. The target group is extremely heterogeneous, and measures pursue different sub-goals. This article takes the 2024 BA/BIBB/IAB Applicant Survey as a basis to investigate the extent to which selected education and training measures in the transitional sector support progression to VET.
In 2023, the number of young adults aged from 20 to 34 without a vocational qualification reached a new record high of 2.79 million people. In 2024, the figure decreased for the first time in nine years. This development is presented below, and the explanation of the results is differentiated according to school and vocational qualifications. It is also worth looking at the labour market situation of young adults in order to identify skilled worker potential.
How can skilled worker potential be discovered and encouraged whilst people are still at school? Productive learning shows how practice-related and individually supported learning can open up new opportunities for young people with different levels of prior schooling. Close cooperation with companies turns pupils supposedly at risk of failing to obtain any qualifications into motivated trainees. This article explains the concept of productive learning and presents key indicators relating to its dissemination and results regarding its effectiveness.
The route to work and its perceived stresses exert a material influence on the job satisfaction of employees. If this also applies to trainees, the question arises as to whether those who have to travel longer distances to their training company are more inclined to dissolve their training contract prematurely than young people whose training venue is closer to where they live. The article investigates this issue on the basis of the Vocational Education and Training Statistics.
VET for adults has gained importance in educational policy in Switzerland. Four institutionalised pathways now offer adults access to a vocational qualification, and this has led to a constant increase in the number of qualifications obtained. Nevertheless, low-skilled workers still find it difficult to achieve an initial qualification. The article summarises the take-up of the institutionalised pathways and also mentions further initiatives at federal and canton level. While this presentation illustrates progress, it also draws attention to continuing challenges.
The energy transition urgently requires qualifications and skilled workers. At the same time, many young people with refugee and migrant backgrounds have very few chances on the training and labour market. The Viennese project Eco Booster is aimed at this very target group. Via course and company placements, the project imparts basic competencies to prepare young people for a final apprenticeship examination. This article describes the background of the project, its objective, and initial implementation experiences.
Partial qualifications are gaining in significance as a second-chance training instrument. They are aimed at the labour force aged over 25 without a vocational qualification or whose vocational qualification is no longer applicable. Partial qualifications are funded by the Employment Agency, and companies are now increasingly recognising the potential of this training format. Standard-Metallwerke GmbH in Werl is one of these firms. It has been offering its employees partial qualifications in the areas of machine and plant operation since 2015 and introduced partial qualifications in warehouse logistics in 2017. In this interview, Vanessa Kiko shares her experiences and explains why partial qualifications are a particularly good way of tapping into the potential of skilled workers at the company.
Women with a refugee background are under-represented on the training market, and their vocational training pathways have also been the object of very little academic research to date. The article addresses this research gap. Qualitative interviews from the research and development project FEMPower are used as a basis to analyse the extent to which companies providing training fail sufficiently consider this group as potential skilled workers. The article adopts a critical and analytical perspective to identify intersectional hurdles and to formulate practice-related recommendations for a more inclusive human resources policy.
To use their qualification to work in Germany, skilled workers trained abroad frequently need to undergo continuing training as part of the recognition procedure. This is particularly the case if an equivalence assessment procedure makes this a prerequisite for full recognition. This article takes data from the BIBB Training Panel to investigate how and to which extent companies support their employees in this and to examine which reasons speak against it.
Demographic development and the trend towards academisation, for example, are creating an increasingly difficult situation on the training market. For this reason, many companies seeking applicants abroad. By the same token, young people all over the world are interested in a training place in Germany. This article describes how the training provider SPA helps foreign trainees and German companies to match up.
On 1 July 2024, the Lübeck Chamber of Crafts and Trades launched a project that is the first of its kind in Germany. The “Voluntary Craft Trades Year” allows those interested in training to familiarise themselves with four training occupations over twelve months, thus opening up a practical vocational orientation phase to young people. They spend a maximum of three months at a company, during which they try out a craft trades occupation. The Lübeck Chamber of Crafts and Trades advises, mediates and supports the young people and the companies in the process. This article describes initial findings, cites figures and explains the response the project has received.
Non-gender typical VET could have the potential to reduce gender segregation on the labour market and to lessen gender-specific inequalities. Nevertheless, studies indicate the poorer utilisation perspectives of such training qualifications. In order to examine these more closely, this article identifies challenges people face in their later employment history if they opted for training in an occupation dominated by the other gender. The basis is provided by interviews with people who have left their non-gender typical training occupation and on expert interviews.
The new training regulations for occupations in construction industry mean that the sector is undergoing fundamental modernisation. The main aspects to mention at a structural level are the introduction of a new extended journeyman or final examination and a new model for linking two-year and three-year training programmes. In terms of content, greater emphasis is being placed on topics such as digitalisation and sustainability compared to the previous regulations from 1999. Inter-company courses continue to be highly relevant. BIBB is supporting training practice at various levels via both analogue and digital means as the new ordinance is implemented.
It’s not just about sweeping chimneys any more: Chimney sweeps are highly qualified skilled workers. They check heating and ventilations systems for safety, ensure that environmental standards are met, and provide advice on climate-friendly technologies. This profile describes the entire scope of the training occupation modernised in 2025 and presents the development of trainee figures.