Reason behind the lack of formal education among numerous German youth
Title: "The Great Skills Gap: Why So Many Young Germans Miss Out on Vocational Training"
By Caroline Amme
Hear this, folks! It's a rollercoaster ride through Germany's workforce - more and more young guns are missing out on the grind-and-learn action. The numbers keep rising, and it's causing some serious stirrings because the country desperately needs skilled workers. But don't fret - we've got some easy-peasy solutions up our sleeves.
Last year, a whopping 1.6 million 20- to 34-year-olds hit the unemployment line without a lick of vocational training or a university degree. Crazy, huh? Every year, that number climbs higher - in the past twelve years, 460,000 youngsters without qualifications have been added, as per the research whizzes at the Institute for Employment Research (IAB).
The Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) crunches things a bit differently. They claim that 2.8 million young adults fall into this category. Here's the twist - while IAB stats consider only employed folks, BIBB data takes into account all young adults in this age range. Quite the difference, huh?
The Skills Shortage: A Shocker
So it's a mad world indeed when a shortage of skilled workers is so dramatic that Germany is missing over 530,000 qualified workers, on average, nationwide. Gulp! In the next two years, another 200,000 will be added to that tally. By 2027, the nation's gearing up to experience a gaping 730,000 shortfall, as per the Institute of the German Economy.
School's Out, But Not Skills
IAB professor Enzo Weber weighed in on the ntv podcast "Wieder was gelernt" and wasn't pulling any punches. "We're seeing bottlenecks in the social sector, healthcare, technical fields, IT - heck, even green technologies require a whack of skilled workers and brainy types," he shared. Add to that the demographic shift, and we've got our work cut out for us: over the next 15 years, an aging population's gonna hand us a giant seven-million-person layoff notice.
Moreover, over three-quarters of jobs in Germany require a matching training, which many youngsters aren't rocking. "Training carries a heckuva lot of weight here in Germany," Weber reminded us.
So where's the disconnect? Well, school's where it all starts going south. Year after year, tens of thousands of students wrap up their schooling without a degree. In 2021 alone, 47,500 youngsters didn't even score a diploma. That's roughly six percent of all students - and without a diploma, the chances of landing a plum training gig? They ain't great. Statistics from the Berufsbildungsbericht reveal that three-quarters of young people without training also fail to secure a diploma.
Migrants: Not Shirkers, but Strugglers
That rising number of younglings without training? You can trace it back to migration. Some 45 percent of 20- to 34-year-old refugees from countries like Syria and Afghanistan have zero training, according to the IAB study. That proportion's been on the rise among people from other EU countries too - and among young Germans, but not as dramatically.
Weber's not blaming migrants for being "educationally lazy." Instead, he's urgin' us to beef up integration programs. “We must recognize competencies, further develop them in a job-related manner, and continue to train - so that the qualification is eventually gained,” he says.
Another factor at play? Some young people opt to dive straight into the workforce after school, usually in unskilled positions. They start raking in the cash without a dickie-bird's worth of training. The pay? Often higher than training would net 'em - initially, anyway.
A Gap Too Wide
In 2023, a staggering 73,000 training spots went unfilled. Every second company has trouble finding apprentices - yep, a new record-breakin' feat! Many businesses don't even get a single application. Companiesattribute the dearth of suitable candidates as the main cause for their struggles.
Bridging the Chasm
Companies are gettin' creative, though. Big on social media, they're trying to reach potential applicants on platforms like YouTube, WhatsApp, and TikTok - places where young folks hang out, ya see. But there's still a huge skills gap, as shown by a survey by the Bertelsmann Foundation and the Institute of the German Economy (IW). By communicating on different channels altogether, companies can't seem to reach young people effectively.
Then there's the fact that many youngsters are oblivious to the plethora of training professions out there. There's potential for swag earnings in some of them too, as an IW study revealed. Top earners are technically-inclined research and development specialists, rakin' in more than university graduates in many cases.
In short, it's a complex, twisted mess. But with the right measures in play, we can turn that ferocious shortage into a golden opportunity for students everywhere. And that's the sorta change we gotta make.
References:
- Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie
- Spiegel Online
- Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft Köln
- Bild
- Handelsblatt
- ntv
- Bertelsmann Stiftung
- IW Köln
- DIHK
- Bauen & Wohnen
- Bild
- Bild
- Deutsche Welle
Community aid and education-and-self-development can help bridge the skills gap by providing vocational training opportunities for unemployed young Germans, many of whom lack qualifications. General news outlets can play a role in spreading awareness about the growing shortage of skilled workers in Germany and highlighting successful vocational training programs.
Additionally, companies could take advantage of social media platforms and various educational programs to target potential applicants, improving the match between job requirements and young people's skills. This effort could help mitigate the current skills shortage in Germany and reduce the need for community aid in the long run.
