Germans launch "apprenticeship offensive

Citation

(2004), "Germans launch "apprenticeship offensive", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 36 No. 7. https://doi.org/10.1108/ict.2004.03736gab.006

Germans launch "apprenticeship offensive"

Germans launch "apprenticeship offensive"

The German Federal Government has introduced an "apprenticeship offensive" to try to meet the growing demand for skilled workers and technicians.

Edelgard Bulmahn, Minister for Education and Research, said she saw particular potential for apprenticeships in the growth areas of microsystems technology, nanotechnology and biotechnology. She also wished to target regions where the difference between the number of apprenticeships available and local demand was highest, and areas that had cut their number of apprenticeships most.

She continued: "The experts all agree that, without effective efforts in the area of training, we will have a shortage of 3.5 million skilled workers in the 35 to 45 age group by 2015."

A Government initiative that has created around 17,000 new training places a year in Eastern Germany is to be extended to parts of Western Germany. Under the "training place developer" scheme, the Government draws up training plans with small and medium-size companies, links them up with training establishments and relieves them of a considerable amount of red tape.

The scheme, sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Education, Training and Research (BMBF), will cost around 10.5 million a year for the next two years.

Secretary of State Wolf-Michael Catenhusen said: "Whereas the situation has now largely stabilised in Eastern Germany, fewer firms in the Western part of the country now participate in the training effort. But many small and medium-size firms are prepared to make a special training effort if they are afforded support."