display

Halle / Magdeburg (dpa / sa) - In Saxony-Anhalt, according to information from labor market experts, the situation on the training market is worsening.

Because since March 2020, due to the contact restrictions to contain the corona pandemic, school leavers have had little opportunity to get to know professions through internships in companies, at trade fairs or through career advice in schools and employment agencies.

The current figures showed a significant decrease in applicants, said Markus Behrens, managing director of the regional office for Saxony-Anhalt-Thuringia of the Federal Employment Agency.

According to the information, a total of 7,170 applicants for an apprenticeship position had registered with the employment agencies in Saxony-Anhalt from October 2020 to April 2021. That was 446 or 5.9 percent less than a year ago. For comparison: Before the outbreak of the corona pandemic, 8,350 applicants were still registered with the employment agencies in April 2019, which is almost 1,200 more.

The trade fears that more school leavers than before will decide to study instead of vocational training.

To counteract this, for example, the Magdeburg Chamber of Crafts has been offering online parents' evenings or video consultation hours for apprenticeships since March 2020.

The response is different.

«The first parents' evening - via computer - had 30 participants, the last ten.

On a smaller scale, you have the advantage of being able to respond well to individual questions, ”said a spokesman for the Magdeburg Chamber of Crafts.

Often this would result in individual consultation appointments.

display

According to Behrens, the employment agencies are also focusing on expanding new communication and information channels for young people and their parents. For example video advice, online offers and virtual job fairs. The new portal of the Federal Employment Agency #AusbildungKlarmachen has also been renewed. “These offers cannot fully compensate for personal contact,” he said.

There is an urgent need to find ways to enable practical professional orientation, including internships, said the trade spokesman.

Otherwise, the shortage of skilled workers will continue to increase, since many young people are not aiming for vocational training, but rather a degree.

More than half of the workers in the trade in the south of the country are already older than 50, and some owners are even older, said a spokesman for the Halle Chamber of Crafts.

"Every trainee who is not trained now will be lacking as a qualified specialist in three years," said the spokesman for the Magdeburg Chamber of Crafts.

There are around 130 apprenticeships in the craft.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210504-99-456743 / 2

display

Training offers of the employment agencies - #AusbildungKlarmachen

Apprenticeships offered by the Halle Chamber of Crafts

Training offers of the Magdeburg Chamber of Crafts