A German study reveals significant growth in the number of foreign trainees

Germany's labor market increasingly relies on foreign trainees to fill the shortage of skilled workers. According to a study conducted by the German Economic Institute in Cologne, which is close to employers, the number of German trainees between the ages of 15 and 35 years fell from about 1.7 million in 2008 to about 1.3 million expected in 2025, a decrease of 23%. On the other hand, the number of foreign trainees in the same age group increased from more than 71,000 in 2004 to more than 250,000 now, an increase of more than threefold, according to the study.

Thus, the proportion of foreign trainees out of the total trainees increased from 5.3 percent in 1999 to 16.3 percent in 2025. The study indicated that foreign youth and teenagers are increasingly contributing to bridging the gap resulting from demographic changes in the German training market. The study's authors explained that "the increase in the numbers of foreign trainees was not able to fully compensate for the decrease in the numbers of German trainees, but it significantly mitigated its effects." Thus, the dual training system remained “at a relatively stable level.”

The globalization of the vocational training market is largely a response to demographic decline and persistent skilled labor shortages. However, immigration alone is not enough to ensure the availability of skilled labor. According to this study, “the availability of reliable structural conditions along the entire process chain” is the decisive factor. This includes targeted placement, language learning support, career guidance, assistance in searching for training opportunities and successful transition to training, clear accommodation and administrative procedures as well as support in the workplace and vocational school.

Therefore, the study's authors believe that bringing in trainees from abroad will become an "increasingly important mechanism." The Work and Residence Agency (WSA), which the federal government plans to establish and which aims to attract more young people from abroad to train in Germany and retain them in the long term, is supposed to contribute to this.

To facilitate the recruitment of foreign trainees and workers, the Catholic Federation for Elderly Care in Germany called for the establishment of a central body to handle procedures for recognizing the qualifications of foreign cadres working in the field of care. The Federation's Executive Director, Andreas Wedeking, said in Berlin that the establishment of a digital agency at the federal level would speed up the qualifications recognition procedures.

The association also indicated that care institutions are already investing significant financial and human resources in recruiting, integrating and accompanying foreign cadres during the work training period. However, many of the obstacles to these efforts arise outside the influence of these institutions, which limits their ability to speed up procedures and overcome difficulties.