First, the good news: According to the 2016 DGB Apprenticeship Report, about 72 percent of apprentices are satisfied with their training overall.
But...
- 35 percent of apprentices are required to work overtime regularly, 15 percent of whom do so without pay or time off in lieu,
- 13 percent are “rarely” or “never” supervised by their trainer,
- 44 percent do not yet know, in their final year of training, whether theywill be hired afterward,
- 34 percent of them do not have a company-provided training plan,
- 11 percent “frequently” or “always” have to perform tasks unrelated to their training ,
- 717 euros is the average apprenticeship stipend across all years of training, occupations, and genders,
- and only 57 percent rate the technical quality of vocational school instruction as “very good” or “good” .
The 2016 DGB Apprenticeship Report focuses on the topic of “Mental Stress in the Workplace.” The results are sobering: Nearly 60 percent of apprentices come to work while sick, and more than half are under significant stress due to poor training conditions and demands at their workplace. However, there are significant differences in ratings across industries. Read more in the latest DGB Apprenticeship Report and here.
Not a Satisfactory Result
These are just a few examples—and a few “buts” too many, according to IG Metall Youth. As part of its campaign under the slogan “modern.bilden,” the organization is therefore focusing on the quality of training in the workplace and the Vocational Training Act (BBiG).
The timing is no coincidence, as policymakers are also currently addressing this law. In their coalition agreement, the CDU/CSU and SPD agreed to strengthen and modernize dual vocational training in Germany. To this end, the BBiG was reviewed to ensure it remains up to date. The decision on what specific changes will be made now lies in the hands of the federal government.
Working Together for Better Training Conditions
The findings of the DGB Apprenticeship Report once again underscore that it is finally time to “improve apprenticeship”—as the DGB unions are jointly calling for. This is equally evident in the nationwide engagement of apprentices, dual-track students, works councils, and youth and apprentice representatives.
Shaping the BBiG now in the interests of apprentices presents a rare opportunity to create better training conditions across many recognized occupations in one fell swoop and to bring together the workplace and political levels.
The answers to the following questions explain why this is the case and provide further background information on the BBiG:
What is the BBiG?
What does the BBiG regulate?
The BBiG governs vocational training, preparatory vocational training, continuing vocational education, and vocational retraining in Germany. With regard to dual vocational training, it outlines the legal framework for the implementation, examinations, and supervision of the training.
Specifically, it addresses, among other things:
- The rights and obligations of apprentices
- Regulations regarding their compensation
- Regulations regarding the start and termination of the apprenticeship
- The suitability of training facilities and training staff
- The recognition of apprenticeship occupations
- The examination system
Who is this law relevant to?
Since the BBiG governs the rights and obligations of apprentices, they are, of course, primarily affected by this law. Beyond that, however, the law is significant for a wide variety of stakeholders: including in-company trainers, works council members, and youth and apprentice representatives; examiners in vocational education and training; members of vocational training committees; training advisors at the Chambers of Industry and Commerce; anyone undergoing continuing vocational education or retraining; and many others.
When was the BBiG enacted?
The BBiG was passed by the German Bundestag in 1969. It marks a decisive step in the history of German vocational education and training, as its introduction made vocational education and training a public responsibility of the state.
However, the road to that point had been long and arduous. As early as 1919, the labor unions called for a “Law on Apprenticeship Training” to ensure comprehensive vocational training—but to no avail. Forty years later, in 1959, the DGB then submitted its own draft of a vocational training law. The Adenauer government, however, agreed with the business associations that the state should not interfere in vocational training.
Changes in the 1960s
The student movement of the 1960s initially focused its criticism solely on academic education; it then paved the way for a broader critique of the German education system. Although the resulting “apprentice unrest” never gained as much momentum as the student protests, it did raise public awareness of the issue. And so the idea of a vocational training law—originating from the labor unions—gained increasing support among the public.
In the 1966 federal election, the CDU/CSU-FDP coalition government ultimately lost its majority. For the first time, a grand coalition was formed. In the years that followed, the SPD pushed for a nationwide vocational training law—and in 1969, it was finally passed.
The BBiG—a Compromise?
From a labor union perspective, the law was a compromise from the very beginning. This is because key elements—such as the employer’s responsibility to fund training materials and the right to vocational training—had already been demanded in 1969 but were not implemented.
The last major amendment to the law took place in 2005. Many key issues from a union perspective were not addressed in this process. Despite some changes, there is still no right to vocational training, the financing of training materials is not adequately regulated, and continuing education remains a significant gap in the legal system.
IG Metall Youth calls for a Vocational Training Act (BBiG) that covers all forms of on-the-job training, establishes clear quality standards, relieves young people of costs incurred due to their training, and enables worker participation even at vocational schools.
