Berlin's 'Solidarity Surcharge' Sparks Debate Over Vocational Training Boost
Berlin's vocational training landscape faces challenges. Only 10.9 percent of companies currently engage in training, with a 3.0 percent quota, below the federal average. The Senate plans a 'solidarity-based surcharge' to boost training places, sparking debate among businesses and associations.
Cansel Kiziltepe, the responsible Senator, defends the surcharge as a means to promote vocational training in Berlin. However, the city's economy strongly opposes this plan, warning it will not create more training places and will instead burden companies with more bureaucracy.
IG Metall supports the surcharge, arguing that companies should be subsidized due to the massive shortage of skilled workers in Berlin. The surcharge, based on employers' wage costs, aims to subsidize training costs for companies or authorities that fill apprenticeships.
Berlin lags behind in vocational training, with economic associations ranking it last in Germany. The Senate wants to use the surcharge to create more training places, with a goal of 2,000 additional places by 2025. Manja Schreiner, CEO of IHK Berlin, however, asserts that the surcharge will not result in a single new training place.
The surcharge, intended to boost vocational training in Berlin, faces criticism from the city's economy and IHK Berlin. Despite the Senate's goal of 2,000 additional training places by 2025, the effectiveness of the surcharge remains disputed.
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