Number of Completed Apprenticeship Exams Hits Record Low - Germany’s Apprenticeship Crisis Deepens as Dropout Rates Hit 10-Year High
Over 37,100 apprentices in Germany either left their training early or switched employers in 2024, the highest figure in a decade. This marks a 3.4% decline from the previous year, the lowest since records began in 1976. Despite these challenges, the pass rate for the exams remained steady at 88%.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, the number of final apprenticeship exams completed hit an all-time low in 2023, with only 85,800 trainees taking the exams. This decrease is partly attributed to the sharp decline in new training contracts signed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The decline in the share of final exams in vocational training occupations is linked to various challenges, including regional, professional, and qualification mismatches in the training market, a decreasing number of reported company training positions due to economic weakness, and persistent skill shortages and economic pressures that reduce available training places.
The high number of apprentices leaving their training early or switching employers, coupled with the low number of final exams taken in North Rhine-Westphalia, highlights the need for targeted measures to address these challenges and ensure the stability of vocational training in Germany.
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