(de-news.net) – A skilled crafts representative has called for vocational education in Germany to be treated as fully equal to academic pathways, urging greater investment in training infrastructure and opposing apprenticeship levy systems. At the same time, new data highlighted both rising university participation among students without the Abitur and persistent structural weaknesses in Germany’s apprenticeship and qualification system.
Jörg Dittrich, president of the Central Association of German Skilled Crafts, argued that economic prosperity and social advancement should no longer be interpreted primarily through the framework of university education and the Abitur, while calling for a broader political and societal reassessment of vocational education and training. In comments to the Funke media group, Dittrich reiterated the crafts sector’s long-standing demand for a formal qualifications framework law, maintaining that vocational credentials should be treated as fully equivalent to academic qualifications in both political and legal terms. In his view, the recognition of vocational pathways as equal to university-based education represented a necessary precondition for strengthening the long-term position of the skilled trades within Germany’s labor market and educational system.
At the same time, Dittrich called for substantially higher levels of public investment in vocational training centers operated by the crafts sector. He argued that modernization backlogs at these educational facilities had now exceeded four billion euros, making sustained increases in government funding essential if the commitments contained in the federal coalition agreement were to be fulfilled in practice. According to Dittrich, the sector could no longer compete effectively while relying on workshops and technical facilities built according to standards that in some cases dated back several decades. He contended that the crafts industry was increasingly operating in direct competition with technologically advanced university campuses and research-oriented educational environments, thereby requiring significantly improved infrastructure and equipment in order to remain attractive to prospective trainees.
Despite demographic pressures and broader labor market challenges, Dittrich nevertheless characterized the crafts sector as comparatively stable with regard to vocational training. Unlike many other sectors of the German economy, the industry has recorded modest annual increases in new apprenticeship contracts for three consecutive years. Referring in particular to professions such as electricians, roofers, chimney sweepers, and heating and sanitation technicians, he stated that occupations connected to social cohesion and the broader economic transformation process were likely to experience favorable medium-term development. More broadly, Dittrich maintained that long-term structural trends continued to support the skilled trades, particularly among younger people seeking stable employment, reliable career prospects, and socially meaningful work. At the same time, however, the ZDH president acknowledged that vocational training would need to become increasingly attractive in order to remain competitive in the future. He argued that both occupational requirements and the expectations of younger generations were evolving continuously, meaning that the improvement of training conditions and educational quality represented an ongoing competitive challenge rather than a one-time adjustment.
Dittrich also directed sharp criticism at apprenticeship levy systems, such as those already implemented in Bremen and planned in Berlin, under which companies that do not provide training positions are required to make financial contributions. He explained that such arrangements would place an unfair burden on firms that remained willing to train apprentices but were unable to recruit suitable or qualified applicants. Emphasizing the importance of the crafts sector within Germany’s vocational education system, Dittrich noted that roughly one-third of all apprenticeships nationwide were completed within the skilled trades, despite the sector accounting for only slightly more than 12 percent of total employment. In light of this disproportionate contribution to workforce training, he maintained that imposing additional financial burdens on the crafts industry was unjustified and economically counterproductive.
Record number of students without Abitur graduate from universities
At the same time, participation in higher education among individuals without the Abitur has continued to rise steadily across Germany. According to figures published by the Centre for Higher Education Development in Gütersloh, 10,270 students without a traditional university entrance qualification completed bachelor’s or master’s degrees in 2024, representing a new record. Since German universities were opened nationwide to professionally qualified applicants, more than 104,000 individuals without the Abitur have graduated from higher education institutions. The number of first-year students entering universities through this pathway has also shown a modest upward trend, with approximately 13,000 students currently beginning higher education studies without a conventional university entrance credential. These students now account for 2.7 percent of all first-year enrollments nationwide.
Most students without the Abitur have concentrated in the fields of law, economics, and social sciences, which together account for roughly half of all enrollments within this category. Engineering disciplines represent another major area of study, accounting for 19.1 percent of enrollments, while medicine and health sciences account for 16.6 percent. However, the annual vocational training report presented to the federal cabinet indicated that approximately 2.76 million people between the ages of 20 and 34 in Germany still lack either a formal vocational qualification or a university degree. The proportion of individuals without formal qualifications within this age group declined only marginally in 2024, falling from 19 percent to 18.8 percent. The category includes working-age adults who possess neither a completed apprenticeship nor a higher education qualification.
The report further stated that around 1.68 million unqualified individuals belonged to groups with an immigrant background. Among descendants of immigrants, the rate stood at 21 percent, substantially lower than the 38.8 percent recorded among first-generation immigrants, highlighting persistent disparities in educational attainment and labor market integration between different demographic groups.
Another report, by the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training, concerning developments within the apprenticeship market stated that by September 30, 2025, the number of newly concluded apprenticeship contracts had declined by 10,300 year over year to 476,000, while the total number of available training positions fell by 25,300 to 530,300. At the same time, approximately 54,400 vacancies nevertheless remained unfilled, although this represented a decline of 15,000 compared with the previous year. Despite the existence of these unfilled positions, 39,900 applicants were still unable to secure placements, representing an increase of 28 percent compared with the previous year.
According to Federal Education Minister Karin Prien (CDU), the simultaneous decline in training opportunities and increase in applicant demand reflected continuing structural imbalances within the apprenticeship market. Prien argued that these mismatches were being further intensified by regional disparities and by the uneven distribution of training opportunities across different occupational sectors.
Audio: TTSFree
