Transcript Why Apprentices Quit

5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg
Ursel Hauschildt
Why Apprentices Quit
Results of a German Case Study
24 April 2013, University of Witwatersrand
Johannesburg, South Africa
5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg
We have a well established apprenticeship system.
But:
In Germany, more than 20% of all training contracts
between apprentices and companies offering incompany training terminate at an early stage or later
during the cause of apprenticeship.
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5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg
…some voices of apprentices:
„I had difficulties with my boss . He always shouted at me.
I was afraid!“
„Being an apprentice meant: bar, service, kitchen bistro, frying Schnitzel –
seven days a week. Always 10 to 12 hour. Free time at a weekend only while
taking holydays upon a well-reasoned request.“
„Even in the third year of training, I did not see the office. I have never
been doing things that would have been relevant for my apprenticeship.“
„I was always alone in the office and could not learn anything. All
customers had not been acquainted to a situation where an apprentices was
taking the phone. They have always called my boss on his mobile. When I
had been given a work task, that was only something to do for two hours a
day maximum.“
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5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg
An early termination of apprenticeship contracts have serious implications
for all parties concerned...
... for apprentices: much frustration and a loss of time.
Useless waiting loops. (For the government or community) expensive
transition measures.
Joblessness in the worst case..
... For companies: Malinvestment, loss of labor and time,
bottlenecks... and a lack of well trained personnel in the long run
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5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg
Drop-outs in Apprenticeships in Germany (source: BIBB (2012)
Vertragslösungsquoten in % der begonnenen Ausbildungsverträge nach Ländern in 2010
26,2
Schleswig-Holstein
27,9
Saarland
25,0
Rheinland-Pfalz
22,2
Nordrhein-Westfalen
22,6
Niedersachsen
22,2
Hessen
25,4
Hamburg
23,1
Bremen
20,4
Bayern
19,5
Baden-Württemberg
23,0
Bundesgebiet (LQneu 2010)
25,7
Sachsen
27,7
Thüringen
29,2
Sachsen-Anhalt
31,5
M ecklenburg-Vorpommern
26,8
Brandenburg
27,1
Berlin (ab 1991 mit Berlin-Ost)
0,0
5,0
10,0
15,0
20,0
25,0
30,0
35,0
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5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg
Meanwhile in the majority of cases examines in our
study, both, employers/trainers as well as apprentices
do believe that:
“…this drop-out could have been avoided!”
If this is right, one has to analyze the major reasons for
early contract terminations in order to derive measures
of how to prevent them in future.
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5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg
Our study: some backgrounds
In 2010, drop-out rates in apprenticeship have reached 25.7% in
Saxony, which was about 2.7% above the German average.
In cooperation with I:BB, University of Bremen, the Regional
Council Leipzig and Northern Saxony have initiated a project to
examine the reasons for drop-outs in apprenticeships (early
termination/cancellation of training contracts). This study was
supported by
- the regional transition management initiatives of the county of
Northern Saxony
- Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Crafts in Leipzig as well
as the Saxony Office for Environment, Agriculture and Geology (LfULG)
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5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg
Our method: Two different questionnaires
(one for apprentices, one for companies concerned)
The sample:
Chamber of Commerce: Leipzig
• 400 companies
returns: 159 (40%)
• 700 apprentices
returns: 149 (21%)
Chamber of trades Leipzig
• 299 companies
• 358 apprentices
returns: 130 (44%)
returns: 83 (23%)
Regional council Northern Saxony
• 23 companies
returns: 23 (100%)
• 19 apprentices
returns: 14 (74%)
Valid data:
Company questionnaires: 305,
apprentice questionnaires: 254
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5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg
Central questions of this study: an overview
1. What were the expectations of companies and apprentices at the beginning
of apprenticeship?
2. Who took the initiative to cancel the contract?
3. At what stage of apprenticeship did the contract end?
4. What are the correlations between drop-out rates and specific vocations,
the size of training companies, branches of companies etc
5. What are the major reasons for an early contract termination?
(view of apprentices and view of companies/trainers)
a) personal reasons
b) vocational reasons
c) reasons related to the training company
d) reasons related to the vocational schools
6. Consequences /Measures to take
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5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg
Answers to these questions:
1. What were the expectations of companies and apprentices at the beginning
of apprenticeship?
2/3 of the apprentices had started their apprenticeship with (great) optimism.
“promising”
Answers according to the three different
chambers involved
“pretty
“I had
much ok”
some
doubts””“not very
Very promising
promising”
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Statements of apprentices to the statement: “I thought that an apprenticeshipUrsel
in that
company would be promising”
5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg
“promising”
“average”
“very
promising”
“we had little
doubts”
“we had great
doubts”
Statements of companies to the question: “How suitable or how promising did you
consider the candidate for this position after having finished the assessment / selection
process?”
5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg
“promising”
“average”
“very
promising”
“we had little
doubts”
“we had great
doubts”
Statements of companies to the question: “How suitable or how promising did you consider
the candidate for this position after having finished the assessment / selection process?”
So, also 2/3 of the companies were of the opinion to employ the right candidate.
Moreover, in 2/3 of all cases, there have been several applicants for the training position,
so that there has not been a lack of alternatives.
5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg
Answers to the question:
2. Who took the initiative to cancel the contract?
The apprentice
The company
It was a mutual decision
For this question as well, the
data collected from
companies and apprentices
led to a similar picture.
n=249
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5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg
Answers to the question
3. At what stage of apprenticeship did the contract end?
The great majority of early contract terminations (about 2/3)
happen during the first year of training (This result is relevant
for all branches/trades.
Only in a few occupations, apprenticeship contracts have a
tendency to as well terminate at later stage, for example in the
gastronomy sector or in vocations like hair dresser.
Also here, the analysis of both questionnaires come to a similar
picture.
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5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg
Answers to the question:
4. What are the correlations between drop-out rates and specific vocations,
the size of training companies, branches of companies etc.
a) company size:
The risks of drop-out is higher in smaller or smallest companies compared to
larger companies. This refers to all branches.
(n = 305)
Examination of the
three larges
branches in this
study
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Answers to the question:
4. What are the correlations between drop-out rates and specific vocations,
the size of training companies, branches of companies etc.
b) vocations:
Vocations with a high risk of early contract termination are among others
- restaurant service assistant, cook, hair dresser, hotel service clerk, florist,
dental technician.
Vocations with a relatively low risk of drop-outs are:
- mechatronic, bank clerk, administrative clerk, industrial clerk.
The percentage of early terminated contracts in Saxony is - according to
branches:
24,8% in industries/trade, 27,4% in crafts and 1,4% for “green vocations”
(farmer, gardener etc)
5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg
Answers to the question:
5. What are the major reasons for an early contract termination?
(view of apprentices and view of companies/trainers)
In the opinion of companies, the major reasons for early terminated
apprenticeship contracts are personal reasons of the learner, but most
of all vocational reasons.
Companies quote that the apprentice had a wrong idea about the
occupation and that there was a lack of interest combined
with a lack of performance.
But: the main reasons for a drop-out are
interpreted differently by apprentices and
companies. In this respect, the statements of
apprentices and apprenticing companies do not fit
to each other.
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5. Reasons for early contract terminations
(view of apprenticing companies)
Private/family related
problems
Lack of identification
with the training
company/ inadequate
performance of
apprentices
Inadequate
performance of
apprentice in vocational
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school and Ursel
lateness,
unexcused absences
5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg
Major reason for early contract terminations in crafts.
Main reason for early contract
termination
(employers‘ view)
Main reason for early contract
termination
(view of apprentices)
The apprentice
was unsuitable
for the vocation
The apprentice
was not
interested
Insufficient
instruction of
formation
contents
Conflicts with
trainers or
formen
company and
apprentice did
not suit to e. o.
Unpaid overtime
violations of the
factory
regulations
Overburdening
Number of
companies
Wood working and
construction
businesses
27
2,93
(1,80)
1,85
(0,95)
3,22
(1,55)
2,26
(1,40)
9
3,56
(1,74)
2,67
(1,80)
3,22
(1,79)
3,22
(1,48)
Electro-, and metal
trades
34
2,04
(1,58)
2,58
(1,59)
2,68
(1,54)
2,55
(1,68)
17
2,20
(1,57)
2,71
(1,65)
2,41
(1,58)
2,82
(1,91)
Motor and vehicle
repair trade
11
2,30
(1,77)
1,90
(0,88)
2,45
(1,29)
2,30
(1,49)
13
2,25
(1,87)
1,92
(1,24)
1,50
(1,17)
1,91
(1,38)
Food industry
8
2,14
(1,95)
2,63
(2,00)
2,83
(1,47)
2,63
(2,00)
8
3,75
(1,17)
2,63
(0,74)
3,75
(1,17)
3,87
(1,55)
Health care and
cleaning businesses
13
1,62
(1,50)
2,15
(1,07)
2,46
(1,26)
1,77
(0,93)
13
1,64
(1,21)
2,25
(1,36)
2,64
(1,43)
2,83
(1,59)
Personal care
buisiness
24
3,64
(1,76)
2,41
(1,14)
3,35
(1,82)
2,61
(1,75)
14
1,62
(1,26)
2,92
(1,89)
3,00
(1,80)
2,92
(1,80)
Other businesses
11
2,18
(1,72)
3,60
(1,35)
2,50
(1,65)
3,10
(1,45)
11
1,73
(1,35)
2,55
(1,70)
2,73
(1,56)
3,27
(1,68)
Branch
Number
of
apprent
ices
5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg
6. What are the consequences?
•
2/3 of the apprentices have drawn consequences from the experience of
early contract termination :
- better inforamtion about the training company (46%),
- doning an internship in a relevant company (28%)
- better infomation about the vocation (19%).
•
On the other hand 60% of the trainers / company representatives do not
see the necessity of changing their recruitment or training practice
•
¼ of the training providing companies has drawn consequences from their
experiences of early contract termination. These are
- further education of trainers
- better communication with apprentices
- more intensive and a better quality of assessment procedures
Ursel Hauschildt
5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg
A final question: What happens after a
contract termination?
… apprentices
… companies
5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg
An encouraging result of the survey is that two thirds of the
apprentices that had experienced a contract cancellation of a first (or
second) training contract still pursue a vocational career, study or
follow further educational pathways.
This means that a contract termination does not necessarily mean a
definite drop-out. A large majority of former drop-outs decide to stay
“in the apprenticeship system”, but change the training company
(more than 50%).
Every fourth contract termination can as well be considered as
a“real” drop-out, i.e. those were apprentices who remained out
of work (19.4%) or worked in another company without finishing
their apprenticeship (7.9%).
Ursel Hauschildt
5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg
What happens after an early contract termination?
What happens after an early contract termination?
0
5
10
15
20
I am apprentice in another company
25
30
35
40
45
50
45,8 %
I am out of work
19,4 %
I am working but have not completed my apprenticeship
7,9 %
5,7 %
I am learning a profession at a vocational college
4,4 %
I am a university student
Others
2,6 %
I have just finished my appretniceship in another company
2,2 %
I am giong to school - Gymnasium or Technical High School
2,2 %
I am doing a BGJ
2,2 %
I am employed - finished my appretniceship in another company
2,2 %
I am ill / not able to work
1,3 %
I am pregnant / on maternal leave
1,3 %
I am engaged in the federal volunteer service
0,9 %
I am doing an internship
0,9 %
I am running my own business
0,4 %
I am participating in a rehabilitation measure
0,4 %
Ursel Hauschildt
5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg
What about the training companies?
5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg
Measures to avoid early contract terminations
a) Preventive Measures (measures before starting contract signature)
- early vocational orientation and internships
- individual career guidance
- support of companies in applicant selection processes
- working on a better vocational maturity („quality“ of school leavers), working on an
improvement of „soft skills“
- regular allergy tests (for apprentices who wish to be trained as hair
dresser/baker/florist/dental technicians
b) Intervention Measures (measures during the course of apprenticeship)
- mediation (also external VET mediation, for example via chambers)
- further qualification of VET teachers/trainers
- setting up of vocational subject matter working groups (VET trainers and teachers) f
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- quality assurance of in-company training (for example with tools like„QRC“)
5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg
5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg
Situation of apprentices after an early contract termination
Contract termination ≠ termination of (vocational) education
BIBB data report 2011: Almost 50% of all apprentices start another
apprenticeship afterwards.
IBB study in Osnabrück 2009: 44% started a new apprenticeship. A further
14% entered a technical high school, 8% sind Teilnehmer einer Maßnahme,
7% entschieden sich für weiteren Schulbesuch (Gymnasium oder
Fachoberschule) und 5 % begannen ein Studium. 3% traten ihren Wehrdienst
an.
13% gaben an berufstätig ohne Ausbildung zu sein. 12% wurden arbeitslos.
Nach der IBB Erhebung handelt es sich also in rund einem Viertel der Fälle
um einen echten Ausbildungsabbruch.
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5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg
Gardener
Farmer
Personal care business
Other trades
Health care and cleaning business
Food industry
Motor and vehicle repair trade
Electro- and metal trades
The percentage of
early terminated
contracts is according to
branches:
24,8% in
industries/trade
Wood working and construction business
IT electronics and media
Hotels and restaurant trades
Metal trades
Commerce
Construction
Transport and logistics
.
27,4% in crafts
und
1,4% for “green
vocations” (farmer,
gardener etc)