Deutsche Bahn sets record with 5,500 trainees

Berlin (d.de) – The number of vocational trainees in Germany is still at a historically low level. Only Deutsche Bahn (DB) set a new record with around 5,500 new recruits, some 300 more than last autumn. Most of them – about 800 in total – are training to become engine drivers. The corporation offers 50 vocational traineeships and 25 dual study programmes. With a total of more than 14,000 trainees, DB is one of the largest enterprises in Germany to provide initial vocational training. The corporation plans to take on some 25,000 new employees this year.

For several years now there has been a constant decline in the number of youngsters in Germany opting for a classic dual-track training programme at a company and a vocational college. 469,900 people started initial vocational training in 2022, down from 544,400 in 2012. According to the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), almost 50 percent of companies are unable to fill all the traineeship vacancies they offer. Meanwhile the number of people opting to take a university degree is growing: in 2021 there were 2.9 million university students and 1.3 million vocational trainees in Germany.