For Hubertus Heil, there is no question: “Germany must become a republic of further education,” the Federal Minister of Labor declared last summer. Vocational training is still the ticket to the labor market, said the SPD politician – but it is no longer a “permanent subscription.”

The ecological transformation, digitalization and the use of artificial intelligence have led to many jobs changing in content, said the minister. That is why politicians are preparing employees for the fact that further training will be essential over the course of their working lives. In other words: those who do not learn extra on the job are at risk of losing their jobs.

Companies have apparently known this for some time: 93 percent of companies in this country offered their employees further training in 2022, according to a survey by the German Economic Institute (IW) – a record high.

With an average of 1,347 euros per employee, investments in training increased by nine percent compared to the previous year.

Heil, together with Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP), has even declared a whole “decade of further training”. The so-called qualification allowance, for which 3.3 billion euros are planned this year, and a transformation grant for employers were therefore introduced – the state is providing start-up funding for more further training.

More speed also seems necessary in this area, as Germany is lagging behind in international comparison. The most investment is made in China: almost 40 percent of employees there have financed professional training themselves. European neighbors such as the Swiss and Spanish also spend more of their own money on training than the Germans, among whom this share is only 16 percent.

There is basically agreement that further training is essential. “Doing nothing is not an option if jobs and prosperity must be secured – and at the same time the climate transition must be achieved,” warns DGB board member Anja Piel.

More than 2.5 million employed people now have a qualification in so-called higher vocational education, which includes, for example, the qualification to become a master craftsman. This may sound like a lot, but it is put into perspective when you look at the bigger picture. Measured against the number of all employed people, this corresponds to 5.5 percent.

Achim Dercks, Vice-General Manager of the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), even speaks of higher vocational training as a “kind of insider tip”. Further training protects against unemployment. “With a rate of just 1.2 percent – and thus even lower than for academics – the job market in this group is completely empty,” says Dercks.

However, employees can also benefit directly from the courses, as a DIHK survey shows. 57 percent of those surveyed were given a larger area of ​​responsibility or were promoted following further training; almost one in four was helped to find a new job.

The additional learning also has an impact on the bank account. More than a quarter say they will earn an additional 1,000 euros or more after five years at the latest.