Part-Time Apprenticeships Gain Ground as German SMEs Battle 393,000 Unfilled Jobs

Part-time vocational training gains traction in Germany to address labour shortages, as 393,000 of 1.1 million jobs remain unfilled, mostly in SMEs. Regional disparities are stark.

A digital business gathering in Ostwürttemberg this Tuesday put the spotlight on a little-used weapon against Germany’s labour shortage: part-time vocational training. Organised jointly by the Welcome Center Ostwürttemberg and the Kontaktstelle Frau und Beruf, the event explored how reduced-hour apprenticeships and in-company retraining can widen the talent pool.

Tarla B. Naffin of the AJO association pointed to the model’s appeal for people with family commitments. “It allows us to recruit motivated workers who cannot manage a full-time programme,” she said. The approach, she argued, can sustainably strengthen a company’s staffing base.

The urgency of such solutions is underlined by fresh data from the German Economic Institute (IW). According to a study released on 8 June, roughly 393,000 of the nation’s 1.1 million open positions could not be filled. Small and medium-sized enterprises bore the brunt, accounting for 71.7 percent of all bottleneck vacancies.

Regional disparities are stark. In Bavaria, every second SME job posting went unfilled. In Berlin, by contrast, only one in five remained vacant. Rural states face an even tougher challenge: there, up to 80 percent of openings in high-demand occupations belong to small and medium-sized businesses. The worst shortages are in manufacturing, crafts, and the health and social-care sectors.

Similar flexible-training efforts are spreading. Later this month, Freiburg will host two open consultation sessions – one on 25 June run by the local chamber of crafts, focusing on achieving a vocational qualification despite family duties, and another on 29 June at the Rathaus im Stühlinger. Organised by the Arbeitskreis Teilzeitausbildung, both aim to lower the barriers for applicants and employers alike.

While Germany focuses on initial training, Austria has moved to shake up continuing education. On 8 June a new “Weiterbildungszeit” model replaced the former Bildungskarenz programme. Budgeted at €150 million per year – a steep cut from previous levels – the revamped scheme comes with tighter criteria. Applications are now limited to training courses deemed relevant to the labour market and usable outside a single company. A direct switch from parental leave is no longer possible; a 26-week waiting period applies. For employees earning more than €3,465 gross per month, employers must chip in 15 percent of the subsidy.

Technology is also being enlisted to ease the pressure. On the same Tuesday, an “implementation day” for digital security in North Rhine-Westphalia offered practical workshops on IT safety and artificial intelligence, aimed at boosting efficiency in SMEs. Meanwhile, in Schwedt, a “Zukunftswerkstatt” brought together scientists and business leaders to demonstrate mixed-reality applications that can streamline work processes and reduce the need for extra personnel.