Learning at home in the corona pandemic – many trainees even had to cut back on pay and vacation. The DGB sharply criticizes employers.
According to a survey of apprentices, the corona crisis has also left its mark on vocational training and has even led to cuts in vacation and apprenticeship pay.
Almost 60 percent completed at least part of their training in the home office, as the “Corona training study” presented on Wednesday by the youth organization of the German Trade Union Federation (DGB-Jugend) shows.
More than half of the respondents gave homeschooling, which affected almost everyone (95 percent), poor grades: 34 percent said the lessons were “satisfactory”, just under 12 percent “adequate” and 7 percent “poor”. Almost a third of those surveyed who had started their training before Corona stated that the technical quality of vocational school teaching had deteriorated since the beginning of the pandemic. And more than a third of those questioned fear that they will not be able to complete the training successfully because training content was not conveyed.
The DGB sharply criticized the fact that, according to the respondents, some employers have cut vacation days and training allowances. Even in the Corona crisis, employers have an obligation to ensure good training quality and to comply with applicable laws, said DGB youth officer Joscha Wagner. “In order to guarantee this, we need more effective and regular controls in the training companies, otherwise the trainees will suffer more and more”.
According to the study, about a quarter (24.3 percent) of those surveyed had their training allowance cut. Almost every fifth trainee (18.7 percent) stated that his or her vacation had been cut at least once since the beginning of the corona pandemic, although this was not allowed, according to the DGB.
The general manager of the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Achim Dercks, pointed out that a large majority of the trainees had rated the technical support provided by their companies positively. “That shows: Even if many companies had to drive economically this year, promoting and securing young talent is a priority for companies.” The test results also showed that the absence of attendance times in vocational schools or companies could generally be compensated for by the commitment of all those involved.
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
