Homeowners are feeling the pain these days when they want to make repairs to their building or have new heaters installed. The available craftsmen are often the limiting factor. The industry is looking for young people.
Schwerin/Rostock (dpa/mv) - The advertising offensive of the trades in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania to attract school leavers for vocational training seems to be bearing fruit, but is far from being able to fill all the gaps. According to the two chambers of crafts in Rostock and Schwerin, more than 1,600 young people have concluded apprenticeship contracts with craft businesses so far this year. Some of them started their training on August 1st, for the others it will start on September 1st. However, the chambers expect that in the coming months there will still be those who decide to do an apprenticeship as a craftsman.
According to the North Employment Agency, around 1,500 applicants for an apprenticeship in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania were still unplaced in mid-August. On the other hand, there were almost 4,000 vacant training positions across the country, several hundred of them in trades. Among other things, 84 automotive mechatronics technicians and 83 plant mechanics for sanitary, heating and air-conditioning technology were still being sought.
The chamber district of Schwerin reported 625 new contracts, 1.5 percent more than in the previous year. The pre-Corona year 2019 was also exceeded. Managing Director Gunnar Pohl referred to the good career prospects in the trades. In the current energy crisis, young people could combine professional goals with an important and meaningful task for society. "Without a sufficient number of skilled workers in the trades, Germany's energy conversion will remain an illusion," said Pohl. At present, homeowners often have to put up with long waiting times for the installation of solar systems or modern, climate-friendly heating systems.
Systems mechanic for sanitary, heating and air conditioning technology is now the second most popular apprenticeship after automotive mechatronics technician in the East Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania chamber district, according to Rostock. With a total of 1000 apprenticeship contracts, around eight percent fewer were concluded this year than in 2021, but at the same time six percent more than in the pre-Corona year 2019. "The young people and their parents have experienced, especially during the pandemic period, that the craft is always and is needed everywhere," said Jens-Uwe Hopf, Chamber Chief Executive.
The need for skilled workers is still high. In the chamber district, 420 training positions in craft businesses are still vacant. Hopf also referred to opportunities and career opportunities in the skilled trades. "In the next five years, 3,000 craft businesses alone will face a generational change in the chamber sector. Here, well-trained and motivated specialists such as young master craftsmen and women can take on responsibility and management positions," he said.
