Overview

• Roughly 30% of apprentices do not complete their training, the highest rate since the DGB began tracking in the 1990s.
• Among final‑year trainees, 41.5% say they do not know if their company will keep them on after graduation, a sharp increase from last year.
• Despite the stresses, 71.6% report being satisfied with their training, with satisfaction far lower in hospitality, food trades, hairdressing and retail.
• Financial strain is widespread, with nearly 63% unable to live independently on training pay, about 32% relying on parents and roughly 13% taking side jobs.
• Fewer firms train at all (18.8%), quality gaps persist with 14.7% often doing non‑training tasks, and DIHK/IAB counter that many employers intend to retain graduates, citing two‑thirds to 79% in their data.