Bringing German-style Apprenticeships to the U.S.

German American business, government, and education leaders joined together at the 2019 Skills Conference

The top floor of the W Hotel Midtown filled with the sound of lively conversation. Outside, beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, lush Georgian forest stretched in every direction, the high-rises of Atlanta’s Buckhead district punctuating the horizon. Guests filled their coffee cups, took their seats, and the 2019 International Skills Conference kicked off.

The event, organized by the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Southern U.S. (GACC South) in conjunction with the Deutschlanjahr ‘Wunderbar Together’ campaign, attracted leaders from across German American business, education, and government. With over 70 participants, this day-long event featured lively dialogue and ample networking opportunities for attendees to exchange experiences and ideas about German-style apprenticeship programs in the United States.

Stefanie Ziska, President/CEO of GACC South, welcomed attendees before turning over the floor to Virginia Rounds, Director of the Skills Initiative and ICATT Apprenticeship Program at GACC Midwest. “We’re here today not only to better the economic outlook of our individual companies and organizations,” Rounds said, “but also to have a positive impact in the lives of the young people we educate.” 

Closing the Skills Gap

The infamous “skills gap”—the discrepancy between the skills workers have and the skills required by businesses to remain globally competitive—framed the day’s discussion. “Over 80% of HR professionals say they have difficulty recruiting suitable candidates for their companies’ job openings,” GACC South’s Stefanie Ziska stated during her opening remarks. “Although there are many job openings in the United States, there are not enough qualified applicants to fill these roles.”

According to a study by the human resources association SHRM, 50% of HR professionals feel that the skills gap has worsened in the last two years. This may come as a surprise considering the U.S. unemployment rate of 3.6% is the lowest since 1969. SHRM identifies trade skills such as welding and machining as the primary expertise candidates lack. But they also come up short on so-called soft skills, including critical thinking and communication—two competencies that colleges and universities tout as major benefits of receiving a post-secondary degree.

David Langdon, Senior Policy Advisor at the U.S. Department of Commerce, addressed how the U.S. government responds to the skills gap. Langdon outlined how the 2018 executive order “The Pledge to American Workers” has enlisted the help of 300 companies to create 13.8 million training opportunities over the next five years. The U.S. administration’s effort to create a national workforce strategy emphasizes multiple pathways to careers, employers’ investment in their employees, and new ways of helping students, parents, and educators determine the right path for young workers.

Apprenticeships: A Time-Tested Approach

In the time-tested system of German apprenticeships, private companies and publicly-funded vocational schools join together to provide robust training to young workers. Thanks to this unique method, Germany enjoys low unemployment and high skill levels among workers without a university degree. As of September 2019, German unemployment rates stand at 3.1% across all labor sectors, a forty-year low.

The GACC South has worked in conjunction with the German government to bring this model of apprenticeships to the United States. In 2013, the GACC South’s first training program in cooperation with Volkswagen awarded its apprentices with internationally recognized certificates in mechatronics.

In 2016, Georgia Lt. Governor Casey Cagle signed a memorandum launching the Georgia Consortium for Advanced Technical Training (GA CATT). Similar apprenticeship programs are managed by the GACC Midwest and GACC New York. Over 90 companies across 15 states have been certified by the German American Chambers of Commerce.

“We need to advertise the jobs, not the education,” Deputy Director of Economic Development for the City of Auburn Arndt Siepmann said, hinting at the challenges of selling apprenticeship programs to both students and their parents.

Overcoming Challenges 

In the United States, students are often led to believe that a 4-year college degree is the only option after graduating high school. Dr. Ursina Krumpholz, Minister Counselor and Head of Economic Business at the German Embassy, pushed against this commonly held belief: “The apprenticeship system is special because it considers that some students will be better suited for technical jobs. Skills and training are essential to securing economic propensity on a personal level, but they are also a means of ensuring the competitiveness of German companies both nationally and globally.”

With so many lucrative job openings, why don’t more young people take advantage of apprenticeship programs? One reason may be that the American public’s perception of manufacturing jobs is far from glamorous. Several panelists remarked that the connotation of the word “apprenticeship” simply doesn’t excite people. Furthermore, manufacturing has long been seen as an underpaid, physically intense industry—the very idea of a factory calls to mind outdated images of dirty, dark, and downright dangerous working conditions.

Panelists pointed out that contemporary factories are quite the opposite of what people often imagine. Manufacturing has gone hi-tech. The factories are spotless, filled with pristine robotics instead of filthy, oily machines. David Keller, President and Managing Director of Operations at E.G.O. North America, elaborated on the public perception of manufacturing jobs: “There was a time when manufacturing jobs were not looked down upon. We [as a society] did such a disservice for generations by telling students to not go into manufacturing.”

Shifting the public perception of the manufacturing industry as a whole is one of the biggest obstacles facing the expansion of apprenticeship programs. Georgia Senator Matt Brass emphasized that the private companies—not the government—ultimately drive program expansion.

“The way I see it is the more government gets out of the way and lets industry drive this train, the more it will thrive,” Senator Brass said. “At the end of the day, it’s all about connecting people together.”

Fostering Loyalty

Above all, speakers at the conference emphasized the benefits apprenticeships give their trainees. David Keller addressed retaining apprentices once they’ve completed their training: “You have to build a sense of loyalty within the company. If you do that, [apprentices] will become part of your family; they will identify with the company. That’s one of the reasons the system works so well in Germany."

As the conference came to a close, it became apparent that the attendees weren’t interested in simply filling open positions at companies. It goes without saying that closing the skills gap and keeping the factory floor staffed is certainly a vital concern. But the overarching theme of the 2019 International Skills Conference was creating a society-wide change in how we talk about apprenticeships.

In short, apprenticeships give young Americans an alternative to skyrocketing tuition rates while teaching them crucial skills not found in traditional higher education. “We’re not simply educating students for a job,” GACC South president Stefanie Ziska said, “we’re training them for a life-long career.”