Loss of skills jeopardizes career entry

Following the poor results of the latest PISA study, the skilled trades sector is appealing to the federal and state governments to make proven support programs permanent. School education must lay a solid foundation for starting a career.

The latest results from the international student assessment study "Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)" by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are the worst ever for German students. Their competence level has declined further. While it remains slightly above average – tests are conducted in 91 countries and regions worldwide – Germany has never performed worse since 2000.

The assessment evaluates skills in mathematics, science, reading, and digital literacy. In Germany, for the 2025 PISA study, over 6.000 students were tested at approximately 250 schools of all types. According to the results, roughly one-third of 15-year-old students lack the necessary basic skills in mathematics and reading. In science, this applies to only about one-quarter of students. Furthermore, the differences in competence are disproportionately high based on socioeconomic background. Socioeconomic background is the most significant influencing factor.

The success of the training is at risk

"The presented results confirm what skilled trades training companies have been experiencing for years: Too many young people leave school without the basic skills necessary for successful vocational training. This jeopardizes the successful progress of their on-the-job training and thus their entry into professional life," explains Holger Schwannecke, Secretary General of the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts . The study shows the state of students' reading, arithmetic, and science skills.

"These are precisely the skills trainees need to gain a foothold in the skilled trades. Where they are lacking, the learning process stalls from the outset, and companies have to make costly adjustments. Added to this are matching problems: training companies and young people don't find each other because expectations of the apprenticeship don't align with reality, or because mobility or housing is lacking," says Schwannecke. He calls for improving the basic skills of school graduates to lay a solid foundation. Better career guidance is also needed in all types of schools.

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Continue funding programs

"The federal states should implement comprehensive diagnostic systems in schools to identify gaps in basic skills early on and thus be able to counteract them even before graduation." Businesses also need help finding suitable trainees. The federal program "Matching Skills and Welcome Guides" creates a bridge here that is regionally anchored and practical. "However, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs' announced discontinuation of the program at the end of 2027 contradicts the labor market and economic policy challenges of the coming years."

The skilled trades sector is appealing to the federal and state governments to act now. Schwannecke: "The federal government must ensure that entry-level qualifications and 'assisted training' are promoted more strongly and that funding for the volunteer mentoring program 'VerAplus' continues indefinitely. Likewise, funding must be secured that allows trainees to catch up on missing basic skills during their apprenticeship as part of the Alpha Decade initiative. And instead of dismantling established regional placement networks, the governing coalition should reliably continue the 'Matching Skills and Welcome Guides' program beyond 2027."

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