Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing Germany’s labor market. As Zeit reports, Jörg Dittrich, president of the German Confederation of Skilled Trades (ZDH), warns of the consequences for workers – especially university graduates. Many of them, despite excellent qualifications, spend months searching for jobs while AI takes over more and more office tasks: screening applications, drafting legal documents, preparing tax returns, and planning business trips.
Dittrich, a master roofer himself, sees the solution not in further academization but in strengthening vocational education. Skilled trades offer professions largely untouched by AI developments – such as electrical engineering, sanitation, and construction. “How many of us will still be needed in the future?” many office workers ask themselves, Dittrich says. The answer lies in the skilled trades.
Four Reforms to Boost Attractiveness
The ZDH has presented a four-point program to make skilled trades more attractive. Specifically, the association calls for a “skilled trades year” for school leavers, similar to the voluntary social year. Young people should have the opportunity to work in a craft business for a year and gain initial professional experience without having to commit to a full apprenticeship immediately.
The program’s points include better financial support for master craftsman courses, expansion of career orientation programs in schools, and reform of apprenticeship pay. The goal is to establish skilled trades as an equal alternative to university studies and to counter the shortage of skilled workers.
Dittrich emphasizes that politicians must not hesitate any longer. While AI development accelerates, the course must be set now to inspire young people for the skilled trades. “The answer to the challenges of AI lies not in academization but in strengthened vocational education,” the ZDH president says.
Source: www.zeit.de
