In the Esslingen district, only 45.5 percent of applicants for a training position actually start training. The rest opt for secondary school.
Is there a Bermuda Triangle in the Esslingen district where trainees disappear? One might think if you read the 2024/25 training market balance of the employment agency that has now been published, that out of 2,534 applicants for a training place, only 45.5 percent actually start vocational training. And not because there are no training positions. Of these, 376 were still unoccupied in the Esslingen district on September 30th, the cut-off date for the statistics. So where have the young people gone?
Markus Knorpp, career advice team leader at the employment agency in Esslingen, has a sober explanation for the mysterious phenomenon: “Many of them go to secondary schools.” Then why are they even applying? “Because many young people are unsure which path they should take in their future. They fluctuate between training and school, but then often decide on the familiar school system.”
According to the balance sheet, this trend remained unbroken in the period from October 2024 to September 2025. 3,968 training positions were reported to the employment agency – 8.8 percent more than in the same period last year. The 2,534 applicants – the part of the total spectrum that took advantage of the training placement – also represent an increase of 6.8 percent.
As in previous years, there were significantly more training positions registered than applicants. The gap between supply and demand is particularly noticeable among medical and dental specialists and among industrial clerks, in the logistics sector, retail and in sanitary, heating and air conditioning technology, it is said. Why are these actually attractive areas weakening? “Because from the employer’s perspective, not all applicants are qualified and capable enough for these jobs,” says Knorpp. “Training is a two-sided matching. It has to be right for both sides.” Overall, 2.5 percent more positions remain unfilled than in the same period last year.
Desire and reality in the Esslingen district
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Conversely, “two-sided matching” also means that the prospective trainees have their own wishes. And with a total of around 350 training occupations, these wishes cannot always be fulfilled on site or within easy reach; especially if there are poor connections to public transport from where you live or study. According to the employment agency, even within the Esslingen district there are noticeable differences in applicant and training profiles, for example between Neckartal, Alb or Filder.
According to statistics, the top career aspirations among young women are commercial, medical or dental professions. Hairdressers and saleswomen are also popular. Young men, on the other hand, prefer to see themselves as automotive, electrical, plant or industrial mechanics or as computer scientists. Technology still seems male.
No nonsense in the brain
But the young people don’t have anything wrong with them, career advisor Knorpp explains. “They don’t all just want to become influencers, as you sometimes hear. These are isolated cases. The majority of secondary and secondary school graduates take the topic of training very seriously and have realistic ideas.” Their career aspirations were mostly within the dual system – which, according to Knorpp, is also increasingly of interest to high school graduates before or instead of studying: “From my point of view, this is a good development.” He doesn’t see cutthroat competition, at least in the Esslingen district: “It may exist in other regions, but not here, where training positions still remain unfilled.”
Fewer offers for traditional training occupations
However, we can see a “clear structural change” in the training sector, says Karin Käppel, head of the employment agency in Göppingen, which is also responsible for the Esslingen district. “Many traditional apprenticeships are offered less frequently, particularly in industry.” But there are still alternatives in other areas. In general, “bringing young people and training companies together” has become more difficult.
51 people who are still looking for a training place have registered with the employment agency. There will probably be a few more by the end of the year. It just doesn’t always fit with training and trainees: the thing with “two-sided matching”. The employment agency will continue its placement efforts.
