German Craft Sector Sees Fourth Consecutive Year of Rising Apprenticeships

The German craft sector recorded its fourth straight year of increasing apprenticeship enrollments. Between January and June 2026, nearly 67,800 new apprenticeship contracts were signed, representing an increase of about 3,160 contracts or 4.9 % compared with the same period a year earlier.

ZDH president Jörg Dittrich attributed the growth to several factors: heightened awareness of artificial‑intelligence impacts, a successful public‑image campaign, improved earnings and career prospects in the trades, and a reduction in industrial apprenticeship places due to the global market situation. He called the trend a “bright spot” in an otherwise difficult economic climate and urged the government to legally recognise the equal status of vocational and academic education and to boost funding for training facilities.