A booming skilled trades sector, but no new blood
The whole of Germany is groaning because the waiting times for roofers, plumbers, service technicians or electricians keep getting longer. Many long-established businesses – bakers, butchers and shoemakers above all – are threatened with extinction. And yet there is no shortage of customers at all, “only” of committed young people with an appetite for the skilled trades. That is hard to understand, given how many opportunities for a successful working life there are in exactly this field. The figures, however, bear out this sad trend. In 2010, according to the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts (Zentralverband des Deutschen Handwerks), 429,000 training contracts were still being signed; by 2015 the figure was only 363,000. Nor has anything changed in that downward spiral in recent years. Anyone looking for apprentices should therefore adapt to the needs of young people. They prefer new technologies and have long since arrived in the digital age.
That it can be done differently is shown by the example of the trades business Kawentsmann: owner Max Bayer-Eynck reports that his company has no problems whatsoever finding young talent.
„When it comes to training in particular, we have no problem at all. We get really great applications … our apprentices walk through vocational college in their Kaventsmann shirts, bursting with pride.“ – Max Beyer-Eink, owner & managing director, Kawentsmann
How KAWENTSMANN wins new apprentices and customers through social media as well as through training, Max explains in the podcast „Angepackt“.
Looking for an apprenticeship by smartphone and tablet
The days when school leavers looked for apprenticeships exclusively through newspaper ads are over. Applications by e-mail? Even that is becoming more and more popular! Future apprentices prefer quick, straightforward communication and turn first to the businesses that have grasped the spirit of the times. Because tomorrow's apprentices grew up with a smartphone in their hand and a laptop on the table. They browse the internet and juggle successfully between different apps. Trades businesses that have adjusted to the digital and electronic age are therefore always a nose ahead of other, more conventional businesses. They get in touch with young people more easily, they present themselves as contemporary employers, and they speak a language potential apprentices understand.
The future is digital
It is in the nature of things that tradespeople would rather work with their tools than sit in front of a PC screen studying the latest IT trends. And yet digital options offer us a great opportunity for a better and simpler future. A business without its own website today is effectively fighting a lost cause. Very few customers still look things up in the phone book. They google and search for the nearest business. On a well-built website, a business can also advertise specifically for new staff. Even with traditional ads in the printed newspaper, a pointer to the website helps. Digitalization, however, offers many more possibilities besides. Digital time tracking by smartphone, tablet and PC is particularly interesting here. It offers far more than mere proof of work, because it simplifies numerous work steps and gives you a quick overview where previously there were only cluttered ring binders and piles of paper.
Digital time tracking can do so much more
Analogue timesheets are a thing of the past. Larger businesses and municipal authorities have long since switched to digital time tracking. Automated administration and digitalized timesheets save time and money. Anyone can see at a glance how much overtime has built up, who turns up for duty and when, who is on vacation, and which seminars and courses are coming up. The possibilities are almost limitless! Employees can attach their work results and reports directly. You can also draw up checklists that set out the workflow of a complex project. And through integrations, accounting can of course be brought in as well. You will find all clockin features here.
Digital timesheets provide reassurance
The new apprentices are used to handling smartphones and tablets. An app that records working hours and different work steps precisely does not put them off. Quite the opposite. Where older people might fear a carefully designed monitoring system, young employees see all the advantages. In our digital age, working hours software gives them reassurance. Every apprentice can look up very quickly what is expected of them. They can easily show what they can already do, or where they still need help and knowledge. Looking back, they can even judge their own development better and see how their area of responsibility has gradually grown. IT in a trades business? It is not just sensible – it is actually fun!
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