The German Logistics Industry is Ready for a Training Offensive

The number of new training contracts is expected to reach a new low in 2021 according to current scientific forecasts. While many employers are unwilling to hire new trainees despite the current ‘training offensive’ by the federal government, the logistics sector offers a wide range of exciting career opportunities with around 200 training professions. Young talent is urgently needed.

(Bremen) The apprenticeship market is expected to experience a much larger decline than in 2020 this coming autumn. According to the latest forecast from the Berlin Research Institute for Educational and Social Economics (Fibs), the number of new training contracts in 2021 is expected to fall to around 400,000. This would represent a decrease of 100,000 apprentices compared to 2020 – the lowest number since 1976. A significant driver of the decline in the apprenticeship market is the Corona pandemic. By the end of 2020, training companies reported suffering greatly from the situation. According to a recent study by the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), one in ten of the companies authorized to train plans to offer fewer apprenticeships in the upcoming training year – or even completely forgo training young people.

The ‘training offensive’ launched by the federal government is intended to create incentives for training companies in the second year of the pandemic. Plans include doubling the existing training bonus from 2,000 euros to 4,000 euros per year. Companies that even expand their training capacities are to receive a grant of 6,000 euros. Now, companies with up to 499 employees are eligible for funding instead of the original 249.

Logistics: A Wide Variety of Training Professions with Future Potential

Even during the Covid-19 crisis, where politics, business, and many young people without training prospects suffer from the effects, logistics offers a multitude of exciting career opportunities with future potential. After the automotive industry and trade, logistics is the third largest economic sector in Germany, with total sales of around 268 billion euros in 2020 (estimate from the expert group ‘Die Logistikweisen’) – before the pandemic, nearly 280 billion euros had been forecasted. With more than 3 million employees, the logistics sector is one of the most important employers. According to a study by the Fraunhofer Working Group for Supply Chain Services (SCS) from 2018, employment growth in the past ten years alone has exceeded 24 percent.

Not only are the tasks, processes, and application areas in logistics diverse, but so are the employment and career opportunities. These have widely differentiated due to the increasing dynamics of the economic sector. 65 percent of all logistics employees work in industries such as trade or manufacturing, thus coming into contact with many facets of logistics. Precisely because logistics is a cross-sectional function that runs through almost all industries and segments, it requires expertise from several fields. Currently, in addition to 110 logistics and logistics-related degree programs, there are around 200 training professions that logistics enthusiasts can learn. The range of training professions in logistics is broad, ranging from freight forwarding clerks or clerks for courier, express, and parcel services to administrative tasks, working with IT or media. Trainees often gain experience in international business as part of their activities.

Logisticians Take Responsibility

“As training companies, we create the skilled workers of tomorrow and help provide young people with a perspective in an exciting and growing economic sector,” says Marcus Meyer, Head of Human Resources at B+S GmbH Logistics and Services. The company from the Teutoburg Forest specializes in the rapid and customer-specific implementation of complex logistics applications and offers a variety of training professions, including for freight forwarding and logistics services or as specialists in warehouse logistics. “We are always looking for curious and committed young people who are enthusiastic about the multifaceted world of logistics.”

The provider of transport and storage services, inTime Express Logistics GmbH, also trains every year. In the summer of 2021, the company plans to hire 12 trainees in the fields of freight forwarding and logistics services as well as IT specialists for system integration and application development. “In addition to dual studies, we want to promote training and inspire interest in logistics and its services by connecting theory and practice. The employment opportunities are becoming increasingly diverse due to the growing importance of digitalization and modern technology, so there is something for everyone,” explains Gerd Röttger, Managing Director of inTime.

Economic Importance Continues to Grow

The demand for committed young talent across the entire economic sector remains high and is expected to continue to rise in the future. This is because the importance and system-relevant function of logistics for the supply of production, trade, and the population is increasing. A significant driver is the changing consumption and purchasing behavior of people. E-commerce has become an increasingly growing economic segment and is now indispensable for many modern consumers. In 2020, total sales in online retail exceeded 83 billion euros, and the Federal Association of E-Commerce and Mail Order Germany e.V. (bevh) expects that online retail with goods and services will exceed the 100 billion euro mark in 2021. This boom in online retail is largely dependent on the reliable logistical handling of ordered goods in terms of storage, transport, picking, and returns management. Competent skilled personnel is needed for these demanding tasks, which logistics service companies specifically promote each year through training programs.

The initiative ‘Die Wirtschaftsmacher’, founded in 2018, also advocates for the employer logistics. “Logistics is of high importance for every society and economy – without it, nothing works. Due to its diversity, it offers a colorful bouquet of employment opportunities for those looking to change, but also especially for young people in the fields of IT, media, planning, production, and consulting. This also applies to women, whose professional and personal skills are increasingly in demand,” explains Frauke Heistermann, spokesperson for the initiative ‘Wirtschaftsmacher’.

On their website and on relevant social media channels, ‘Die Wirtschaftsmacher’ provide a lot of information for interested young talents, including career and ‘logistics hero’ profiles. On Logistics Day on April 15, 2021, a dedicated digital campaign will be launched.

More information can be found on the page: https://die-wirtschaftsmacher.de/videos

Logistics Day is initiated every year by the Federal Association of Logistics (BVL), and companies and organizations from industry, trade, and services provide insights into their operations. Logistics institutes also participate and present research projects, while educational institutions showcase their offerings.

The program can be found at: www.tag-der-logistik.de

Photo: © Die Wirtschaftsmacher/inTime / Image caption: With over 200 training professions, logistics offers exciting career prospects. This is also the opinion of inTime trainees Viktor Heruday, Janina Grote, and Daniel Schumitz (from left to right)