Assisted Training

Project lead
Prof. Dr. Ralph Conrads
Prof. Dr. Thomas Freiling

Project staff
Markus Zink (M.A.)

The HdBA has supported the trial of assisted training (AsA) as a measure to promote professional counselling since 2017 and conducted two qualitative surveys in 2017 and 2019.

The results of the first wave of surveys (2017/2018) already displayed a high level of goal achievement and effectiveness of the AsA. The need to modify the AsA in order to avoid overlap with other tools in the transitional system was also identified.

The majority of those asked considered the programme either successful (33%) or very successful (57%). One of the highlights was the prevention of dropouts in professional training by stabilising participants, and also the successful focus on individual target groups who were more likely to succeed in starting training. Reliable social and educational support over and above the technical training content was considered very important in this respect. Companies had positive experience in the provision of care, and expressed their satisfaction with the participants' improved performance and successfully completed examinations.

However, there was also a need for action in participant selection and also in providing more effective support for the transition between AsA Phase I (pre-training phase) and AsA Phase II (in-training phase). In addition, AsA was still too little knownamong businesses. Rural areas were (and still are) confronted with the issue of long distances.

The full version of the research report for the first wave of surveys was published by wbv Publikation.

To support the development of a forward-looking concept for the AsA with concomitant research, the task in 2019 was to address the issues arising from the first wave of surveys in the context of a further survey.

And so the second wave of surveys (September - December 2019) focused on the question of whether the AsA is an effective incentive for companies, also for providing young adults with a chance of an apprenticeship.

In addition, research comprised

• the expectations on the AsA of the company with the trainees,
• the supply situation in rural areas and the role of the use of digital media,
• opportunities and risks of combining measures in a transitional period so as to reduce duplicate structures

The second wave of surveys also consisted of a wide-ranging field approach so as to paint a comprehensive, generalisable picture of the ongoing AsA during the survey period:

• The employer side is very satisfied with the counselling and mentoring work that was carried out, the expert support and the support and remedial teaching as well as with the assistance in the training organisation. Company expectations were fulfilled for the most part.
• The positive AsA experience changes the attitude of the companies who take trainees towards the disadvantaged young adults, as the AsA enables more of them to have the opportunity of an integrated degree programme. Many small and medium-sized companies are enabled through AsA support, to even offer an apprenticeship to disadvantaged young adults .

Specific recommendations for action were deduced from the survey findings in the study, some of which were ultimately incorporated into new legal regulations and used for the technical redesign of the AsA flex.