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Employer and employee representatives are calling for a differentiated solution for training companies in the former Darmstadt district
Darmstadt. The planned reorganization of vocational schools by the city of Darmstadt and the Darmstadt-Dieburg district is facing sharp criticism. Employer and employee representatives on the Vocational Training Committee (BBA) of the Darmstadt Rhine-Main-Neckar Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) are demanding a change of course. The background to this is the unilateral termination of the so-called "old district regulation," which for decades allowed training companies in the western part of the district to send their apprentices to vocational schools in Darmstadt.
According to current plans, around 350 trainees from 70 companies in the former Darmstadt district – including towns like Weiterstadt, Griesheim, and Pfungstadt – exclusively educated at the Landrat-Gruber-Schule (LGS) in Dieburg , provided the respective apprenticeship is offered there. According to the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK), this would have serious consequences: trainees would have to commute an average of six additional days per year , companies would lose over 750 productive working days annually , absenteeism would increase, and the overall attractiveness of vocational training would decline.
Training quality and skilled worker retention at risk
The representatives of the vocational training committee particularly criticized the lack of occupational and geographical differentiation in the plans. In their view, a blanket transfer to Dieburg is "economically, structurally, and ecologically unsustainable." The environmental impact resulting from the additional travel distances is also considerable – according to the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK), it is equivalent to eight trips around the Earth per year .
Companies are already considering relocating or completely abandoning their apprenticeship programs. The Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) has received initial feedback of this kind. Professions such as retail sales and office management are particularly affected, as both school locations currently have sufficient capacity for these programs. Furthermore, the relocation also jeopardizes the availability of vocational training programs in skilled trades in Darmstadt.
Demand: Moratorium and joint regional planning
The BBA (Association of Vocational School Operators) is calling for an immediate moratorium on the current plans and a differentiated consideration of the vocational profiles and places of origin of the trainees. The city and district must new agreements for students from outside the region that continue to allow companies from the western part of the district to attend vocational school close to their homes.
In the long term, the Vocational Training Committee advocates for coordinated vocational school planning across southern Hesse. Only through jointly agreed-upon vocational school development plans from all school authorities in the region can a viable, specialized network of high-performing locations be created. The goal is to combine guaranteed specialized classes, cost efficiency, and high acceptance among businesses and trainees.
The Vocational Training Advisory Board (BBA) of the Darmstadt Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK Darmstadt) sees itself as a legally established body for quality assurance in vocational training in southern Hesse. Employer and employee representatives are calling on the city and district to take their responsibility for dual vocational training in the region seriously and to redesign the schooling regulations in the interests of training companies.
