Do works councils improve the quality of apprenticeship training? Evidence from German workplace data

PurposeWorks councils have the legal right to participate in a firm’s training process and, where necessary, call for a replacement of training instructors. The purpose of this paper is to empirically test whether works councils are associated with a higher quality of apprenticeship training – or its inputs or outputs – in Germany.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use two representative cross-sectional surveys of German workplaces in 2007 and 2012/2013 that were conducted by the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training in Germany. To account for selection on observables, the authors apply nearest neighbor matching models to estimate the extent to which works councils are associated with training quality.FindingsThe results shed light on the influence of works councils on the quality of apprenticeship training in Germany. Based on a quality model, the authors show that works councils are associated with a (moderately) higher output quality of apprenticeships, particularly with respect to the share of retained apprentices. However, the authors do not find empirical evidence for a positive association between works councils and input- and process-quality indicators.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the identification of causal effects due to the existence of works councils is difficult and cannot be fully addressed in the analysis, the authors can use a number of important control variables at the workplace level. The results suggest that a works council only plays a moderate role in enhancing the quality of the German apprenticeship system.Originality/valueThe authors provide the first direct empirical evidence of how the existence of a works council is associated with the input-, process- and outcome-quality measures of the German apprenticeship system.

The Mittelstand: a Specific Entrepreneurial Profile of the Social Market Economy

Mittelstand companies are the backbone of the German economy: they constitute the vast majority of enterprises in Germany, contribute to employment, and are a pillar of the German apprenticeship system. The specific ownership–management structure of the Mittelstand used to go hand in hand with social, intergenerational, and regional responsibility. However, today’s very small and young entrepreneurs do not perceive themselves as Mittelstand; many entrepreneurs do not intend to employ others, and structural changes in the economy have also resulted in fundamental changes of the Mittelstand. This paper explores the characteristics of the Mittelstand and its future, asking whether Mittelstand will continue to play a fundamental role in the social market economy in Germany.

Works councils and absenteeism of apprentices: An empirical analysis

This article examines the influence of works councils on apprentices’ absence from the workplace in Germany. The analysis draws on merged administrative and survey data that include information about the cumulated days that apprentices are absent from work due to sickness. Regression results imply that the existence of a works council in a firm significantly reduces apprentices’ absence. However, split-sample regressions show that this is predominantly the case in firms with high absence rates. Overall, the results suggest that works councils exercise their legally anchored ‘voice’ function in the German apprenticeship system.