Finding Azubis and skilled workers in Handwerk: why job ads alone don't work and which five steps actually bring applications.
Read Time
5 min
Quick answer: Handwerk businesses that find Azubis (apprentices in the German dual training system) and skilled workers today are the ones that are visible online, feel authentic, and make applying easy. A job ad alone rarely works. What helps: a maintained Google profile with reviews, real faces on Instagram or TikTok, a career page with clear information, and an application that works on a phone in two minutes. In-person touchpoints like internships and school visits still matter. Online doesn't replace personal contact, but without online, the contact never happens in the first place.
There's a conversation we've been having with Handwerk businesses a lot lately. It usually goes something like this.
"We advertised the apprenticeship everywhere. Website, Google, Facebook. Still no applications. What are we doing wrong?"
Often it's not a lack of interest. It's that the business and the Azubis are using different channels. And when they do find each other, the first impression doesn't hold long enough to turn a click into an application.
Here's what actually helps. Real numbers, no panic advice, and five steps you can start this month.
More contracts, still empty positions
The situation looks paradoxical at first glance. The Handwerk sector signed more apprenticeship contracts again: around 136,000 in training year 2025, a 0.4% increase, while the national number dropped 2.1%. Still, over 16,000 offered apprenticeship positions remained unfilled (Berufsbildungsbericht 2026, Deutsche Handwerks Zeitung).
At the same time, by the end of September 2025, 84,400 young people nationwide were still looking for an apprenticeship. 39,900 of them completely unplaced. That's a historic high since the report started being published annually in 2009. Open positions and unmatched applicants exist side by side, in a bigger gap than ever.
Here's our take, not a line from the report: often the problem isn't a lack of interest. It's that applicants can't find your business. Or they find it and the application is too much hassle.
In 2024, 36.7% of all apprenticeship contracts in Handwerk were terminated early, compared to 26.8% in Industry and Trade. That's not automatically a dropout. About half sign a new contract afterwards. But it shows how important it is to honestly show what everyday life at your business actually looks like, even before day one. Not just the sunshine version.
The pressure on the skilled-worker side is even higher. According to the Federal Employment Agency, it takes an average of 242 days to fill an open position in Handwerk (BA-Presseinfo Nr. 34, 2026). For comparison, across all professions, it's 167 days. Ten years ago, in Handwerk, it was around 100 days. And 718,000 workers in Handwerk trades are over 55, which means they'll gradually leave the workforce in the coming years.
Those are the numbers. The real question is what you as a business can actually do about it.
What applicants see when they Google your business
Anyone interested in a business Googles it. Types in the name, checks the reviews, clicks the website, maybe takes a quick look at Instagram.
Try it yourself. Search for "your business name apprenticeship" and look at what a 16-year-old would find. Not you, who knows every corner of the business. Someone who's seeing you for the first time.
Three things decide what happens in those first seconds:
The Google profile. Are the hours and contact info correct? Are there real photos from the business? Do you respond to reviews, including critical ones? The Google profile is the first contact with your business for many visitors. If it looks empty or outdated, the visitor assumes the same about the business.
Instagram or TikTok. No polish required. An Azubi showing what happens on a regular day is usually more credible than any slogan. The Azubis you want to reach are there. If you're not there, you're invisible to them.
The website. Does it load quickly on a phone? Is it visible anywhere that you train Azubis? Or does the visitor have to dig three clicks deep to find a career page? We've written elsewhere about why most Handwerk websites aren't doing their job. For Azubis, that goes double. They're not patient, and they compare quickly.
And offline? Internships and school visits still matter. The Berufsbildungsbericht 2026 specifically names internships between signing the contract and the first workday as a way to keep applicants engaged early. Online makes sure interested applicants don't drop off before they even get to that point. The combination wins, not a choice between either.
The career page: what needs to be on it
Your career page is the business card for applicants. Everything you want to say about your business ends up there.
A Bertelsmann study referenced in the Berufsbildungsbericht 2026 names factors that drive applicants' decisions: work atmosphere, pay, interesting tasks, and good chances of being kept on. For many, a simple application process is part of it too. That's what belongs on the page, without detours:
Specific instead of empty phrases. Which trade, how long, what tasks in year one, how high the apprenticeship pay is. "Competitive pay" means nothing. "€950 gross in the first year" means everything.
Real faces. Trainers and Azubis with names and photos, plus a day at the business in pictures or a short video. Show the unglamorous side too. Then both sides know what they're signing up for. That's also the best defense against first-year dropouts.
Perspective. Opportunities for being kept on and training up to Meister level. In 2024, businesses retained an average of 79% of their graduates, with small businesses of up to 9 employees retaining 67%. If you keep people on, write it on the page. That's a real argument.
A named contact person. Name, photo, mobile number, or WhatsApp. Nobody wants to go through an anonymous info@ inbox. Make it concrete, make it human.
Findable. A dedicated page for each apprenticeship, with the location in the title, like "Apprenticeship Roofer in Munich." Technical tip: mark positions with JobPosting schema so Google can show them in job search. This is the same principle modern search optimization needs in general. We've written a separate article on AI search and modern website structure.
The application journey: where applicants get lost along the way
Between "sounds interesting" and the first day at work, there are a lot of small steps. Seeing the ad, opening the page, filling in the form, waiting for a reply, trial day, contract, start. Applicants drop off at every single one of them. That's your application journey, what we call the Bewerberstrecke in German. Most businesses have never gone through it themselves.
The numbers are clear. According to the study Azubi-Recruiting Trends 2025, 68.5% of businesses still ask for a cover letter. 45.7% require registration before applying, and 62.4% don't allow applications via smartphone. And 60% of surveyed applicants report getting no reply at all to applications.
Here's how to make it leaner:
One question per screen. Instead of one long form with twelve fields: one question, one tap, next. Tap the trade of interest, first name, phone number. Add a progress bar. It feels like a quiz, not a government office. And because the phone number comes early, you can follow up if someone stops halfway.
Drop mandatory uploads. CV, certificates, cover letter. You don't need any of it to decide whether to call someone. Make uploads optional or ask for them after the first conversation. If you really need them, accept a phone photo instead of a PDF.
Tap instead of type. Selection buttons instead of free text. "When can you start? Summer 2027 / later / not sure yet." Every text field is a hurdle.
No account, no password. Anyone who has to come up with a password first is gone.
Voice message instead of cover letter. Want to know why someone wants to become a roofer? Ask for a voice message or offer a few options to pick from. 30 seconds say more than a page copied from a template.
WhatsApp or a callback option. Some don't want a form at all. Young people would rather send a WhatsApp than a formal email. Give them the option.
Book the trial day directly. Let applicants experience the business before paperwork gets involved. At the end of the journey, don't write "We'll be in touch." Show open dates they can click.
Respond fast and reliably. Automatic confirmation immediately, a personal call within 48 hours. According to the Trendence HR-Monitor 2024, 45% of school students find a confirmation of receipt after more than a week unacceptable. And if it's not a fit, say so. Short and honest. That gets around too.
Stay in touch until day one. There are often months between contract and start. A meetup with the team, a WhatsApp group with the other Azubis, an internship during school holidays. That's how a yes turns into an actual start.
Test it and measure it. Apply to your own business once a year, on your phone, on the bus. Then look at the numbers: how many opened the page, started the form, sent the application? Where the gap is biggest, that's where you start.
This isn't a marketing trick. It's Handwerk in its best form: get to know each other first, paperwork second.
5 steps for this month
None of this needs budget. All of it can be started in four weeks.
1. Google yourself. Search for "your business name apprenticeship" and for "apprenticeship your trade your city." Write down what's missing or outdated. That's the most honest baseline you can get.
2. Clean up the Google profile. Right category, current photos from the business, responses to reviews, and a sentence that you train Azubis. Takes an hour, delivers disproportionate value.
3. Build or revise an apprenticeship page. Trade, duration, pay, a contact person with a photo, a look into daily life. If you're planning a whole new site, read our article on website positioning for Handwerk first. Saves you three months of detours.
4. Cut the application down to the essentials. One question per screen, no mandatory uploads, no account, trial day bookable directly. Test it yourself on your phone. If it takes longer than two minutes, cut more.
5. Post one behind-the-scenes glimpse per week. Story or Reel, ideally filmed by an Azubi who enjoys doing it. For a working example of what this looks like, we built an Azubi campaign for Godelmann where young trainees produced their own content. After four weeks, count how many inquiries came in.
What we see in client projects: the first three steps bring measurable change within six to eight weeks. Not automatically three times more applications. But usually first inquiries that weren't coming in before.
One more thing.
There's no trick. No viral post, no quick ad, no agency that'll deliver you five Azubis in four weeks without you changing anything yourself.
What exists is this: a combination of visibility, honesty, and an easy way to make contact. Each individual step above is small on its own. Together, they change how applicants experience your business before they ever pick up the phone.
The businesses that are still finding Azubis and skilled workers in 2027 won't be the ones with the loudest marketing. They'll be the ones that take this part as seriously as they take the work on the Baustelle.
If you don't want to build all of this yourself, understandable. You've still got a business to run. Google profile, apprenticeship page, social content, and an application that works. That's exactly what we do for Handwerk businesses under Employer Branding. Reach out, and we'll take an honest look at where your business stands today.
Frequently Asked Questions!
How do I find Azubis for my Handwerk business?
Where applicants are actually looking: in the Google profile, on a clear apprenticeship page, and on Instagram or TikTok. Plus an application that works on a phone in two minutes. Internships and school visits still matter, because online doesn't replace personal contact. It makes it possible in the first place.
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