Premature Apprenticeship Terminations: An Economic Analysis

This paper presents empirical evidence on premature terminations of apprenticeship contracts in Germany. Our novel approach uses human capital theory with a regional component as a clear-cut framework for the analysis. It derives testable hypotheses on individual decisions to finish an investment in human capital, namely, their apprenticeship training. Using a German data set, we find some evidence for the appropriateness of our theory, especially with respect to the short-term cost of an apprenticeship. Regional impact factors also seem to have a decisive impact on the decision to drop out from vocational training. We conclude that economic incentives, also long-term ones, seem to play a decisive role in individuals’ decisions whether to finish their training or not.