> The majority of young adults there completes one.
Are you sure about this? Your quoted article only has data from >20 years ago. I wouldn't be surprised if nowadays more people study at university than do an apprenticeship
Combining both is also pretty common in my experience. People frist do an apprenticeship, then, for example because their employment situation changed, they go to university.
There are ways for a apprenticeship to qualifiy one to go for university.
In 2024, according to the "Bundesinstituts für Berufsbildung" 486,700 people started their apprenticeship [0]. In the same period (2024-2025) 490,304 people started their first semester at university/college, according to the "Statistisches Bundesamt" [1].
So you are right, theres more new students than apprentices, but its not by a lot.
Based on my experience and not hard data: Not most, but still quite a few.
Some jobs more or less require an apprenticeship (carpenter and other handy jobs). Doing an apprenticeship for a job and afterwards going to university also happens a lot
Are you sure about this? Your quoted article only has data from >20 years ago. I wouldn't be surprised if nowadays more people study at university than do an apprenticeship