Short on staff, short on hope: Swimming instructors sound the alarm

By Christian Block, Lex Kleren Switch to German for original article

School swimming pools that were about to close, outdoor pools with restricted opening hours: This is another side of the skills shortage. Although the influx of the new master craftsman's certificate gives rise to hopes, swimming instructors fear that their profession is being undermined - and are calling for more recognition.

Laura Herrig wants to take on responsibility. That's why she enrolled for the master craftsman's certificate as a swimming instructor last autumn. "There aren't many people who want to become a master craftswoman anymore, " says the 24-year-old. But: "Without master craftsmen and trainees, our profession can't go on."

She attends the evening courses with six other candidates. It is a promising start for the newly reformed "brevet de maîtrise". A training programme that has never had more than four graduates per year in the past 20 years – and in some years has produced none at all.

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