Approximately one quarter of all school leavers from lower secondary education does not finish apprenticeship training or an equivalent school-based vocational training in Germany before age 25. This group of low-qualified individuals suffers from a clearly increased risk of being unemployed, of having a low income and being employed in precarious jobs. This article identifies factors, which motivate low-qualified individuals aged 25 and older to start a vocational training. In doing so, the article focuses on both social origin and specific life course events, such as the individual educational and employment career and immigration. Results from logit regression models employing data from the national educational panel (NEPS SC6:7.0.0) indicate that low-qualified individuals from an educated family background are more likely to start vocational training past the age of 25, compared to other low-qualified individuals. Whilst individual school experience contributes less to a delayed vocational training, individual employment experience appears to be relevant. Both low-qualified individuals with long-term unemployment experience and low-qualified individuals who report above average work experience or tenure are less motivated for a delayed vocational training decision. Immigrants who arrived in Germany after school age show above average training motivation. In general, the study identified a quantitatively relevant group of low-qualified individuals; a group that needs more support to invest in vocational training. © 2019, The Author(s).
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