Luxembourg's Minister for Education, Children and Youth meets City of Luxembourg apprentices

On Wednesday, 26 February 2025, Luxembourg City Mayor Lydie Polfer, accompanied by Aldermen Paul Galles and Patrick Goldschmidt, hosted Luxembourg's Minister for Education, Children and Youth Claude Meisch for a round of meetings with apprentices employed by the City of Luxembourg.

Quality apprenticeships

With the labour market facing a shortage of skilled workers, the City of Luxembourg attaches great importance to providing opportunities for quality apprenticeships within its departments. In addition to the guidance and supervision provided by their City of Luxembourg mentors, the young apprentices receive support for the more general aspects of their apprenticeship from the youth counsellor in the City's Direction des ressources humaines (Human Resources Directorate). The City's youth counsellor provides academic support, but also monitors the City's practical and theoretical training modules, apprentices' motivation and absences, their school reports, and their intermediate and final project reports.

During a tour that included the workshops of the City's Service Véhicules et maintenance (Motor Vehicles and Maintenance Department) and the Bonnevoie swimming pool, the Minister met with apprentices undergoing training for professions in the automotive industry – e.g. vehicle body repair technicians, electro-mechanical technicians, and warehouse technicians – as well as for other professions, such as swimming instructors, IT technicians, bicycle electro-mechanical technicians, joiners, plant nursery and landscaping technicians, and socio-educational support workers.

50 apprentices a year on average

The City of Luxembourg is one of the Grand Duchy's top five employers, and every year since 2020, the City employs 50 apprentices on average. Data collected over the past five years shows that the City's apprenticeship scheme has a 71 percent success rate, and that 6 out of 10 apprentices are taken on as skilled workers under a permanent employment contract upon completing their apprenticeship.

In addition to the professions mentioned above, the City of Luxembourg provides apprentice training opportunities for administrative workers and horticulturalists, as well as in "smart technologies". The professions available under the City's apprenticeship scheme are mainly those for which the City of Luxembourg has an ongoing demand for skilled workers, namely:

• 13 swimming instructors in the City's Service Sports (Sports Department);
• 11 socio-educational support workers (agents socio-pédagogiques, formerly known as auxiliaires de vie) in the City's Service Foyers scolaires (Childcare Department) and Service Crèches (Crèche Department);
• 7 plant nursery and landscaping technicians in the City's Service Parcs (Parks Department).

The following apprenticeship openings for the 2024-2025 academic have not been filled, as there were not enough candidates on the labour market with the required profile: marble mason, body repair technician, electrician, maintenance mechanic, utility-vehicle electro-mechanical technician, and qualified logistics technician.