Abstract This longitudinal study examines the impact of sex-based and sexual orientation-based victimization on training discontinuity among students in the Swiss Vocational Education and Training (VET) system. Drawing on a representative cohort of 1370 first-year apprentices enrolled in six vocational training centers in the canton of Geneva, data were collected across three waves (2020–2023). Experienced violence was measured at three time points, and training discontinuity was defined as absence from class registers in the subsequent academic year (T + 1). Logistic regression models were estimated on 15 multiply imputed datasets to address missing data. Results indicate that experiencing sexual orientation-based violence at the beginning of the apprenticeship (T1) significantly increases the likelihood of training discontinuity at T2, even after controlling for assigned sex, the sex-typing of training fields, and concealment of sexual orientation. In contrast, sex-based violence was not significantly associated with training discontinuity in the following year, and sexual orientation-based violence measured at T2 was not significantly associated with training discontinuity at T3. These findings suggest that early experiences of sexual orientation-based victimization may disrupt persistence in VET. They underscore the importance of developing inclusive prevention and support strategies aimed at protecting apprentices from sexual orientation-based victimization, with the goal of reducing training discontinuity.
Abstract The transition from vocational education into the labour market is a key indicator of how effectively VET systems prepare graduates for employment. A central concern for school-based and work-based programmes alike is whether education-job mismatches undermine vocational adjustment and early career development. This study examines how mismatch at labour-market entry is associated with graduates’ subsequent five-year employment trajectories in the Netherlands. We combine the 2016 Dutch School Leaver Survey with monthly register data from 2015–2020 for 10,364 school leavers. Using a Mixture Hidden Markov Model (MHMM), we identify five early-career trajectories that capture variation in employment stability, contract quality and progression. The results show that education-job mismatches at the beginning of the career are associated with a higher probability of following the Volatility & Entrapment trajectory, which is characterised by temporary contracts, limited progression and high turnover. Dual mismatches (vertical and horizontal combined) are linked to a notably lower likelihood of upward mobility, suggesting persistent vocational disadvantages that extend beyond the point of entry. Importantly, the findings reveal differences in vocational resilience across programme types: The negative associations of mismatch are more pronounced for school-based graduates. While work-based graduates show greater resilience to single mismatches, any type of mismatch is associated with a lower probability of following a successful early career for school-based graduates.
While the availability of digital tools presents new possibilities for teaching and learning in vocational education and training (VET), the implementation of these tools into classroom practice naturally falls to the teachers. This qualitative study explores the facilitating and hindering factors that VET teachers in the business domain perceive as influencing the implementation of an office simulation. The potential differing perspectives of trainee teachers and in-service teachers are also examined. For this purpose, an interview study including N = 28 vocational teachers (14 trainee teachers and 14 in-service teachers) was conducted. At the school level, peer support and adequate infrastructure are identified as drivers of implementation. At the individual teacher level, motivation and teaching experience, and at the learner level, the teachers’ perception of motivation and digital skills of vocational students are identified as drivers. At the contextual level, the provision of workshops and time resources are considered crucial. Finally, the characteristics of the new educational technology tool itself are stressed (particularly instructional possibilities, authenticity, usability and collaborative nature). Regarding the comparison of trainee teachers and in-service teachers, a substantial overlap in terms of the aspects reported occurred. Surprisingly, the quantitative results indicate that the trainees perceive a higher level of barriers. We suggest supporting the implementation of educational technology by considering the interplay of teachers’ perceived influencing factors and by addressing perceived barriers.
When embarking on vocational training in the STEM field, a considerable proportion of students are required to engage with new and demanding courses. This study aimed to understand the relationship between the self-regulated learning (SRL) process and specific components of STEM fields, with a particular focus on spatial skills and technical drawing. In total, 180 students from the Swiss vocational education and training (VET) sector completed self-report instruments to assess three dimensions: motivational beliefs (self-efficacy and task value), monitoring (confidence judgment and calibration), and spatial skills. The structural equation model indicated that confidence judgments, calibration, and interest directly predicted spatial performance, while the relationship between self-efficacy beliefs and performance was mediated by confidence judgment and calibration. Moreover, the VET program duration was found to be negatively associated with task value. This study highlights the importance of considering the SRL process in the development of spatial skills.
The expansion of higher education has prompted countries to adopt policies, such as institutional accreditation, to safeguard quality. However, in Technical and Vocational Higher Education (TVHE), we know little about whether accreditation improves graduates’ labour-market outcomes. Using repeated cross-sections from Chile, this study employs a Difference-in-Differences (DiD) design, complemented by a Triple-Differences (DDD) specification and covariate balancing to enhance comparability across cohorts. There is no immediate average wage effect in the years closest to the policy. Wage gains appear in the long run, but they vary across sectors and across types of TVHE graduates. By contrast, the effect on employability is close to zero or slightly negative and weakly statistically significant. The results suggest that quality assurance can shape earnings, but the impact on employment may remain limited when sectoral conditions and labour-demand constraints predominate. The evidence informs the assessment of accreditation in Chilean TVHE and is relevant for countries facing similar challenges.
Vocational education and training involve several actors working together in a skills ecosystem. This paper focuses on the role of training agencies (TAs) in the transitions in this system. They interrelate with schools, workplaces, and the apprentices themselves to enhance the quality of the apprenticeship training. Using rich data from one Norwegian county, we present evidence on the transition from school to apprenticeship. Further, we analyse whether TAs contribute to apprenticeship completion as well as the variation across TAs using regression analysis, controlling for socio-economic differences across apprentices, and we distinguish between the perspectives of the workplace and the apprentice. We find that the probability of passing the final examination and achieving the trade certificate is significantly higher for apprentices in TAs than for apprentices with a contract directly with an independent private firm. In addition, there is a large variation in completion rates across TAs and across approved training establishments that are not a part of a TA.
Abstract Emergency contexts are emotionally demanding, particularly for trainees. This pilot study compared the psychophysiological activation of 23 paramedic students during two simulations: a direct simulation, in which they performed a simulated road rescue in the real world, and an indirect simulation, in which they observed this scenario through an immersive 360° hypervideo. The aim was to evaluate whether an immersive 360° hypervideo elicits a psychophysiological activation comparable to that experienced during a real-world simulation. A multi-method approach, involving salivary cortisol and self-reported data, was used to map the participants’ affective dimension during both simulations. Using a Bayesian approach, we demonstrated that the two conditions elicited comparable psychophysiological responses in terms of cortisol levels and self-reported measures of arousal and stress. Notably, both simulations are characterized by the same stress-related decreasing pattern over time: the participants exhibited higher levels of activation before the simulation, indicative of anticipatory stress, which progressively decreased, potentially reflecting well-managed emotions. These findings highlight an important potential of 360° hypervideos for enhancing training opportunities and are promising for considering the use of this technology in educational programs focused on high-emotional-impact scenarios.
Dual vocational training, i.e., the combination of on-the-job training in a company and school-based teaching, is of major importance to a smooth transition into the labor market and for the recruitment of skilled labor in Germany. However, around 30 percent of all training contracts are not successfully completed and not all successful apprentices remain in their training company afterwards. Previous studies have shown that apprentices who terminated their training prematurely often report conflicts and insufficient support within the company as reasons. However, these studies do not include the group of successful apprentices for whom these two aspects might also have been an issue. Moreover, to our knowledge, no study has yet appropriately investigated how conflicts and a lack of support are related to the likelihood of staying in the training company as an employee after training graduation. Using panel data from the Starting Cohort 4 of the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS SC4), we address these research gaps. Our results indicate that apprentices are less likely to finish their training successfully when they report conflicts in the company and more likely when they report support. Support does not buffer the negative effects of conflicts. Successful trainees are only less likely to subsequently remain in the training company when they report high levels of conflicts combined with low levels of support. Our detailed analyses suggest that this is rather due to missing employment offers from companies than due to graduates refusing these offers.
This study explores the use of analytical artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance lesson planning in teacher education, particularly in vocational business education. Providing detailed, individualized feedback for lesson planning is challenging for university instructors. An analytical AI platform that offers expert-level feedback on lesson plans could be a suitable supplement to traditional feedback as it balances out critical aspects of generative AI systems. In a longitudinal study with 103 participants, an experimental group received AI feedback on the lesson plans they developed throughout a semester, while a control group received human feedback. Results indicate that AI feedback can match or surpass human feedback in some dimensions, improving planning aspects like certain content-related sustainability aspects, action orientation, relatedness or even technology use, lesson structure, and learner engagement. Besides the integration of didactic planning dimensions into the lesson plans, this study looked at student motivation, self-reported AI literacy, AI attitudes, self-efficacy with digital technologies and digital competences. Results of these meta-dimensions show that the mere use of AI does not automatically enhance AI literacy, change attitudes or improve motivation. The study suggests that as a consequence, analytical AI platforms can effectively supplement traditional feedback but should be used within a holistic framework.
One of the major challenges of the German vocational education and training (VET) system is the integration of adolescents with unfavorable learning prerequisites, i.e., individuals with no or lower school-leaving certificates or low levels of basic competencies (e.g., reading and mathematics). This paper examines the extent to which trainees’ learning prerequisites affect the development of professional knowledge during VET. In addition, the analysis focuses on the role of learning conditions during VET in reducing inequalities that stem from differences in trainees’ learning prerequisites. This paper implements a longitudinal design to examine within-person effects regarding the professional knowledge of N = 401 prospective chefs in a German dual VET program over the first two years of VET. Based on a domain-specific knowledge test, weighted likelihood estimates (WLE) are calculated as person parameter estimates for trainees’ professional knowledge at the beginning (t1) and the second year of VET (t3). Following the idea of value-added modeling, professional knowledge at t3 serves as the dependent variable in a structural equation model. Trainees’ professional knowledge level at t3 is modeled as a function of the initial professional knowledge level (t1) and trainees’ learning prerequisites when entering the VET program (educational background and basic competencies) as well as learning conditions (work assignments, social interactions, and feedback) during the first year of VET (t2). Moderation effects additionally examine whether trainees with less favorable learning prerequisites benefit more from high-quality learning conditions. The study yields two primary findings. First, the association between trainees’ learning prerequisites and their professional knowledge decreases over the course of VET. Controlling for initial levels of professional knowledge, only trainees’ reading skills are found to be significantly directly associated with professional knowledge at t3, i.e. the second year of VET (β = 0.209, p < .01), while mathematical skills are shown to be indirectly related to professional knowledge at t3 (via initial knowledge levels). Similarly, the association between trainees’ educational background and professional knowledge at t3 is mediated via basic competencies. Hence, when controlling for initial professional knowledge levels, the role of trainees’ learning prerequisites in subsequent knowledge acquisition during VET is rather limited. Second, the results underline the importance of learning conditions during in-company training periods in VET – especially for trainees with unfavorable learning prerequisites. Controlling for trainees’ learning prerequisites and initial professional knowledge levels, the variety of work assignments during in-company training is significantly positively associated with professional knowledge gains (β = 0.156, p < .05). In addition, the moderation analyses show that trainees’ learning prerequisites (educational background, reading comprehension skills, and mathematical knowledge) moderate the association between all three learning conditions examined and professional knowledge acquisition during VET. This means that trainees with less favorable learning prerequisites benefit more strongly from high-quality learning conditions. Implications for the selection of trainees as well as the design of VET programs are discussed.
This study examines whether adolescents’ interest and self-concept regarding information and communication technologies (ICT) affect their subsequent career paths through the selection into different vocational education and training (VET) programs. Drawing on Eccles’ situated expectancy value theory and related theories, we argue that ICT interest and self-concept should influence adolescents’ vocational choices, possibly contributing to occupational gender segregation regarding ICT. Using longitudinal data from the TREE2 study (Transitions into Education and Employment) on 1,995 Swiss adolescents transitioning into firm-based VET, we find strongly gendered patterns. ICT interest predicts selection into occupations with greater intensity of basic and advanced ICT use, but this positive association is driven entirely by girls. In contrast, ICT self-concept significantly predicts ICT use intensity in future occupations only among boys. Selection into ICT specialist occupations is associated exclusively with adolescents’ ICT self-concept rather than their ICT interest, questioning whether girls’ lower average ICT interest represents a relevant barrier for entry into ICT specialist occupations in the context of VET. Our findings emphasize that ICT are an important content domain of adolescents’ vocational choices today and highlight how gendered interests and self-concepts towards ICT perpetuate occupational gender segregation.
In the wake of educational reforms starting in the 1970s, a variety of alternative pathways to higher education was institutionalised in Germany. Research usually finds that students from vocational pathways are less inclined to enter higher education, but largely ignores the diversity of vocational upper secondary schools and the variety of options after graduation. This study examines students’ educational aspirations across different vocational upper secondary school types and asks how differences in aspirations can be explained. We extend prior research by considering the institutional heterogeneity of the German upper secondary and tertiary system and the role of institutional restrictions. Using data from the DZHW Panel Study of School Leavers 2015, the results show that the aspirations differ by the type of upper secondary school but that a considerable share of these differences to students of the traditional Gymnasium can be explained by institutional restrictions imposed by the type of higher education entrance certificates. Moreover, prior vocational qualifications and performance seem to play a role for some school types, whereas socio-economic background does not explain much of the association. Controlling for these factors, the aspirations of students in Berufsoberschule and Fachoberschule do not differ substantially from those in the traditional Gymnasium, suggesting that especially Berufsoberschule works as a “highway to higher education”. In contrast, a substantial share of students in Berufliches Gymnasium and Berufsfachschule are much less interested in university studies and instead use their certificates for better access to vocational education and training. Notably, across all school types, we observe a high proportion of students with no clear preference shortly before graduating from upper secondary education.
Vocational education and training (VET) systems are characterized by both gender-specific occupational segregation and vertical occupational segmentation, leading to considerable differences in income and employment stability prospects across individual training occupations. For refugee men and women in particular, whose labor market positioning is crucial for their socio-economic integration in the host country, it is therefore not only important that they enter VET, but also which specific occupation they enter. This article investigates, first, whether the dual training occupations pursued in Germany by men and women with a refugee background differ from those pursued by those from the majority population in terms of prospective income and employment stability; and second, whether these differences are mediated by variations in search and application strategies as well as network resources, on the one hand, and differences in school-leaving qualifications, on the other. Drawing on data from the BA/BIBB Applicants Survey and the Refugee Migration Study (N = 6,055), the results show that men and women with a refugee background are more likely to enter training occupations with significantly lower occupation-specific salaries than their counterparts in the majority population. Refugee men also tend to pursue occupations with higher occupation-specific unemployment rates, whereas no such difference is found for women. These disparities are only marginally mediated by variations in search and application strategies and network resources, but are largely explained by differences in school-leaving qualifications. When controlling for these resources, women with a refugee background are more likely to enter training occupations with even lower unemployment rates than women from the majority population.
Social entrepreneurship education is promising to foster entrepreneurial intentions and inspire vocational learners to tackle societal challenges by applying sustainable business models. Challenge-based Learning is an innovative approach for social entrepreneurship education as it encourages learning while working on real-world challenges addressing societal issues. Nevertheless, there is limited evidence for Challenge-based Learning in the context of vocational education and training. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the design of Challenge-based Learning courses for social entrepreneurship education in vocational education and evaluate their potential to contribute to changing entrepreneurial intentions. N = 44 vocational students in three Challenge-based Learning-oriented social entrepreneurship courses were surveyed using standardized scales in a longitudinal design. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, a mixed ANOVA, and hierarchical linear regressions. Differences in Challenge-based Learning implementation mainly concern the authenticity and complexity of the challenge as well as external stakeholder involvement. Differences in entrepreneurial intentions between courses were only significant after the course. Only participants in course 3 reported a statistically significant increase in entrepreneurial intentions. Beyond course membership, only previous entrepreneurial intentions explained incremental variance. To sum up, Challenge-based Learning shows potential to foster entrepreneurial intentions, but more research on the design of interventions and specific adaptations for the vocational education context is needed.
Women’s participation in Green-STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) careers remains low. This study examined how to remove gender barriers in Environmental-STEM technical and vocational training programs, aiming to expand opportunities for women in the green economy. SENA, Colombia’s public TVET institution, served as the case study. Gender Transformative and Participatory Action Research approaches, along with the MICMAC method, were used to identify, analyze, and address key barriers. Surveys, interviews and focus groups provided qualitative and quantitative data. The MICMAC analysis revealed the relationships among barriers and their interdependencies, identifying nine core barriers. To address these, women-led smart strategies were implemented through learning cycles, supported by small- and full-scale green pilots focused on sustainable resource utilization, production patterns, and circular economy knowledge transfer. As a result, female apprentices strengthened their sustainability-focused skills and confidence, while SENA enhanced its capacity to foster more inclusive Green-STEM vocational pathways. This study expands existing knowledge by deepening the understanding of gender barriers in vocational STEM careers related to sustainability and environmental management in Latin America, where research remains Limited. It offers actionable recommendations on leveraging education to drive progress toward SDGs 4, 5, 12, and 13.
Digital competence (DC) is essential in order for individuals to actively participate in all sectors of society. While high school students’ DC has been studied extensively, few studies have examined DC in vocational education and training (VET). To address this gap, a study in the context of the Basque Autonomous Community was carried out with the objectives of measuring Basic VET students’ DC perceptions and investigating the factors that have an impact on Basic VET students’ DC. Descriptive and multilevel analyses were conducted. The results indicate a need to focus on enhancing Basic VET students’ DC, as these skills are critical for their professional development. Furthermore, school predictors were found to be the strongest predictors of students’ DC, followed by attitude toward information and communication technologies and the frequency of technology use for school-related and personal purposes. This study provides knowledge that could help educational institutions identify areas for further improvement in fostering students’ DC, and provides policy makers with a comprehensive understanding of the present situation of VET students’ DC.
This study sets out to gain deeper insight into selected factors that drive pro-environmental behaviour (PEB). We focus on emerging leaders in sectors such as technology and economics. We asked 568 students enrolled in economics and engineering degree programmes at the Duale Hochschule Baden-Wuerttemberg in Germany. Based on the Value Belief Norm framework we are able to to provide fundamental insights into pro-environmental behaviour (PBN) to inform, for example, teaching strategies and curriculum development at universities and in vocational training institutions in order to influence students’ awareness and reflection of pro-environmental orientations. The results of this cross-sectional study show that students values indirectly influence PEB via their beliefs and norms. These pathways are consistent across disciplines and are unaffected by prior work experience. We enclose suggestions for future research on environmental behaviour motivators.
This study examines the long-term effects of two different integrative school measures in lower secondary education — reduced individual learning objectives and accommodations — on post-compulsory educational trajectories in Switzerland. Based on data from the Bernese Longitudinal Study on Integrative School Measures (BELIMA; N = 2297), this study examines how these measures influence students’ transitions to upper secondary education, focusing on the level of academic demands and educational discontinuities (delayed entry and apprenticeship contract terminations). Through propensity score matching, students with and without integrative measures were compared while controlling for various factors including school type, academic performance, intelligence, and social background. Results show that students with reduced learning objectives were significantly more likely to enrol in educational programs with lower academic demands compared to similar students without this measure. However, they did not experience more discontinuous pathways. No effects were found for students with accommodations, neither regarding the level of academic demands nor educational discontinuities. These findings suggest that reduced learning objectives may limit educational opportunities beyond compulsory education, potentially due to their stigmatizing effects. This raises important questions about how integrative measures can be implemented to support students effectively while avoiding unintended negative consequences for their educational trajectories.
Vocational education can have a significant role and important function in preparing students for work in professional fields where sexual harassment is common. Assistant nurses constitute a group that is at great risk of being subjected to sexual harassment by patients. Yet little is known about how vocational students training for the job react to the violations. The research question guiding this study is: How do students undergoing training for the assistant nurse vocation describe their reactions to being subjected to sexual harassment from patients and care recipients? The empirical material consists of focus group interviews with vocational students undergoing assistant nurse training in Swedish upper secondary school. The students who took part in the focus groups were in their third and final educational year. The groups comprised a total of 42 students, 32 women and 10 men. The students described three types of reaction; (1) experiencing discomfort and powerlessness, (2) trying to distract or interrupt and (3) speaking out. Speaking out is the reaction that may be considered the most appropriate, while at the same time being the one that is the most difficult to reconcile with prevailing femininity norms, implying that such a strategy can be perceived as impossible for those young women at risk of being subjected to sexual harassment.
Degree apprenticeships are a recent innovation in the UK. The overarching goal of the apprenticeship is to achieve a degree, while working and advancing careers. This involves apprentices and employing organisations investing in resources including workplace support for education and new skills. This study interviewed apprentices (n = 28) approaching the completion of their apprenticeship (and degree) to explore this investment through the lens of Conservation of Resources Theory; specifically, whether apprentices had achieved their goals and how they had managed the challenges of balancing work, life, and study. This unique approach considered how apprentices gained and conserved resources conducive to reducing workplace stress, to gain insights into apprentices’ experiences, resulting in a new resource model for apprenticeships. Goals achieved included the degree award, promotions, pay rises and increased status. We found that skills acquisition, alignment of work/ study, and high levels of support increased the apprentices’ resources. Workplace mentors had a crucial role to play, but their approach varied widely, indicating that improving key features of apprenticeship implementation could conserve apprentices’ resources, enhancing apprentice wellbeing. The significance of the findings is a new resource model for understanding the intersection of work and study.
