Job resources and career success of IVET graduates in Switzerland: a different approach to exploring the standing of VET

Abstract

ABSTRACTAccording to common indicators such as the prestige of vocational education and training (VET), enrolment rates in initial VET (IVET) programmes, or the involvement of private partners, the Swiss VET system enjoys a high standing. In this paper, we took a different approach and examined the effects of educational resources (educational degree) and personal resources (core self-evaluations, CSE) on graduates’ job resources (learning opportunities, job control, social relations) and career success (career satisfaction, salary). The study included 1507 persons who were allocated to three groups: 1) IVET graduates without higher education degrees (N = 585), 2) IVET graduates with a higher education degree (N = 395), and 3) graduates from general education with a university degree (N = 527). We found that IVET graduates who did not pursue any higher education had fewer learning opportunities in their jobs and lower salaries than university graduates. The job resources and salary levels of IVET graduates with a higher education degree only differed a little from those of university graduates. Higher levels of CSE were related to more job resources, higher salaries and greater career satisfaction. The study underscores the importance of fostering employees’ personal resources and providing learning opportunities to all workers independent of the level of education.