Apprenticeship Training Research Articles

Labour market regulations, changes in working life and the importance of apprenticeship training: A long-term and comparative view on youth transition from school to work

What is the significance of regulations of job contracts and wages when it comes to young people’s access to labour market? This is an issue that has attracted and continues to attract a great deal of interest in both research and politics. Proposals for deregulated employment protection and reduced entry-level pay recur regularly in public debate. In our view it is incomprehensible how sectors of the labour market that are dominated by jobs with low productivity and unstable employment conditions could be expected to offer a permanent solution for the large group of young people who are currently finding it difficult to enter the labour market and reach an acceptable standard of living. Instead, the responses to the challenges facing young people in the labour market could involve training in the form of apprenticeships rather than more insecure jobs and/or lower pay. Essentially, our starting point is that apprenticeship training could provide a more accurate response to the challenges facing young people in working life. This response would not involve the costs in terms of increased social polarisation and increased social risks that may follow in the wake of an increasingly deregulated labour market.

Are personality traits and relationship characteristics reciprocally related? Longitudinal analyses of codevelopment in the transition out of high school and beyond.

Personality development has been associated with changes in various aspects of social relationships (e.g., contact frequency, emotional closeness, etc.). However, specific patterns of personality-relationship transactions are still not well understood as not many empirical studies have explored major life transitions. Emerging adulthood with its numerous life transitions is crucial for personality and social relationship development. In this study, we looked at personality-relationship transactions in the transition from high school to college, apprenticeship training, and so forth. We used Waves 1 to 3 of the Transformation of the Secondary School System and Academic Careers (TOSCA) study, which measured the Big Five (McCrae & Costa, 2008) and their facets as well as five relationship characteristics in social networks with one's romantic partner, friends, kin, and others. Our analyses of extended bivariate latent difference score models revealed four main findings: First, there was an imbalance in personality-relationship transaction effects with the majority of effects occurring from personality to change in social relationships rather than in the opposite direction. Furthermore, only a few change-to-change associations occurred. Second, two thirds of the cross-lagged effects derived from personality facets. Third, the majority of effects were found in the second measurement interval (i.e., not during the transition out of high school, but in the time period after this transition). Finally, neuroticism and its facets, as well as conflict frequency and perceived feelings of insecurity in the relationship emerged as the most consistent associations in this age group. Theoretical and empirical implications for personality-relationship transaction patterns are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Dual Apprenticeships in Spain – Catalonia: The Firms’ Perspective

This article analyzes the motives for firms providing apprenticeship training in Catalonia and the reasons why other firms do not provide such training. In light of the recent introduction of dual apprenticeships in the formal education system in Spain, a country with a traditionally school-based vocational education and training (VET) system, Catalonia constitutes a relevant case for analyzing firms’ training motives in newly established training systems. We analyzed the statements of about 800 Spanish companies in Catalonia who participated in the study. These included both companies that provide training and those that do not. The results show that companies perceive dual training more as an activity to ensure the supply of skilled workers in the future and less as a means to profit from the apprentices’ productivity. Large firms are especially able to better integrate initial training in their continuous training process and to make use of positive synergies. The reasons for the absence of training have more to do with a lack of knowledge about the dual apprenticeship program than with a fear of losing investments in human capital. The results of this article provide relevant contributions to the discussion about the implementation of dual apprenticeship systems in countries with a different framework of conditions as opposed to those countries with established dual apprenticeship systems. Moreover, they provide relevant insights for the development of policies to foster firms’ provision of dual apprenticeships.

So similar and yet so different

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to compare a firm’s net cost and post-apprenticeship benefits of providing apprenticeship training in Austria and Switzerland: two countries with many similarities but some critical institutional differences. Design/methodology/approach The authors draw on detailed workplace data with information on the costs and benefits of apprenticeship training, as well as on hiring costs for skilled workers from the external labour market. The authors use nearest-neighbour matching models to compare Austrian firms with similar Swiss firms based on observable characteristics. Findings On average, a Swiss firm generates an annual net benefit of €3,400 from training an apprentice, whereas a firm in Austria incurs net costs of €4,200. The impetus for this difference is largely a higher relative apprentice pay in Austria. However, compared with Swiss firms, Austrian firms generate a higher post-training return by retaining a higher share of apprentices and savings on future hiring costs. Practical implications The authors demonstrate that apprenticeship systems can exist under different institutional environments. For countries currently in the process of establishing or expanding apprenticeship systems, the comparative analysis clearly shows that policymakers should consider more than just one country’s particular apprenticeship model. Originality/value The authors provide a first comparative analysis between two apprenticeship countries that empirically assesses a firm’s costs and benefits of training during an apprenticeship programme and also provides a monetary value of a particular type of post-training benefits that firms can generate by retaining former apprentices as skilled workers (i.e. savings in future hiring costs for skilled workers).

Learner identities in vocational education and training – from school to apprenticeship

ABSTRACTThe aim of this paper is to describe changing learner identities and trajectories of identification that take place among vocational education and training (VET) apprentices in Norway. This paper describes 23 young, male VET students’ learner identities in compulsory school (age 7–15) in comparison to their learner identities in VET apprenticeships (age 18–21), based on analyses of a set of biographical interviews about their schooling experiences. More specifically, the analysis describes changes in interviewees’ learner identities in their transition from school to apprenticeship. The analysis reveals that their narratives of being a student in school involved wounding educational experiences, such as negative student-teacher relationships, and feelings of failure and disengagement. At school, the participants’ learner identities were positional identities created in the shadow of the figured world of school, leading the students to individualised withdrawal. The narratives of their apprenticeship was characterised by a sense of belonging, feelings of equality to peers, independence and adulthood. The ‘adult working man’ identity is a disguised learning identity, in that it breaks with the wounded learner identity of the ‘failing student’ and thereby creates opportunities for active learning for apprentices, both as individuals and members of communities of practice.

Open Labor Markets and Firms’ Substitution between Training Apprentices and Hiring Workers

In this paper, we study whether Swiss employers substitute between training apprentices and hiring cross-border workers. Because both training apprentices and hiring skilled workers are costly for firms, we hypothesize that (easier) access to cross-border workers will lead some employers to substitute away from training their own workers. We account for potential endogeneity issues by instrumenting a firm’s share of cross-border workers using a firm’s distance to the national border and therefore its possibility to fall back on cross-border workers to satisfy its labor demand. We find that both OLS and 2SLS estimates are negative across a wide range of alternative specifications, suggesting that firms substitute between training and hiring workers when the supply of skilled workers is higher. Our preferred 2SLS estimate implies that the increase in firms’ share of crossborder workers within our observation period, from 1995 to 2008, led to about 3,500 fewer apprenticeship positions (equal to about 2% of the total number of apprentice positions).

Staying in the Loop: Formal Feedback Mechanisms Connecting Vocational Training to the World of Work in Europe

Context: Vocational education and training (VET) is expected to be designed for creating learning outcomes which meet the needs for skills and competences in the labour market. Hence, identifying current and upcoming skill requirements and ensuring that these requirements are incorporated into education has long been the subject of academic and policy discussion. Governance processes keeping VET systems up-to-date have been more recently addressed as `feedback mechanisms'. The term broadly summarizes the interplay of institutions, actors and processes which allows the continuous renewal of VET provision (i.e. by creating new qualifications or updating curricula). The aim of the paper is to enhance the understanding of cross-national variations in formally institutionalised `feedback mechanisms' between VET and the labour market.Method: The research builds on a comparative analysis of case studies in 15 European countries. The paper presents examples for four different `formal feedback mechanisms' in Germany, France, England, and Austria.Results: Four main types of formal mechanism have been identified: 1) The liberal model explained by VET in England and Higher VET in Austria; 2) The statist model explained by school-based VET in Austria; 3) the participatory model explained by VET in France and 4) the coordinated model explained by apprenticeship training in Germany and Austria.Conclusions: Existing approaches in the economic sociology of labour markets, the varieties of capitalism approach as well as comparative research on welfare states are useful in predicting whether particular VET systems are likely to be predominant. However, they do not provide an alternative in describing differences in VET systems which the concept of formal feedback mechanism does. Moreover, by analysing formal feedback mechanisms, it is possible to demarcate where a VET sub-system ends and another VET sub-systems begins. In this sense research presented here also asks for new standards for comparative VET research as it suggests that entities to be compared are not countries' overall VET systems, but their potential sub-systems.

Relationship between Apprenticeship Training with Information and Communication Technologies at Vocational High School in West Java Province

The aim of vocational education is to produce employees who are ready to work, a characteristic of vocational education is through the implementation of apprenticeship. In the period 2010-2015 in Indonesia the labor force declined from vocational schools compared to senior high schools. This indicates the need for 21st century skill is called a tool for work, namely the skill to use Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). This article is intended to find out the relationship between apprenticeship and ICT in vocational students who carry out apprenticeship in the province of West Java. From the instrument distributed in 520 samples, it was found that there is a relationship between apprenticeship training and ICT through the value of Zcount = 7.16 > Ztable = 2.58, with the coefficient of determination of (ry)2 = (0.315)2 = 0.0992. This shows that apprenticeship contributions affect ICT skill by 9.92% for students who carry out apprenticeship in the West Java province of Indonesia, while 90.08% is influenced by other factors.

How firms’ participation in apprenticeship training fosters knowledge diffusion and innovation

Previous studies typically relate apprenticeship training or more generally ‘Vocational Education and Training’ (VET) to training that is highly specific and that uses well-established technologies. Accordingly, apprenticeship training is typically not expected to have positive effects on innovation. In contrast, we argue in this paper that the type of dual apprenticeship training seen in Switzerland (or Germany and Austria) does create positive innovation effects due to the VET system’s built-in and institutionalized curriculum development and updating processes. These processes ensure that firms participating in apprenticeship training gain access to knowledge that is close to the innovation frontier and that ultimately fosters innovation. We provide theoretical explanations of how this knowledge diffusion works and how it can help to generate innovation. We use the Swiss VET system as one example and derive hypotheses about the relationship between firms’ participation in apprenticeship training and their innovation outcomes. Empirical analyses support our hypotheses. In a VET system with a built-in curriculum-updating process like the one in Switzerland (or Germany), firms participating in apprenticeship training have higher innovation outcomes than do non-participating firms.

How fast do apprenticeships come to a premature end? Insights into the factors that determine the speed of the process

This study draws on data on dual apprenticeship training in Germany to investigate which factors determine how fast the decision to terminate an apprenticeship before its completion is taken and executed. Information on the speed of this process can help organizations improve their decision-making in taking measures aimed at preventing premature terminations. As the results of our probit regression show, the decision to terminate an apprenticeship early is likely to be implemented in less than two months if the sole initiator of the termination is the apprentice and the decision is made within the probationary period or during the first year of the apprenticeship. Our analysis also shows that dissatisfaction with the quality of training increases the probability of a swift termination. In contrast, when the reason is unsatisfactory performance on the part of the apprentice at the vocational school, the process of premature termination is likely to be significantly slower.

MANAGERIAL PERCEPTIONS ON APPAREL FIT MADE WITH PATTERN DRAFTING AND FREE HAND CUTTING TECHNIQUES

Purpose: To assess the management perceptions on apparel fit made with pattern drafting and free-hand cutting techniques.Methodology: The study employed a cross-sectional descriptive survey was considered adequate for this study as it has the advantage of soliciting respondent’s views on the nature of the situation as it existed at the time of a study (Creswell, 2012; Mugenda, 2008). The design is an efficient way of collecting information of a large group of people within a short time using questionnaires. The survey design was deemed appropriate for this study as it has the advantage of seeking the views of informal dressmakers and tailors on the use of pattern drafting and free-hand cutting in apparel construction. It allowed for the use of both quantitative and qualitative techniques in the study. This paved way for better understanding of a phenomenon under study. The use of these methods offered the opportunity to have in-depth information and also the weakness in one method is compensated for by the strength in another method (Creswell, 2012).Results: The results revealed that dressmakers and tailors’ preference to free-hand cutting was influenced by the method they were trained with. Additionally, standardization of apparel production among the members can best be achieved by intensifying the use of pattern drafting as part of apprenticeship training to ensure accuracy in fit among informal dressmakers and tailors locally. The respondents were asked to state their views on whether educational level hinders the progress of their training.Unique Contribution to theory, practice and policy: Reason why informal dressmakers and tailors were not using pattern drafting in apprenticeship training might be related to the fact that pattern skills seemed too difficult to understand and the period of training might be short to grasp the details of the method. Taking their educational level and period of training into consideration, it would be very difficult for the apprentices to cope with the contents that come with patterns. This implies that, there is the need to inculcate the use of pattern drafting as part of training curriculum of apprentices and also increase the period of training to allow both masters and apprentices gain better grasp of the pattern drafting skills. When trainees are given adequate training skills on the use of pattern drafting, they would improve and this would in effect manifest in the high standard on fit of apparel among the dressmakers and tailors in the informal setting in the near future. The study recommended future studies to focus on the factors influencing training and acquisition of both skills of apparel constructions. This will help the policy makers rectify the structure of education accordingly to improve the way skills are disseminated and executed.

Knowledge of formally and informally trained dressmakers on the application of dart principles in garment designing

This study assessed and compared formally and informally trained dressmakers with regard to their use of dart principles in pattern making and garment designing. The descriptive research design was used for the study with a sample size of 50 dressmakers selected from three districts in the central region of Ghana. The instruments used for data collection were a semi-structured interview guide and an observation check list. The data collected were analysed with the help of descriptive and inferential statistics using the Predictive Analytical Software for windows version 22. The results of the study revealed significant differences between formally and informally trained dressmakers with regard to the application of dart principles manipulation and contouring, but not added fullness. Generally, the formally trained dressmakers performed better than the informally trained ones with the application of the three dart principles assessed in this study. It was therefore recommended that the dressmakers and tailors association incorporate a little theory on the preliminary stages involved in garment designing such as dart use into the framework they use in training apprentices. This will enable apprentices who will establish their own apparel production industry in the future treat preliminary stages with much importance. Key words: Dressmakers, training, dart principles, pattern making, garment designing.

Oral health status and oral health related quality of life in adolescent workers.

Background and aimOral health status and oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) of working adolescents has been very little reported in literature. Therefore, this study aimed to determine oral health status and OHRQoL in a group of adolescent workers.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted in an apprentice training center in western Turkey between December 2016 and January 2017. The study group population was 585, and the sample size was 514 students between 14 and 18 years old. The Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) Index, the Turkish version of the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14), and a form requesting the socio-demographic information of the students were used as data collection tools. Permissions were obtained from the relevant school, parents, students, and ethical committee. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Student’s t-test, and the Pearson correlation coefficient.ResultsThe results showed significant relationships between the tooth brushing frequency, dental visit frequency, dental trauma history, smoking, and the OHIP-14 subdomains (p < 0.05).ConclusionPoor oral health and a lack of good oral health attitudes may have negative impact on the oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) of working adolescents. Dental health education programs in collaboration with schools and dental health services may be beneficial for promoting oral health and improving the OHRQoL of working adolescents.

The use of children in cocoa production in sekyere south district in ashanti region, ghana: is this child labour or an apprenticeship training?

Concerns have been growing in Ghana about the employment of children, aged between 5-17 years, in cocoa production activities. This concern is echoed by the International Labour Organisation in its attempt to eliminate Worst Form of Child Labour. The objectives of the study were as to: investigate whether the labour of the children are paid for; determine the extent of children’s involvement; and investigate the risks they are exposed to. Using Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), participant groups made up of women, men, children and opinion leaders were purposely selected from 10 cocoa producing communities from the study area. Structured questionnaires were also administered to 50 cocoa farmers through face-to-face interviews. The study revealed that harvesting is the stage in the cocoa production process that children are directly and actively involved. The study concludes by indicating that child labour and cocoa production are inseparable in the cocoa producing areas in the study site.Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. &amp; Tech. 8 (1): 38-43, June, 2018

Micro firms matter. How do they deal with the tension between production and training?

ABSTRACT The primary function of any firm is not to train but to produce goods and services. However, firms in collective skill formation systems, such as those in Switzerland, train apprentices in ‘dual’ vocational education and training programmes, where the firms become important educational actors. Generally, all training firms are coined by their context and are situated in an area of conflict between production and training. A core contextual factor is firm size, which influences the firm-specific provision of learning opportunities and pedagogical practice. Regarding providing apprenticeships in Switzerland, micro enterprises are highly important because around 40% of all apprentices are trained in firms with fewer than ten employees. Despite their importance, little is known about their everyday challenges. Therefore, we ask the following question: How do micro firms deal with the tension between production and training requirements?

Perceptions of the economics of apprenticeship in Sweden c. 1900

ABSTRACTAt the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century, apprentice training was frequently debated in Sweden, just as in many other parts of Europe. This study analyses the economic perceptions of apprenticeship in the Swedish debate. Economic theories of apprenticeship, from Becker’s human capital concept to institutional theories, are used as a point of comparison. How the contemporary actors understood the economics of apprenticeship helps us understand the conditions of Swedish post-guild apprenticeship. The analysis reveals similarities between the contemporary description and the economic theories of on-the-job training, as well as historically specific aspects of the perceptions of the economics of apprenticeship. Both in the economic theories and in the turn-of-the-century debate, the problems plaguing apprenticeship tie in to the question of whether or not there was a sufficient level of training from a societal perspective, or if there was underinvestment. This, in turn, leads to the question of the need for state intervention to correct a potential market failure. At the time, the perceived problems of apprenticeship were used as justification for a proposed apprentice law, which was never passed, and limited state financial support for training that was instituted in 1917.

Use of cross-sector apprenticeships in pharmacy: is it a sustainable quality education model for pharmacy assistants?

To establish whether undertaking cross-sector pharmacy apprenticeship training to become a pharmacy assistant equally split across the two main pharmacy sectors improves training experience and cross-sector understanding. A mixed method approach was utilised to explore the experiences of 10 pharmacy apprentices, their employers and education provider. Questionnaires were used to explore apprentices' experiences and views following each 6-month placement. Seven pharmacy employers and the education provider were invited to take part in telephone interviews. Questionnaires were analysed using simple frequencies; qualitative data were analysed thematically. Ten apprentices were recruited, and nine apprentices returned questionnaires from at least one placement. Three hospital-based employers, four community employers and one education provider were interviewed. All participants had found the pilot positive and the cross-sector training to have been a useful experience. Employers noted that the pilot provided the apprentice with valuable insight into the patient's journey and the opportunity to share learning across sectors. Employers also commented that more information regarding the nature of the training would have been useful to help better structure the placement for the apprentice. This paper explores the benefits and challenges of employing a pharmacy apprentice and utilising a novel cross-sector training model. Findings have potential relevance to the training of other pharmacy staff, including pharmacy technicians and pharmacists. They offer early insights into the potential value of pharmacy apprenticeships for training pharmacy assistants, particularly if these are set up across the two main sectors hospital and community pharmacy.

The importance of owner-managed SMEs and regional apprenticeship activity: evidence from the German Mittelstand

BackgroundPoliticians frequently emphasize the importance of Mittelstand firms for the economy, thereby particularly referring to their enormous engagement in training apprentices. This view is especially prevailing in Germany, leading to political promotion of Mittelstand firms on the regional and the national level. However, due to data availability, there is yet almost no empirical evidence on the question whether Mittelstand firms are in fact excessively active in training apprentices. This paper aims at filling this gap in the empirical literature by using a firm dataset from Creditreform.MethodsCombining information from Creditreform with regional data of West German counties, we study whether the relative importance of owner-managed small and medium sized enterprises has an effect on firms’ apprenticeship activity.Results and ConclusionsWe thereby find a significantly positive relation between the relative importance of Mittelstand firms and apprenticeship activity on the regional level. However, on the national level an increase in the share of Mittelstand firms turns out to be without effect on apprenticeship activity.

Another piece of the puzzle: Firms\u2019 investment in training as production of optimal skills inventory

BackgroundBy applying the inventory theory to hiring skilled workers under uncertainty, the authors explain how firms decide on their optimum investment in an “inventory of skills.” This paper investigates the conditions under which firms are willing to make investments in a skilled workforce themselves rather than relying on skills produced within the education system or by other companies. By applying inventory theory to investments into apprenticeship training, the authors explain how firms decide on producing an optimum “inventory of skills” today to meet future demand. The authors derive hypotheses on how much firms are willing to invest in having a larger inventory of skilled workers depending on different types of inventory costs (overage costs, underage costs, demand structure).MethodsThe authors use data from the BIBB Cost–Benefit-Survey 2012/2013, which comprises detailed information on different costs and benefits of training investments from the firm’s perspective. The study applies a negative binomial estimation model.ResultsResults are threefold: firms are willing to invest in a larger inventory of skilled workers, i.e., to train more apprentices, first, if the costs of producing and retaining an excessive number of skilled workers (overage costs) are lower, second, if the costs of being short of skilled workers (underage costs) are higher, and third, given an identical cost structure, if it is more likely that the demand for skilled workers may be high in the future. Even more important is the relationship of the three: the combination of a firm’s critical ratio (underage costs in relation to overage costs) with its demand structure (industry volatility) is associated with a higher inventory of skills.ConclusionThe findings (particularly the relation of underage and overage costs, in combination with the demand structure) have important policy implications for firms’ incentives to invest in apprenticeship training.

Yirminci Yüzyıl Başında Osmanlı Donanması İçin Makineci ve Gemici Çıraklarının Yetiştirilmesi

<p class="ql-align-justify">Ottoman authorities became aware about the deficiencies of the Ottoman navy in the18th century. From then on, work was undertaken to modernize the navy in order to enable the Ottoman State to compete with Western powers in the seas. Experts were recruited to modernize the shipyards; new ships were constructed and purchased from Western countries. Efforts to modernize the Ottoman navy were not devoid of difficulties. The most important problem was the lack of personnel endowed with technical knowledge to build and use the modern ships. It was decided that mechanics and sailors should be trained in schools before being employed in the ships and shipyards. Thus, the School for Mechanics Apprentices (Makineci Çırak Okulu) and the School for Seamen Apprentices (Gemici Çırak Okulu) opened in 1914 and 1915 respectively. According to the regulations and ordinances of these naval vocational schools, the students would be trained both in the classroom and on board of ships. The present article aims to study the training of the mechanics apprentices and the seamen apprentices in the early 20th century Turkey.