Vocational Education And Training Graduates Research Articles

How Coordinated Capitalism Adapts to the Knowledge Economy: Different Upskilling Strategies in Germany and Switzerland

AbstractThe rise of the knowledge economy challenges coordinated models of capitalism by requiring their skill formation systems to produce a workforce with higher skills. This paper examines how coordinated capitalism adapts to upskilling pressures by jointly studying general education and vocational education and training (VET) at both upper‐secondary and tertiary levels. Employing a comparative research design covering German and Swiss upskilling efforts over the past 50 years, we observe important differences. Switzerland, with influential small firms and weak union presence, focuses on keeping VET an attractive option at upper‐secondary level by favoring VET graduates' access to tertiary education. By contrast, Germany, marked by large firm dominance and influential unions, concentrates on expanding general education throughout and adding vocational elements later. Our analysis suggests that firms' reform preferences are conditioned by their size and political constraints to reform.

Theory and Practice of Teaching and Learning in the Classroom – Lessons from Indian Industrial Training Institutes

In India, the Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) are a vital part the Vocational Education and Training (VET) system. Previous research reveals that in addition to some other problems, it is the strongly theory-based training that impedes the transition of VET graduates into the labour market, and leads to a lack of work-readiness in young graduates. Since there is still little empirical evidence about the actual forms of teaching and learning in Indian vocational schools, this paper will examine how the learning processes in ITIs in Delhi, Coimbatore and Mumbai take place. To identify the relationship between the theory and practice of training, teacher interviews were conducted, in order to specifically examine the teacher´s beliefs and behaviours as well as classroom observations to supplement the interviews. The evidence gathered supports the thesis that ITI training is theory-driven and teacher-centred, that training is very often not practical and application-orientated, and most ITI teachers in the examined institutes have limited knowledge in the field of micro-didactics. Content knowledge and repetition of facts are more common than problem-based and learner-centred teaching.

IT skills in vocational training curricula and labour market outcomes

ABSTRACT We use vocational training curricula to investigate how IT skills are trained within broader skills packages and how these relate to labour market outcomes. Skills packages are the typical combinations of IT skills (e.g., CNC) and technical or nontechnical skills (e.g., material sciences or work safety) that are jointly required in the real world and occur in training curricula. This broadened perspective of teaching IT skills offers new insights into how digital skills can be successfully integrated into future education and training programmes. We use legally binding vocational education and training (VET) curricula of dual apprenticeship training in Switzerland. We apply natural language processing methods to analyse the extensive curriculum texts, which meticulously define the skills that have to be taught. We identify four typical skills packages, each of which are centred around one of four different types of IT skill (CNC/CAD, control technologies, system technologies, IT-applications). Our empirical analyses show that VET graduates trained in these skills packages receive positive labour market outcomes compared to VET graduates without these skills packages. Moreover, we find that the positive outcomes are not just driven by differences in cognitive skill requirements of the respective occupations.

How compatible is the Supply of Vocational Education and Training Graduates with Labor Market Demand in Turkey?

The transition of a country's graduates with vocational skills into the labor market indicates both the efficiency of vocational education and training (VET) and economic development. Many countries have conducted studies to monitor and match the expectations of the labor market with students’ preferences. Scholars and policymakers in Turkey have long debated the compatibility of the level of VET graduates’ skills and needs of the labor market and called for field studies to form a basis for national policy. The current study examine the relationship between open job positions in diverse professions, as indicated by İŞKUR's 2019 Labor Market Research (IPA), and the vocational fields of VET students at the regional level. The skills required by the open positions and the vocational fields in which these skills were acquired are linked in this study to evaluate their compatibility. The research findings showed remarkable differences between the demands of the labor market and the supply of VET graduates across Turkey. In some vocational fields, the imbalance occurred simultaneously across multiple regions. The results emphasize the importance of improving the balance between supply-and-demand at both the regional and provincial level to increase the compatibility between labor market demands and supply in VET.

Same educational level, same wage returns? An analysis over time and across occupations in Germany

ABSTRACT Analysing wage differentials due to educational investments within occupations can explain the persistent wage inequality in western industrialised countries, such as Germany. This article contributes to the discussion by examining occupation-specific variance in wage returns for men working full-time in Western Germany between 1976 and 2010. We distinguish between three groups: employees with a vocational education and training (VET) degree with an Abitur (a certificate allowing entrance into a German university), with a VET degree but no Abitur, or with a university degree. First, we theoretically argue why wage returns vary within educational levels across occupations. Second, on the assumption that wage return variance will be greater at higher educational levels, we investigate wage return variance patterns for VET and university graduates over time. Estimating a two-stage multilevel model using the Sample of Integrated Labour Market Biographies (SIAB), we show that holding an Abitur increases wage return variance across occupations. Moreover, we find a significantly higher occupation-specific variance in wage returns to education for university graduates than for VET graduates. For the period under examination, we reveal a fluctuating variance in wage returns for VET graduates and a slightly decreasing variance for university graduates.

Finding a job after unemployment—education as a moderator of unemployment scarring in Norway and German-speaking Switzerland

Abstract Using data collected with a factorial survey experiment in Norway and Switzerland, we analyze how employers react to unemployment spells when screening job applications. Our focus is on whether unemployment scarring varies depending on the applicants’ level of education and the duration and timing of the unemployment spell. We find unemployment scars of similar size in the two countries. Interestingly, education moderates the strength of unemployment scarring: in the Swiss context, graduates from vocational education and training (VET) programs are the most severely affected by unemployment, even years after regaining employment; this is not the case in Norway. We contribute to the unemployment scarring literature and to comparative scholarship on school-to-work transitions by exposing a trade-off of dual VET systems, which are known to provide a safety net from unemployment. Our findings show that these same systems can cause scars that are particularly long-lasting to VET graduates who fall into unemployment.

The safety net and the diversion effects of vocational upper-secondary education in European countries

ABSTRACT This paper presents a comparative analysis of the effect of different educational orientations at the upper-secondary level on labour market outcomes across European countries. The study separates safety net effect and the diversion effect of Vocational Education and Training (VET). Using PIAAC data, we show cross-national differences in the early career advantages of vocational qualifications. The results indicate that vocational effects vary according to outcome. In general, negative effects on occupational status are consistent with earlier research. The safety net function of VET is only observable in a few countries. We also studied the impact of different institutional level characteristics. The analysis of the impact of macro-level characteristics reveals VET’s safety net effect is observable only in countries with the highest occupational specificity of VET. At the same time, work-based VET is increasing its diversion effect. Crucial issues are the differences in general competencies between graduates of VET and general upper-secondary school graduates. The major differences are the simultaneous weakening of VET’s safety net effect and the strengthening of the diversion effect.

Occupation-specific wage returns: shedding light on differentials between employees with a VET degree either with or without an Abitur

This study seeks to reveal the heterogeneity in occupation-specific wage returns among graduates of the German vocational education and training (VET) system. We distinguish between VET graduates with and without a higher education entrance certificate (i.e. an Abitur). To implement our hierarchical multi-level analyses, we exploit the latest wave of the BIBB/BAuA Employment Survey from 2018. By estimating occupation-specific wage returns, we reveal gaps between VET graduates with and without an Abitur. Additionally, we analyse several occupational characteristics to show how they contribute to the gaps in wage returns between our study groups. Our results show that employees combining an Abitur with a VET degree achieve higher wage returns than those VET graduates without an Abitur across all occupations. Employees holding a VET degree without an Abitur display greater inequality of occupation-specific wage returns. Among the occupational characteristics, task composition is the main driver of the differences in wage returns.

Horizontal Skills Mismatch in Vocational Education in Turkey: The Reasons for Out-of-Field Employment

As a type of skills mismatch, horizontal skills mismatch (HM) is a particularly important problem for vocational education and training (VET) in Turkey because the majority of VET graduates work in a different field than the one in which they were educated. This study aims to determine the reasons why some VET graduates in Turkey work in fields other than their original field of study. For this purpose, we have employed a sequential mixed-model research design, first conducting face-to-face interviews with 20 VET graduates and then applying a questionnaire to VET graduates that elicited 4,863 responses. The study uses descriptive analysis for the qualitative data from the interviews and an open-ended item from the questionnaire. The qualitative results show the most common reasons for VET graduates’ employment out of their field of study to include being unable to find a job in their field of study, low wages, lack of necessary vocational skills, lack of experience, and working conditions. Quantitative results show VET graduates to want to be employed in their field of study and to make significant efforts in finding jobs that match their field. We have concluded HM to be a common problem and all the factors influencing VET graduates’ out-of-field employment to be related to a weak relationship between VET and the Turkish labor market.

Supporting Youth Employment through Vocational Training Programs in Nepal

The effect of globalization on human capital development is decisive. A country that lacks the means to compete in global market is often left behind. A key contributor in this regard is the knowledge, skills and positive attitude of the workforce. Education and skills therefore are the driving forces of social development and economic growth of any country. The first Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) is to end poverty in all forms by 2030 and for that there is major focus on education and productive employment. SDG-4 focuses on people's access to modern and quality education, which also indicates the need of vocational education and trainings. Similarly, the SDG-8 is to promote sustained economic growth, higher levels of productivity and technological innovation which indicated the need of TVET for productive employment and economic growth. Therefore, employment level of the working age group people, its composition and the growth in employment opportunities appeared as the critical indicator of the development process in any economy. The present paper attempts to highlight the positive effects that was contributed by the Vocational Education and Training (VET) programs in socio-economic development of large number of disadvantaged and unemployed population of Nepal. Primary data and information collected from the purposively sampled respondents- 405 VET graduates who after training are employed in their occupational sector. The study including field observation was conducted in 2016 to obtain qualitative information that helps to establish the relationship between vocational training and employment of the trained youth. The finding of this study revealed that VET plays positive role in employment and income growth. However, it concludes with the recommendation that the participants need post training support to become a functional VET and to get a sustainable and decent employment in the labor market.

Continuing the Journey of Education, Training and Research

The Journal of Training and Development has come up with issue 5, Volume 5 with the objectives of sharing the recent research findings in the field of Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in research, training and development. This publication has a collection of valuable articles from TVET experts, scholars and educationalist. This training and development journals are considered to be valuable resources for the scholars, educationist and TVET experts and stakeholders.
 
 This issue consists of seven articles on different aspects of Training and Development.
 The article by Durga prasad Baral describe informal skills learning places in Nepal and tries to provides a typology that helps to understand the informal skills learning places and their formality. This paper analyses the existing legal frameworks and literature from domestic cultural practices adapting qualitative approach of inquiry. The paper concludes that the typology provides a sound conceptual basis for the identification of main categories and sub-categories of informal skills learning places in Nepal.
 
 The paper by Manoj Sharma Neuane scrutinizes the access and relevancy of presently available long term TVET programs and identify its gap with the market demand. The paper is the quantitative analysis of micro data is also adopted as a major basis and document review was also carried out while preparing the paper. The analysis shows that health-related programs are over-accessed while a clear gap is observed in the supply mechanism of TVET in the tourism and agricultural sectors. The paper revealed to promote agriculture and tourism sectors to promote TEVT programs both in quality and quantity in order to alleviate existing mismatch between demand and supply.
 
 The article by Kushmakar Bhatta highlight the positive effects that contributed by the Vocational Education and Training (VET) programs in socio-economic development of the disadvantaged and unemployed population of Nepal. The primary data collected from questionnaire and some field survey from the purposively sampled respondents- 405 VET graduates who after training are employed in their occupational sector. The study revealed that VET plays constructive role in employment and economic growth. However, it concludes with the recommendation that post training support to the participants is a must for functional VET and getting sustainable and decent employment in the labor market.
 
 survey for Vocational Education and Training (VET) graduates trained from different institutions purposively selected from the list of the VET graduates and interview questionnaires were sent to them. Apart from the questionnaire, some field survey was also administered for the qualitative data on role played by VET in employment, income and socio-economic development.
 
 
 
 
 The article by Surya Prasad Newpane discuss the stories of women who uses their vocational skills to run a homestay in their community which is run by the Tharu and Bote of Nawalparasi. The qualitative approach was applied for carrying out this research and Amaltari homestay was selected as the research site. The stories of these women reveal that they have been using their skills in the area of hospitality, cooking traditional foods and crafting bamboo and wooden goods related skills to serve guest. Despite of many barrier homestay contributed to the indigenous practice and supportive in enriching the Tharu and Bote women socially and culturally by using the vocational skills. 
 The article by Narbikram Thapa assess the performance of private paravets in terms of quality of technical services. The qualitative and quantitative methods were adopted during field study where questionnaire survey, focus group discussion, direct field observation, force field analysis and score ranking was implemented. He concludes that the quality of the Private Paravets have found to be effective in terms of relevance, appropriateness, targeting, and sustainability issues. Project activities associated with Private Paravets promotion were observed appropriate in line with the needs and priorities of rural people of Nepal.
 
 Finally, the editorial team would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all the authors who have contributed by providing their relevant and valuable creations. We would also like to express gratitude to the reviewers and TITI management team for their continuous support in publishing this journal. The team would also like to welcome articles from TVET experts, trainers and stakeholders in the field of training, development and research. We are also grateful to Tribhuvan University Central Library (TUCL) for providing their professionals support and encouragement to publish this journal online. Last but not least, we are thankful to the publisher for the publication of the print version of this journal.

Educational diversity and individual pay: the advantages of combining academic and VET graduates in the workplace

This study analyzes how worker pay is related to educational diversity, i.e., diversity in the educational composition of work groups in terms of the different types of vocational and academic education. As previous research shows that various types of diversity have positive effects in the workplace, a positive effect due to ‘educational diversity’ also seems plausible. We provide novel empirical evidence on the relation between the educational diversity of work groups and productivity, or more precisely, individual workers’ pay. Using theoretical considerations drawn from diversity research, we develop hypotheses on the relation between a group’s educational diversity and individual workers’ pay. Drawing on an exceptionally large set of employer-employee data with more than 87,000 employers and 1,200,000 employees, we test our hypotheses and find that the educational diversity of work groups—and thus work groups with workers of different types of vocational and academic education—is positively related to individual workers’ pay. Thus, educational diversity in the form of a combination of academic and Vocational Education and Training (VET) graduates in the workplace seems to be advantageous for the workers involved. Our findings suggest that educational diversity is especially beneficial in groups with high levels of task complexity and shorter organizational tenure.

Promoting Youth Employment through Information and Communication Technologies in Vocational Education in Tanzania

Africa is the most youthful continent in the world with approximetly 20% of the global youth population and is expected to increase by 42% by the end of 2030. This great number of youth which can be used as a huge asset for the country’s economic growth and development is largely unemployed. As a result, governments have introduced Vocational Education and Training (VET) by providing occupation oriented trainings in a bid to reduce unemployment amongst youth. Despite these efforts, the majority of VET graduates remain unemployed due to the inadequate employability skills needed in the current job market. This study implemented a project aiming at enhancing employability skills through ICT in four centres: Nangwa VTC, Manyara VTC, Arusha VTC, Mto wa Mbu FDC, and Ketumbeine secondary school with a total of 100 students and 20 teachers. Through participating in the project, it was expected that students would gain the ICT skills as well as the 21st-Century skills required in the current workplace. At the end of the project, an evaluation was conducted using a self-administered survey where a total of 80 students were involved in the four centres. Moreover, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), non-participatory observation, and documentary review were adopted as qualitative data instruments. It was found that that students’ perceived competence and skills levels on technology knowledge of multimedia as moderate (M=3.63) while that of CISCO were found to be high with 76 students graduated and obtained a CISCO certification. In terms of the 21st-Century skills, it was found that students’ self-reported confidence levels in all four 21st-Century skills domains were found to be high with collaboration skills (M=4.5) being the highest followed by communication skills (M=4.26), leadership (4.20) and creativity and innovation (4.06). Nonetheless, the lowest 21st-Century skills element was critical thinking skills (M=3.9). The findings from this study show that with some planned activities within colleges, students can easily acquire the needed employability skills. The implication of these findings are discussed.

Does Vocational Education Give a Labour Market Advantage over the Whole Career? A Comparison of the United Kingdom and Switzerland

Research suggests that vocational education and training (VET) tends to reduce youth unemployment by providing them with specific skills, thus smoothing the transition from education to work. However, we still know relatively little aboutwhether vocational education provides higher employment rate and wages over the entire working trajectory than holders of lower education; after several years of experience, both groups may indeed have similar skills and thus similar situations in the labour market. We compare the situation in the United Kingdom and Switzerland, two countries that share a tradition of vocational education but differ in the specificity and standardisation of their VET system. Creating a pseudo-cohort with repeated rounds of the United Kingdom and Swiss labour force surveys, we use regression models and compare the employment rate and hourly wage of our two groups of interest: individuals with vocational education at the upper secondary level and individuals with no more than compulsory education. We find that VET graduates fare better in terms of both employment and wages over the whole career. This advantage is larger for women than men and, contrary to our hypothesis, larger in the United Kingdom than in Switzerland with respect to employment prospects.

Career Adaptability of Vocational Education and Training Graduates in the Period of Prospective School-to-Work Transition

The completion of vocational education and training (VET) and the subsequent school-to-work transition are important steps on the career pathway. The school-to-work transition is a long-term process with unclear boundaries involving a number of potentially difficult aspects. Psychological resources for successful schoolto-work transitions are reflected in the multidimensional psychosocial construct of career adaptability. The goal of the present study was to examine the role of selected demographic and school-related variables in predicting career adaptability and four components of career adaptability (concern, control, curiosity, and confidence) among VET graduates. Participants in this study were 3,028 Czech students approximately 1–2 months before graduation from vocational education and training, aged from 18 to 26 years (M = 18.97, SD = 1.09). The 24-item Career Adapt-Abilities Scale was used to measure career adaptability. Results from multiple linear regression analyses found that five out of ten predictor variables positively predicted the career adaptability or career adaptability components. These variables were the gained paid work experience in the field of study, one-off or multiple use of career guidance services, male gender, tertiary education of the father, and the field of study completed with a school-leaving examination. The variables that did not statistically predict career adaptability were family structure, maternal education, grades (GPA), repetition of a grade, and change of the field of study. Implications for career guidance are discussed.

Impact of vocational education and training on adult skills and employment: An applied multilevel analysis

Vocational education and training has played a central role in promoting the school-to-work transition of young people. Despite this role, the return to Vocational Education and Training (VET) has been neglected in previous studies. This paper aims to examine individual returns to VET over a lifespan and to assess the effects of national VET systems, including school-based and work-based VET systems, on economic outcomes. We use the OECD’s Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) dataset for conducting our analyses. The results of this study indicate that vocational track graduates are more likely to have literacy skill disadvantages, short-term employment advantages, and long-term employment disadvantages compared to general track graduates. The most significant finding is that there are substantial differences between work-based and school-based VET systems with regard to their literacy and employment effects. Compared to VET graduates from general education-oriented countries, VET graduates from work-based VET-oriented countries are initially more likely to be employed, but that employment premium narrows faster over time. Therefore, a lifespan overview and the characteristics of national VET systems should enter into policy debates on national educational systems.

Tertiary students\u2019 perceptions of hospitality careers in Vietnam

BackgroundHospitality personnel are often prepared through vocational education and training (VET) and higher education (HE) providers, taking different emphases. In Vietnam’s hospitality workplaces, HE graduates compete with VET graduates for the same basic operational positions, with limited managerial positions available. Given the different educational pathways taken for similar career opportunities in the current labour market, it is important to understand students’ views of hospitality workplaces as their future career environment. The aim of this study is to identify and examine underlying factors that determine tertiary students’ overall career perceptions in hospitality in the Vietnamese context.MethodsA quantitative study utilising an online survey was conducted with 234 hospitality students from different higher education institutes and VET colleges in the South of Vietnam. Chi squared statistics and logistic regression were performed to assess the views and significant educational level differences.ResultsThe analyses show marked differences in views between the HE and VET participants on several aspects of hospitality workplaces, including pay/promotion opportunities, management, and commitment to the industry. The HE participants appeared less positive, and indicated a lower commitment to a future in the hospitality industry.ConclusionThe results of this study have important implications for various stakeholder groups. Students’ negative perceptions, associated with their internship experiences in different aspects of hospitality workplaces, currently appear to result in detrimental consequences for HE students, with many not planning on remaining in the hospitality sector. This has both short-term and long-term implications for hospitality employers, hospitality educational providers, and Vietnam’s HE system.

Stakeholder Engagement and the Enhanced Entrepreneurship of VET Graduates

This study forms part of an ongoing research endeavour by the Malta College of Arts, Science, and Technology (MCAST) to map out and understand the entrepreneurial behaviours and actions that are particular to students who graduate after completing further or higher vocational education and who enter an entrepreneurial venture. An understanding is sought on how active stakeholder engagement enhances the capability of a Vocational Education and Training (VET) College to contribute positively and significantly towards the knowledge, skills, and competences of its students. Of interest to both the vocational and academic community is the linkage between educational activities and entrepreneurship. Ardichvili and Cardozo (2000) argue that learning activities and the subsequent knowledge acquired positively impact opportunity recognition and discovery. This follows on the lines of Autio et al. (1997), Krueger (1993), and Peterman and Kennedy (2003) in that educational activities influence students’ entrepreneurial intentions and the desirability and feasibility of starting a business. The research aims to understand how stakeholder engagement empowers the vocational educator to provide distinct enterprise-relevant advantages to the vocational student. Vocational education programmes offer a component distinct from the normal academic learning. Whilst the knowledge component is ever-present, as would be in any educational programme, skills and competences take on a new meaning, one that is not lost in enterprise behaviour. Skills are practical and transversal, giving vocational graduates an edge in understanding how to behave and make decisions in a dynamic business environment. Competences are stronger, particularly the competence of the vocational graduate to make decisions with autonomy and responsibility. The outcome of this vocational setting and the way that this is influenced by predominant stakeholders is of much interest to the researcher and to the academic and business community.

The Directions of the Development of the VET System in Poland

The aim of this paper is to describe and discuss the evolution, the current state and the perspectives of the vocational education and training (VET) system in Poland. In the period of the economic slowdown in Poland and the Financial and Sovereign Debt Crisis in several EU member states, the need for structural reforms, including the reform of the vocational education and training is becoming increasingly important. Therefore, in the paper the special attention has been paid to the links between the education and labor markets in view of the signaled difficulties in smoothing the transition of VET graduates from schooling to work. The paper identifies the needs of Polish employers in relation to vocational training and puts forward some propositions for policy makers in order to improve the employability of VET graduates.

Labour Market Prospects of Swiss Career Entrants after Completion of Vocational Education and Training

ABSTRACTThis study seeks to find the reasons for the rising risk of unemployment for people who have completed basic vocational education and training (VET) in Switzerland. We focus on the long-term structural shift on the demand side of the labour market and its consequences for new entrants' chances of employment in the labour force. A detailed analysis of the development of vacancies for such ‘career entrants' in the time period 2001 to 2011 suggests that neither a growing occupational mismatch nor a general shift in the level of education to the disadvantage of workers with vocational education can be made responsible for the rising unemployment of labour market entrants. Instead, the available evidence indicates that a diminishing part of the vacancies suited for VET graduates remains open to entrants because of the increasing job requirements with regard to work experience and further education. Basic vocational education and training alone is increasingly less a guarantee for a smooth entry into the working world.