Purpose: This study explores the career choice process of visually impaired youths (VIY), focusing on how their disability, social support, and educational access influence their aspirations and choices. Using Amartya Sen's capability approach, the study analyses how functional and contextual constraints impact VIY's freedom to choose and achieve their desired professions.

Methods: Fifteen visually impaired youths (aged 16–22) were interviewed using a semi[1]structured guide. Participants were enrolled in secondary or tertiary education in Switzerland and were insured under Swiss disability insurance. Interviews were complemented with quality-of-life assessments using the NEI-VFQ-13 tool. Data was analysed through inductive content analysis and triangulation, comparing objective and subjective visual impairment with career decision-making processes.

Results: Four career choice profiles emerged:

1. Free Career, Positive Disability Experience: Youths with minimal constraints and high coping ability freely chose their careers.

2. Constrained Career, Positive Disability Experience: Participants adapted their career goals to their disabilities but remained satisfied with their choices.

3. Free Career, Negative Disability Experience: Youths with mild impairments reported fewer career constraints but struggled with dissatisfaction or indecision.

4. Constrained Career, Negative Disability Experience: Participants felt limited by their impairments, reporting dissatisfaction and forced career compromises. Education level, quality of life, and coping strategies significantly shaped these experiences.

Conclusions: VIY face systemic limitations in career choice due to functional, legal, and safety constraints tied to visual impairment. Positive coping strategies and higher education levels enhance career freedom, while negative perceptions of disability and lower educational attainment exacerbate limitations. Social and policy-level support mechanisms must prioritize expanding VIY's capabilities to improve career outcomes and reduce constraints.

Background

The inclusion of people with disabilities in the primary labour market is an important socio-political goal (Zemp & Staub, 2022; Sempert & Kammermann, 2011; Biermann & Bonz, 2012). In Switzerland, initial vocational training for adolescents with disabilities often takes place in the sheltered environment. However, in the last few years, more and more vocational training has been offered in companies in the primary labour market, and learners are being accompanied by job coaches in line with the ‘supported training’ model. This approach is considered promising in terms of later vocational inclusion (Campell, 2011; Lulaj, 2023; Hofmann & Schaub, 2016). Research has shown that VET- trainers in particular have a significant influence on the success of the training (Seyd et al., 2007; Nägele & Neuenschwander, 2016; Bosset et al., 2022). Nevertheless the needs of learners, the influencing factors of training have not been sufficiently investigated.

Objectives and research questions

In this context, the University of Applied Sciences for Special Needs Education (HfH) launched the project ‘Further Development of Inclusive Vocational Training’ with support from the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI). The aim is to gain more knowledge about the needs of learners and companies in the primary labour market, to identify factors for a successful inclusive training process and to show suitable forms of support. On this basis, concepts for improved inclusion are to be developed in companies provided. In the first step of the project, conditions are examined that are related to the success of training-related measures in the primary labour market. The questions are: How do those responsible in the sectors assess the situation in the companies for learners with impairments? Are there differences depending on the type of impairment and depending on the sector? What are the critical situations in which the VET-trainers reach their limits? How open are the companies to external support and what would be helpful?

Methodological approach and sample

In order to be able to make a criteria-based selection of sectors for an in-depth analysis of the company situations, the first step was to survey occupational sectors online. The questionnaire comprised questions with predefined answer categories on the topics of challenges in the training of young people with impairments, support structures in the company, use of external support services and perceived need for action to improve integration in the company. A total of 471 associations at the national and regional level in German- and French-speaking Switzerland were contacted. 169 national and regional associations took part in the survey. The response rate was 39.8%.

Results/expected results

The results of this online-survey are to be presented at the congress. It has been found that, depending on the type of impairment, different challenges are perceived. Often, various support structures are in place that work well; on the other hand, there is also a great need to establish support approaches even more (e.g. use of low-threshold counselling services). Depending on the professional sector, different recommendations for action emerge.

Outlook

The plan is to select – based on the survey’s results - around 15 companies (in terms of ‘good practice’ or also in sectors that perceive a particularly urgent need). These will then be examined in more detail using qualitative methods. The resulting situation vignettes are intended to highlight challenges for young people with disabilities in various work situations and possible ways of dealing with them. The second part of the project is dedicated to workshops to strengthen training in inclusive settings, based on the findings from the first part.

Abstract:

People with disabilities should have the opportunity to complete high-quality vocational training. This requirement is enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) and was ratified in Austria (2008), Germany (2009) and Switzerland (2014). In the D-A-CH region, compensation for disadvantages (NA) is a key instrument for compensating for disability-related disadvantages during training and in the qualification process (SDBB, 2013). While implementation varies from country to country (Miesera et al., 2022), common structures can be seen, particularly in the interaction between the VET system, companies and politics. Against the backdrop of demographic change and the shortage of skilled workers, the NA is becoming increasingly important - not only as a measure of inclusion, but also as an economic instrument for tapping into new potential skilled workers (Vollmer, 2024; BMAW, 2023). This development raises the question of the extent to which the NA mechanisms established in the D-A-CH region are transferable to countries that wish to implement or expand a dual VET system. This study examines the legal framework, success factors and challenges of disadvantage compensation in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and discusses the transferability of these approaches to countries with different socio-economic and educational policy frameworks. In particular, it analyzes which structural requirements (e.g. private-public partnerships, vocational training culture) are necessary to successfully implement NA as an integral part of a dual system.

Research questions:

1.which legal framework conditions, success factors and challenges characterize the implementation of disadvantage compensation in the individual countries of the D-A-CH region?

2. to what extent can the existing disadvantage compensation measures be transferred to countries with other VET systems and what structural adjustments would be necessary?

Methodology:

The research method used is the qualitative literature analysis approach (Flick, Kardorff & Steinke, 2019). To this end, research was conducted into the concepts, national implementation measures and scientific literature in German-speaking countries on the topic of NA. An interdisciplinary approach to economic, vocational training, educational and social science discourses was chosen as the data basis. The data material was condensed in terms of content analysis and structured and comparatively analyzed according to the conditions for success and challenges of Wüthrich et al. (2024). The literature was selected according to the criteria of topicality of the publications, their consistency and their national and transnational relevance. The data obtained was summarized in tabular form and categorized inductively and deductively using content analysis (Mayring, 2022). The expert interviews were conducted with one VET specialist from each of the D-A-CH regions based on Meuser and Nagel (2005) and integrated into the tabular summary. Finally, the findings are analyzed with regard to their transferability to other countries. Key factors such as private-public partnerships, vocational training culture and political control are taken into account.

In France, although vocational high schools account for nearly 40% of students graduating from the first cycle of secondary education, they have long been overlooked by educational research (Verdier & Doray, 2022). Occupying a relatively marginalized position, this segment of the education system has often been regarded as the antithesis of academic selection (Jellab, 2017). This trend is partly related to the fact that the “academic convention” largely structures the French education system, including within vocational high schools (Troger et al., 2015). VET path is often perceived as a non-choice path in the French education system, closing off the range of possibilities for young people. However, the various reforms implemented in recent years (the three-year professional baccalaureate reform and quotas for vocational baccalaureate holders in higher education for instance) may suggest a broader range of possibilities, allowing for more personalized guidance and greater reversibility in educational trajectories, potentially opening up ‘new opportunities’ for students (Troger et al., 2015). The aim is to make vocational high schools more attractive and reconsider the paradigm of non-chosen guidance. Among these, the reform of the three-year baccalaureate is a significant one, aiming for symbolic equality with general and technological baccalaureate. These ‘new opportunities’ for students should help alleviate the reluctance of families to choose the vocational track.

On the other hand, these reforms pave the way for even greater relegation and disqualification for students entering Certificate of Vocational Competence (CVC). This second vocational high school diploma is a diploma leading directly to the labor market, although pursuing higher education is theoretically possible, through two years of transition in the vocational baccalaureate. With the baccalaureate becoming the standard for vocational high schools, the CVC students are, in a sense, rendered ‘invisible’ within the system. One might fear a more pronounced social and educational dualization within vocational high schools (Verdier et al., 2016). Indeed, the increase in the social and academic level of students entering vocational baccalaureate programs since the implementation of the 2009 reform, through a compensatory effect, has reinforced the process of admitting more students with limited readiness for further study into CVS programs. In terms of educational choices and, more specifically, aspirations, it seems that vocational baccalaureate students are more likely to aspire to higher education degrees (Bernard & Troger, 2012). However, within the vocational baccalaureate student population, there are inequalities in the 'capabilities to aspire' (Appadurai, 2004), inequalities linked to family background (Lahire, 2005) and parents' relationship with the school (Olympio, 2020). For the most vulnerable, particularly CVC students, it is to be feared a lack of aspiration and a reinforcement of ‘adaptive preferences’ in educational choice (Sen, 1992; Picard et al., 2015).

How are students' aspirations shaped following the reforms in the vocational track? Are students experiencing more self-directed educational guidance? Do students in vocational baccalaureate programs have different aspirations than CVC students? Do they all aspire more to higher education?

We address these questions based on a sample of 539 students from twenty vocational high schools in a region in the south of France. The students were surveyed on their educational background, academic choices, the development of their aspirations, their family backgrounds, as well as their relationship to school, guidance, and the labor market.

Our preliminary data suggest a more pronounced dualization within vocational high schools in France between CVC and vocational baccalaureate students, who stand out as two distinct populations, not only in terms of educational and social status but also concerning their aspirations, their relationship to school, and their views on the labor market.

In recent years, political attempts to boost vocational education and training (VET) have proliferated (Bonoli and Emmenegger, 2022). These reform activities are due to VET systems' recognized strengths such as low youth unemployment and their potential for social inclusion (e.g., Breen, 2005; Thelen, 2014; Bonoli and Emmenegger, 2021). At the same time, education systems are major determinants of social stratification, with important implications for social inequalities (Kerckhoff, 2001; Tåhlin, 2023). In particular the stratifying effects of the choice between VET and more general (non-vocational) forms of education have been the focus of a rich body of research (e.g., Shavit and Müller,1998; Ainsworth and Rosgicno, 2005; Protsch and Solga, 2016).

We evaluate the attractiveness of VET relative to its main alternative, general education (GE), because “where VET is taken to be an element of upper secondary schooling, comparisons with general or academic education within schooling are inevitable'' (Billett, 2020, p. 162). We fielded a factorial survey experiment in Denmark, England, France, Germany, Portugal, Sweden, and Switzerland with approx. 1'600 respondents per country in the spring of 2024. In the experiment, we showed respondents four fictitious profiles of 15-year-olds. We asked respondents whether they would recommend that this young person pursues VET or GE. We focus on the choice between VET and GE at the upper-secondary level because most countries sort young people into tracks at this stage (Contini and Cugnata, 2020).

We are particularly interested in the role of perceived educational hierarchies and social biases in determining whether a 15-year-old is viewed as more suited for VET or GE. In each fictitious profile, three dimensions reflect the individuals' academic performance (in math, reading, and computer skills), whereas another two dimensions capture the individuals' motivation (ambitiousness and interest in learning). We expect respondents who perceive GE to be superior to VET to assign strong performers and motivated individuals to GE. The final three dimensions measure social biases (socio-economic status, migrant origin, and regional background). We expect respondents who are biased against VET to be more likely to assign individuals of low socio-economic status, migrant origin, or with rural backgrounds to VET.

The experimental approach offers two distinct advantages. First, individuals' attributes are often clustered (e.g., grades and motivation), which makes it difficult to identify their independent effect. By combining individuals' features in different combinations (assigned randomly), our approach captures the importance of these features in relation to other features (Combet, 2024). Second, factorial survey experiments limit social desirability biases (Horiuchi, 2021; Bansak et al., 2021), which is crucial for examining the attractiveness of VET.

The empirical analysis of the relative attractiveness of VET reveals an astonishingly clear pattern. Respondents systematically assign academically strong, ambitious and motivated individuals to GE. In addition, respondents display social biases against VET, recommending GE to individuals from big cities and VET to individuals of low social class. We find little evidence of institutional differences; across all seven countries, we observe the same patterns. We interpret these findings as a relative attractiveness deficit of VET. While respondents have a positive view of VET in absolute terms, they generally see GE as the superior option, regardless of the quality of the VET system and without much variation across subgroups. Our findings suggest that efforts to promote VET might be less effective as long as VET is not seen as attractive relative to GE. We argue that the only remedy is to make all educational pathways as open as possible, that is, VET graduates need to be able to access all tertiary level programs on similar terms with GE graduates.

Introduction : choisir une carrière professionnelle, c'est décider d'un chemin en fonction de ses intérêts personnels, de son histoire familiale ou de l'influence de ses amis. Lorsque nous analysons les trajectoires de professionnels de différents domaines qui entrent dans le domaine de la santé, plus spécifiquement de la Médecine et de la Santé Intégratives : infirmières, médecins, psychologues, architectes, journalistes et thérapeutes, nous identifions une transgression de leur façon d'opérer dans le monde, un désir intrinsèque de reconnaissance et de nouveaux défis, malgré l'insécurité que cette décision peut engendrer. Objectif : À travers des entretiens semi-structurés, l'article aborde ce processus de transition, très transformateur dans la vie des individus. Cette étude présente un modèle de rupture avec les modes de performance professionnelle à travers les témoignages d'étudiants de troisième cycle d'un établissement de santé de São Paulo, au Brésil, qui ont décidé de changer de carrière entre 2020 et 2024. Développement : rompre avec les schémas de leur première profession et élargir leurs connaissances à de nouveaux comportements est le thème le plus souvent évoqué lors de la formation des professionnels de santé en médecine intégrative. La décision n’est pas très facile car le domaine apporte des complexités et des contextualisations sensibles au monde des thérapies, des hôpitaux ou des cliniques, et qui favorisent des analyses holistiques sur le concept de soins aux personnes. En accompagnant l’étudiant dans une approche interdisciplinaire, nous constatons qu’il existe un lien direct entre le rêve et le changement. Conclusion : tout changement requiert des attitudes d’audace, d’humilité, de cohérence et de respect de l’histoire de vie de l’étudiant, qui doivent s’accompagner de responsabilité et d’un accompagnement individualisé, continu et transparent.

Vocational education and training (VET) is the most common post-compulsory pathway in Switzerland, followed by around two thirds of each birth cohort (Cortesi and Imdorf, 2013). Upon completion, the majority of apprentices are awarded a Federal VET Diploma (FVETD) following one of its 250 training programmes (Cortesi and Imdorf, 2013). By providing ready-to-use occupation-specific skills in a wide range of professions, VET has repeatedly been credited for fostering smooth and linear transitions into employment (Müller and Shavit, 1998; Bol, et.al, 2019 ; Kriesi and Schweri, 2019).

However, despite growing political concern, the Swiss VET system remains marked by a strong horizontal gender segregation(Leemann and Keck, 2005; Becker and Glauser, 2015; Kriesi and Imdorf, 2019). While men more often undertake technical and manual occupations, women generally cluster in only a few apprenticeships in the health and social care sectors (Becker and Glauser, 2015). This gender segregation may represent a key step in the reproduction of the social inequalities in the Swiss labor market, given the close link between VET apprenticeships and their subsequent occupational prospects (Kriesi and Imdorf, 2019; Grønning and Kriesi, 2022). Furthermore, male-dominated occupations tend to be more rewarding than the female-dominated and mixed-gender ones (Kriesi and Imdorf, 2019; Korber and Oesch, 2019, Grønning, et al., 2020).

This article studies the consequences of horizontal gender segregation by looking at the school-to-work trajectories (SWT) of new Federal VET Diploma (FVETD) holders using a fine-grained database. After VET graduation, SWT trajectories show a great diversity, which is expected for at least four reasons. First, the SWT has become increasingly diversified in most European countries over the last decades (Buchmann and Kriesi, 2011; Brzinsky-Fay and Solga, 2016). Second, for many apprentices the SWT is linked with important transition risks and may be marked by unemployment or NEET (Not in Education, Employment nor Training) states (Stalder, 2012; Salvisberg and Sacchi, 2014; Babel, 2018). Third, there is a growing diversity of higher education opportunities following VET education, which may represent only the first step in the apprentices’ educational trajectory (Stalder and Nägele, 2011; Imdorf, et al., 2017). Finally, this diversity of post-VET trajectories may stem from the institutional characteristics of the diploma itself (Grønning, et al., 2018; Grønning and Kriesi, 2022). The FVETD indeed regroups approximately 250 training programmes differing in many dimensions, such as in terms of content, teaching modalities, and are rooted in distinct labor market sectors.

Using sequence analysis and the administrative LABB database (FSO, 2024), this article provides a typology of trajectories of the 2012 FVETD graduate’s cohort over seven years, demonstrating the great diversity of pathways into higher education, employment, reorientation, and NEET status. We then rely on this typology to study the gender disparities in SWT pathways, highlighting that women are more likely to experience a fast transition to employment. In a second step, we use multilevel models to estimate how the allocation into one of the 250 specific VET training programmes is related to subsequent SWT. This analysis emphasizes that male-dominated VET programmes offer a substantial protection against more problematic SWT pathways. This methodological approach also allows studying how other key characteristics of VET programmes, such as the number of provided lessons, are related to subsequent pathways. Finally, we look at the consequences of evading the gender norms by enrolling into gender-atypical VET occupations. Our findings reveal that women graduating from male-dominated VET apprenticeships do not benefit from their protection against more problematic pathways and are instead more likely to pursue unstable or NEET trajectories.

Across modern societies, occupational gender segregation remains persistently high, especially in technical fields (Su and Rounds 2015; OECD 2023). Since economic growth increasingly relies on knowledge- and information-based services, rapid advances in information technologies (IT) may further aggravate these gender differences (Powell and Snellman 2004). Cross-national labor market data reflects this trend, as in recent years, only 20% of new IT students across all OECD countries were women, while men constituted 83% of the IT workforce. Moreover, this gender gap has progressively widened over the past decade (Eurostat 2018; OECD 2017). Hence, a growing labor market demand for people with technical skills could exacerbate existing gender inequalities. Thus, the question of how to mitigate technology-induced gender gaps in occupational choices is paramount.

Our main contribution focuses on the social construction of occupational profiles. Individuals choose occupations in situations of imperfect information. Occupational choices are thus informed by what individuals (stereotypically) believe these occupations to entail. The existing literature has shown that gendered occupational choices are influenced by individual-level factors such as exposure to (parental) role models, peers, personal motivation/interests, and self-efficacy. For all these factors, gendered expectations and perceptions can push individuals in gender-typical directions. However, the literature has yet to investigate if the IT gender gap can also be (at least partially) explained by what individuals associate with IT because men and women might make different associations (McLachlan 2010). This is important because differences in associations suggest that these associations can potentially be changed by providing additional information on skill requirements and typical activities of occupations.

To examine gendered occupational choices, we have surveyed 2,500 8th-graders (14-year-olds) in Switzerland, who are in the process of making their first choice for training occupations in vocational education and training (VET) at upper-secondary level and during early adolescence when gender role stereotypes are influential (Graham and Latulipe 2003; Kriesi and Imdorf 2019). To address the research question, we included next to more conventional survey items capturing occupational preferences, a discrete choice conjoint, and a video vignette experiment. Switzerland lends itself well to the purposes of our study because two-thirds of adolescents enter the VET track and there are only minimal formal admission restrictions on occupational training choices, meaning that we can examine the full range of occupational preferences among participants. Moreover, these choices are made within the next year and are thus less aspirational. In addition, occupational choices in VET systems are both more concrete and more consequential than in the case of major choices at university level, which allow for more occupational mobility (Kriesi and Imdorf 2019). Finally, at this age, individuals are still free from pre-existing job experiences that create unique biases towards an occupation (He et al. 2019).

Empirically, we show that young women and men associate different elements with IT and that these associations matter in their occupational choices. We find that young women are less likely to link social interactions and IT compared to young men. The conjoint analysis reveals that associating social interactions with IT makes IT-reliant occupations more attractive, and that young men do not perceive a trade-off between working with people and working with things. Our video experiment shows that IT-reliant occupations become significantly more attractive for young women if the presentation of IT occupations emphasizes interactive and social aspects of work rather than more technical aspects. Moreover, we find that young men are, in their strong preference for IT-reliant occupations, not negatively affected by a more social framing of this occupation. We conclude that a presentation of IT-reliant occupations emphasizing social interactions could increase interest among young women in such activities.

Adolescents’ interests and self-concepts regarding the mathematics, reading, and science do-mains are well-established determinants of their vocational choices. Sytematic gender differences in interests and self-concepts represent a major explanation for the ongoing female underrepresentation in certain fields of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics; Kriesi & Imdorf, 2019). However, technological change is constantly transforming occupational tasks and the skills that they require (Autor et al., 2003). As one major development of the last decades, the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) has become an integral part of many occupational task profiles across sectors (Fernández-Macías & Bisello, 2022).

Therefore, like mathematics and science, ICT represent an important occupational content domain that adolescents may consider in their early vocational choices. Although both the shortage of ICT specialists and the underrepresentation of women in this field are widely acknowledged as important societal problems, the psychosocial processes leading adolescents to choose careers with differing levels of ICT use are still not fully understood. This knowledge gap is particularly pronounced with regard to transitions into vocational educational and training (VET).

Drawing on Eccles’ situated expectancy value theory (Eccles et al., 1983) and related theories, we hypothesize that adolescents’ ICT interest and self-concept should influence their vocational choices with respect to the intensity of ICT use. We empirically examine three aspects: (1) whether adolescents' levels of ICT interest and self-concept by the end of compulsory school predict the intensity of basic and advanced ICT use in their future occupations, (2) the extent to which gender disparities in ICT interest and self-concept contribute to gendered vocational pathways regarding advanced ICT use, and (3) the moderating effect of gender on the relationships examined in (1). We analyze longitudinal survey data from the TREE2 cohort (Transitions from Education to Employment; Hupka-Brunner et al., 2023) on 1,964 Swiss adolescents transitioning into firm-based VET, which we link to a novel European database on occupational task content (Fernández-Macías & Bisello, 2022). This external database provides indicators on the intensity of basic (e.g., word processing) and advanced ICT use (e.g., programming, specialized software) across occupations and industries.

Our results are strongly gendered. Girls' future occupations are characterized by significantly lower levels of advanced ICT use. Girls’ lower average ICT interest and their less positive ICT self-concepts explain almost half of the gender differences in the intensity of advanced ICT use. Higher ICT interest predicts selection into occupations involving greater intensity of both basic and advanced ICT use, but only for girls. A more positive ICT self-concept is a significant predictor of greater ICT use in future occupations only for boys, and this association is driven mainly by boys choosing careers as ICT specialists. These findings indicate 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. Furthermore, the results cast doubt on whether lower average self-perceived abilities of young women in relation to ICT represent a relevant barrier to entering careers in the ICT sector, at least at the transition from secondary school into firm-based VET.

This symposium proposes to gather the expertise of researchers on the topic of vocational guidance and integration of people with migration background from different disciplines.

Multiple factors are pivotal for vocational guidance and integration: At the macro-level, they refer to the migration and integration policies, and continuing education and training facilities implemented by the government.

At a meso-level, institutional organisations supporting people with migration background in the construction of their career paths are crucial, as well as the inter-institutional collaborations in cantons and communes.

At the microlevel, the support depends on the quality of the relationships between the different stakeholders and individuals. These relationships themselves are linked to the institutional context, but also the professionals’ conception of their roles, their social representations, and their openness to adapt to the person’s expectations. In a counseling setting exists an unequal power issue where the counselor or social worker can be seen as having the authority in terms of the decisions and outcomes.

Individual past, backgrounds and living conditions also have a strong influence on people with migration background’s ability to choose a training path. Their social and cultural origins, previous training, residency status, as well as the length of their residence in Switzerland, are all important factors in their vocational choice.

This symposium therefore considers vocational or training choice to be influenced by a multitude of factors. It discusses to what extent the stakeholders involved can have an impact on vocational trajectories of people with migration background considering external circumstances that can be both supportive and restrictive. It also examines to what extent people with migration background can act on or overcome the various constraints and injunctions. These processes will be discussed in depth in the presentations addressing initial vocational training, as well as considering the differences between various migration groups.

Digitalization has drastically changed the daily practice of health care professionals. Health information technologies such as the electronic medical record (EMR) system are designed to support nurses and other healthcare professionals to work more effectively and provide better quality care (e.g. Huter et al., 2020; Krick et al., 2020). Empirical findings suggest that digital technologies must be well adapted to the needs of nursing staff and integrated into existing work processes and daily routines to be perceived as beneficial and effectively adopted (Ammenwerth et al., 2011, Seibert et al., 2020). However, little is known about the specific challenges associated with the successful implementation and use of EMR systems in nursing practice in hospitals.

Theoretical framework and objective

The objective of the presented study was to explore the challenges inherent to the effective use of EMR systems in nursing practice in hospitals from the perspective of head nursing and ward managers, and to give specific examples of challenges that are valid across hospitals and that can be used for nursing education. Researchers followed a socio-technical approach to digital health technologies, which emphasizes that effective technology implementation and use is not limited to technical factors predominantly, but has also to address human, social and organizational factors and their interrelations. They used Sittig and Singh’s (2010) socio-technical model for studying health information technologies in healthcare systems, which considers eight dimensions of the complex healthcare system.

Research design and Methods

The presented study was part of a larger study that combined job shadowing with a video ethnographic approach to investigate the impact of digitalization on the transmission of patient care information in nursing practice in hospitals. A partnership was established with six Swiss hospitals in two language regions to carry out the onsite data collection. One ward per hospital voluntarily participated in the study.

Before the job shadowing, semi structured interviews were conducted with the head nursing managers of the participating hospitals (n=6) and the ward managers (n=6) to gather contextual information and understand the current roles of health information technologies and digitalization at both the hospital and ward levels. The EMR system was an essential technology for the nursing staff in all participating hospitals, as all patient care information was documented electronically in the EMR system. The interviews were conducted in person and in the respective national language at the hospitals during working hours. They were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim.

The interview transcripts were thematically coded and analyzed. First, thematic descriptions in relation to challenges regarding the use of EMR systems in nursing practice were identified and inductively coded (Braun & Clarke, 2006). This resulted in a list of key topics. Second, the key topics were classified into the eight dimensions of Sittig and Singh’s (2010) socio-technical model. Third, interactions between the eight dimensions of the model were explored.

Results and their meaning

The interviewees addressed socio-technical challenges regarding the use of EMR systems in nursing practice that can be classified into seven out of eight dimensions of Sittig and Singh’s (2010) socio-technical model. One example is the lack of integration or interoperability between the systems of the various clinical departments within a hospital, which was due to their different needs but led to media discontinuities for the nursing staff. That is, nurses had to manually enter information into the EMR system, which was time-consuming and prone to error. For nursing training, the documented challenges together with the specific examples from nursing practice offer the opportunity to discuss and reflect on realistic action scenarios.

Professional Education and Training (PET) programs often struggle with the effective transfer of knowledge from the training environment to on-the-job performance. Recent advances in artificial intelligence, particularly Large Language Models (LLMs) like GPT-4, promise new approaches to address this longstanding “knowledge transfer” problem. This paper explores an AI-augmented learning paradigm in PET, where LLMs serve as interactive, intelligent assistants to both trainers and learners. We provide a comprehensive literature review of AI in education, comparing LLM-based approaches to traditional intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) and drawing on cognitive science theories of learning and transfer. Using an analytical methodology that synthesizes empirical findings and theoretical insights, we examine how LLMs can personalize learning, provide real-time feedback, and bridge the gap between training and practical application. Results from existing studies are integrated to demonstrate that LLM interventions have improved learning outcomes across domains – from programming and language learning to workplace safety training – indicating strong potential for enhancing knowledge transfer. We also delve into the ethical considerations of AI-driven education, including biases, privacy, misinformation, and overreliance risks, and discuss frameworks for responsible implementation. The discussion situates LLMs within established educational theories, arguing that these models can function as on-demand tutors or cognitive scaffolds that operate in a trainee’s zone of proximal development. We conclude with recommendations for integrating LLMs into PET, calling for further empirical research and robust ethical guidelines to realize an effective and equitable AI-augmented learning paradigm.

School principals in Switzerland described the COVID-19 pandemic as a strong driver for digitalization efforts at their schools. This external shock reinforced the ongoing public debates to promote educational platforms such as moodle and teams in order to deepen the digital integration. In addition, international policy papers, as well as national education policies urged the education world to enforce the digital infrastructure. The result was a massive investment in digital infrastructure and research for digital education. A bring-your-own-device (BYOD)-friendly approach for schools was also welcomed by the public, but also in schools.

This presentation is based on research from a Secondary-2-level survey and qualitative data, exploring how school leaders have implemented this new digital strategy in their own schools (Schmitz et al. 2023). In this paper we adhere to a neo-pragmatic perspective which refers to the convention-theory (see Imdorf and Leemann 2023).

In this study, different arguments for school-specific digitalization strategies by school leaders were analysed from such a convention theory perspective, which discerns several orders of worth: civic, industry, market, domestic, project, creativity, and fame. Content analysis based on semi-structured interviews with 13 headmasters of 2 secondary school types (most vocational education schools, but also mixed and baccalaureate schools) revealed that similar legitimation patterns were unfolded by each school. The domestic convention was present in all the schools, as school leaders stressed the added value of digital technologies for individualized learning and teaching. Industrial justification was also prominent, with school leaders emphasizing students’ acquisition of digital competencies and the potential of digital technologies to facilitate administrative work and teaching. Moreover, most school principals described the COVID-19 pandemic as a strong booster for enhanced digitalization efforts at their schools and referred to new school-based digital projects (based in a project convention). The fame- and creativity-based conventions were less frequently referred to by the school principals. Fame-based legitimation was only used by headmasters from vocational schools, which might be attributed to the high prestige of vocational education in Switzerland.

Digital integration often requires new teaching–learning arrangements, involving collaboration between teachers, a change in communication with learners, and different access to learning materials, including new performance assessments. These changes have also created conflicts, as not all teachers have been willing to adapt. Meanwhile a move toward a new school culture that integrates digital tools has become the new standard, at least in innovative schools.

Schools with bolder digital integration policies tend to adhere to an exploratory regime, drawing on a wide range of legitimations.

Technological advancements are rapidly transforming education, particularly immersive technologies such as virtual reality (VR). Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of VR technology in facilitating the learning process (Hwang et al., 2022; Makransky, 2022). Immersive, realistic simulations have been shown to promote a strong sense of presence, thereby enabling learners to contextualize theoretical knowledge. These findings are of particular importance within the domain of vocational education and training (VET). Furthermore, virtual reality has been demonstrated to enhance learner engagement, motivation, and information retention (Csikszentmihalyi, 1991; Ryan et al., 2022; Urhahne, 2008). This phenomenon can be attributed to the facilitation of a state of flow, which, in turn, has been shown to enhance learners' performance and their positive attitude towards learning (Hwang et al., 2022; Makransky, 2022).

Despite extensive research on VR's potential to enhance learning process, the interrelationships between presence, motivation, and flow experience, their manifestation in immersive and non-immersive environments, and their impact on performance – particularly in VET – remain underexplored. This study aims to fill this gap by comparing the performance of VET students using VR with those using desktop computer-based methods.

In 2023, a quasi-experimental study with a randomized controlled trial design was conducted with 81 participants (three women and 78 men) from a Swiss vocational school, aged 17 to 24 (M = 18.56, SD = 1.60). The study spanned two consecutive weeks, with each participant engaging over two days. In the first week, students received theoretical instruction on apartment handovers, focusing on identifying housing damages through a structured three-step didactic approach, including a teacher-led presentation, self-study materials, and an interactive digital quiz. In the second week, the experimental group explored a virtual apartment using a Meta Quest 2, while the control group completed the same task on a desktop computer. Both groups had to verbally identify defects within a 15-minute timeframe; afterwards, they had to fill in an online questionnaire assessing their perceived presence, motivation, and flow experience.

Various statistical tests, including t-tests, ANCOVAs, Pearson correlation, SEM, linear regression, and mediation analysis, were conducted to examine group differences, assess the influence of sense of presence, motivation, and flow experience, and explore whether these factors mediate the relationship between sense of presence and the student performance. The findings demonstrated a notable enhancement in performance when VR with head-mounted displays was utilized in comparison to the desktop approach. Participants using VR found significantly more housing defects and damage (M = 6.57, SD = 2.49, n = 42) than the participants in the control group using a desktop computer (M = 4.95, SD = 1.91, n = 37) [t(77) = 3.219, p = .002]. The effect size is d = .76, which corresponds to a medium effect (Cohen, 1992). The study also identified motivation and sense of presence as critical factors for improving performance. Linear regression analyses demonstrated that the sense of presence and motivation explained together explained for 20% of the variance [F(1,77) = 9.37, p < .001]. Additionally, the study revealed a complex relationship between sense of presence and performance, with neither motivation nor flow experience acting as direct mediators (Keller et al., 2025).

The present results contribute to the understanding of the impact of VR on learning outcomes in VET and provide insights for future research and practice. For example, the experience that learners' performance in the immersive environment was better than in the non-immersive environment suggests the effectiveness of VR as an alternative for examination situations. However, further research is needed to explore the benefits and subtleties of integrating immersive technologies into educational environments.

Several studies have reflected the complexity and diversity of trajectories that students follow within the university system (Aparicio-Chueca et al., 2021; Troiano et al., 2024) but little attention has been paid to trajectories after system departure (Bäulke et al., 2022). This lack of information on transfer-out behaviours hampers the ability to discern real drop-out from transitions to other formal studies. In this respect, Vocational Education and Training (VET) is considered as an alternative pathway to obtain a post-secondary qualification (Heublein, 2014; Hossler et al., 2012; Tieben, 2024).

The decision to drop out is influenced by the existence and the availability of information of study alternatives (Braunstein et al., 2024). Yet, little is known about the moment when VET starts being considered as an option among first-year university students considering dropout. We present a exploratory study investigating what characteristics make first-year university students more prone to consider VET as a potential destination after dropout utilizing the psychological model of student retention (Bean & Eaton, 2001). This investigation is part of the research project “Assessment of risk factors and prevention of university dropout. Development of a good practice guide (ModAU-GBP)” led by the University of Oviedo with funding from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities [MCINN-23-PID2022-141290NB-I00] and EU funding on behalf of the Principality of Asturias [GRUPIN: ID2024/000713].

Methodically we have collected survey data from 1480 first-year students at the University of Oviedo at the beginning of the first semester of 2024-2025. The study presents a bivariate descriptive analysis of VET as a direction of dropout intention in students matriculated in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and non-STEM (Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences) majors, giving a first approximation of their association measures.

We find a significant and strong association between dropout intention and the consideration of VET as a potential destination (X2=208.151 , df=1, p<.001). As early as the beginning of the first semester, VET represents an alternative for almost half of first-year students reporting dropout intentions (44.9%) whereas this percentage drops to less than 10% among the rest of the sample. In case of dropout, STEM students are slighly more inclined to choose VET (16.7%) than their non-STEM counterparts (12,3%) (X2=5.926, df 1, p<.05). Additionally, STEM students indicate they would favour VET qualifications quite or strongly related with their current degree (68.2%) whereas less than half of non-STEM students would do so (38.8%) (X2 = 22.262 , df=1, p<.001). Among STEM students, the consideration of VET is significantly associated with lower university admission scores (U=21096.5, p<.001, r = .236).

We conclude that first-year students ponder VET as one of the potential destinations in case of dropout at a very early stage since enrolment. While dropout tends to be conceptualized as a decision-making process consisting of different phases (Bäulke et al, 2024), the results suggest dropout intention and the direction of dropout intention take form simultaneously. Results show this option is more popular among STEM students with lower previous academic achievement who also seem more akin to capitalise on the knowledge gained during university.

This study points to the need to acknowledge the value and revelance of VET (Hippach-Schneider et al., 2017) in mitigating the negative impact of university dropout. Further longitudinal studies will be needed to clarify if the consideration of VET as a direction of dropout intention accumulates linearly or fluctuates over time and how this evolution is different depending on the discipline and other academic, socio-economic and contextual factors. Likewise, it will be crucial to establish if the direction of dropout intention is a good proxy of the actual University-to-VET transfer.

The importance of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields in driving societal progress and economic growth cannot be overstated. These disciplines will certainly contribute in a crucial way to addressing global challenges such as climate change, healthcare advancements, and sustainable development (National Academy of Sciences, 2020). The demand for STEM professionals continues to grow rapidly, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2022) projecting a 10.8% increase in STEM occupations from 2021 to 2031, compared to 4.9% for non-STEM occupations, highlighting the need for a highly skilled workforce.

This shortage is particularly pronounced in Switzerland, where projections indicate a shortfall of approximately 40,000 Information and Communication Technology (ICT) specialists by 2030 (State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), 2022). Despite the growing importance and opportunities in STEM fields (accessible in Switzerland through vocational education and training as well as tertiary education), women remain significantly underrepresented in many STEM sectors, posing an additional challenge in meeting the increasing demand for skilled professionals. For example, in Switzerland, women currently represent only 17% of the ICT workforce (SECO, 2022).

Significant efforts have been made to increase female participation in STEM fields. In western Switzerland, the School of Engineering and Architecture at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts has been promoting science through a wide range of activities for young people of various age groups for many years. Several of these initiatives specifically target young girls, reflecting the school’s commitment to increasing the number of women in technical professions. However, female representation remains low, with a third of programs in this domain reporting an enrollment rate of less than 10%. This underscores the need to evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions and explore strategies to attract more women in STEM.

Using the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT, Lent et al., 1994; 2019), this research aimed to assess the impact of STEM interventions implemented in Switzerland for girls aged between 11 and 17. More specifically, we examined whether these STEM interventions helped increase girls’ interest and aspirations for STEM careers, thereby evaluating their effectiveness.

Two types of STEM interventions were included:

1. A two-day internship program.

2. A ten-month mentoring program.

261 participants who took part in these STEM interventions completed the same questionnaire before (T0) and immediately after the intervention (T1) (Mean age = 13.39). For the mentoring program, an additional questionnaire was administered midway through the program (T0.5). Furthermore, 84 participants also completed a follow-up questionnaire (T2) one year after their participation. In parallel, the T0 questionnaire was also administered to a general population of secondary school girls (N = 562, Mean age = 15.81) to serve as a control group.

The questionnaire assessed not only interest and career aspirations but also STEM ability beliefs, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, social support, STEM stereotype awareness and endorsement, among other factors.

Findings indicated that girls in both STEM interventions had higher scores on most study variables compared to the general population of girls at the beginning of the intervention. The STEM intervention had a particularly positive impact on STEM self-efficacy and outcome expectations, which could help prevent a potential decline in STEM interests and career choices. However, it didn’t have a direct effect on STEM interest. One year after, the level of STEM self-efficacy and outcome expectations came back to the pre-intervention level, showing thus a curvilinear effect of such STEM interventions in the long-term. In conclusion, STEM interventions fostering long-term engagement and reinforcement programs should be implemented to sustain girls’ STEM self-efficacy and outcome expectations.

The school-to-work transition is a challenging task, in which adolescents have to navigate their own identity and decision-making within their social environment, opportunity structures and many other issues. Career orientation processes are complex and vary for each individual and social context. Nevertheless, the development of occupational aspirations typically marks a crucial starting point in shaping career choice and trajectories. From an early age, children start developing occupational aspirations in light of gender roles, social contexts and perceived social norms.

The formation of occupational aspirations, is thus embedded in manifold social contexts, including youths’ family and peers. Peers’ occupational aspirations and social valuation of certain occupations, both in friendship groups and in classroom contexts, may impact on social norms on which occupations are socially desirable. Furthermore, peers act as reference groups providing knowledge and serving as a standard of comparisonKlicken oder tippen Sie hier, um Text einzugeben.. Additionally, socialisation in the family, information and guidance by parents, as well as the parental educational background and parental expectations mark another meaningful social context with regards to occupations that adolescents could or should aspire, perhaps also with the motive to maintain or reach a certain social status.

At the same time, adolescents are guided by different career orientation activities supporting their career-decision-making. Increasing aspirations for a wider range of occupations is a key challenge of career guidance activities, both because young people's career aspirations are still stratified along specific social categories like gender and social status, and because young people in Europe have generally a limited field of professional aspirations . This is even more important as the shortage of skilled workers has become more severe in Germany due to a number of factors, particularly in light of demographic change and especially in the vocational education and training (VET) sector.

In this study, we combine both strands of research and examine how a short-term career choice intervention like vocational role models in the light of long-term influence of (different) social contexts students are embedded in, can have effects on enlarging students’ occupational aspirations.

Based on a large-scale role model intervention study, comprising 1,190 students in Germany, we use multi-level models for our analyses, accounting for the hierarchical data-structure of individuals being nested in classrooms.

(1) We first examine how peer and family contexts are associated with students’ occupational aspirations as key dimensions of social influence. We compare the effects of key dimensions of social influence, distinguishing between normative social influence from parents and peers at the baseline (RQ 1). Our results show that both peer and parental social contexts are related to students’ career aspirations, with descriptive peer norms and injunctive peer and parent norms being most relevant.

(2) Second, analysing pre/post change in the treatment group compared to the control group, we show that unique encounters with vocational role models in classroom, on average, contributes to increase occupational aspirations for the profession presented by the role models, extending previous empirical findings to the VET-context (RQ 2).

(3) Third, we examine whether and how role modelling effect varies by different social contexts students are embedded in (RQ 3), introducing a three-way interaction with the relevant social context variable. We do not find statistically significant interactions between social contexts and the role model intervention. Hence role model effects apply even in contexts that convey strong norms. Nevertheless, we find subtle patterns of role model effects being less pronounced when peers convey positive descriptive norms and high knowledge regarding an occupation and when peers’ self-efficacy is low.

Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Keywords: career decision-making, intervention, occupational aspirations, role models, social contexts

Digital technologies are reshaping vocational and professional education and training (VPET), extending beyond procedural skill development to foster transversal competencies such as reflective and socio-emotional competencies. Digital technologies are applied in both initial training and continuing professional development, blurring the boundaries between formal and workplace learning while also enabling more ecological competency assessment.

This symposium synthesizes insights from three studies exploring different facets of integrating digital technologies in VPET learning and assessment.

The first study examines the integration of a 360° video based-immersive environment into oral examinations, demonstrating its potential to enhance response accuracy, boost learners' confidence, and reduce cognitive load. The findings highlight how immersive environments can contribute to more authentic competency evaluations.

The second study examines Artificial intelligence (AI)-driven, socially complex interactions in extended reality, where conversational agents and multimodal systems enable real-time adaptation. These technologies support dynamic, personalized training, especially in fields requiring high levels of social interaction. However, this shift also raises concerns about the ethichal integration of AI in training.

The third study focuses on workplace learning in the high-risk mining industry, where high workforce turnover and expanding responsibilities challenge supervisors. A mixed-methods study highlights the need for structured training and self-reflection tools. A new digital solution for supervisor training and self-assessment illustrates how technology may advance workplace learning and self-reflection.

This symposium integrates empirical and conceptual contributions to explore how immersive and adaptive technologies:

1. Function as both training tools and catalysts for professional reflection and competency assessment.

2. Bridge the gap between novice and expert practitioners, as well as between formal education and workplace learning.

3. Support the development of both procedural and socio-emotional competencies.

By examining these dimensions, the symposium offers valuable insights into the transformative potential of digital technologies in VPET, while also addressing their professional and ethical implications.

Dual-track Vocational Education & Training (dual VET) presents different advantages for the school-to-work transition (STWT) of young people: By combining experiential and academic learning, it ensures the acquisition of job-relevant skills and thus facilitates a swift integration in the job market, while setting way for the longer-term continued education and career development towards decent work (Cedefop, 2016; Masdonati et al., 2021). This seems particularly the case in Switzerland, a country holding one of the highest proportions of Dual VET amongst upper secondary education tracks in Europe (Kriesi et al., 2022), while presenting very low rates of youth unemployment and youth remote from education and training (ILO, 2020). Despite studies documenting the positive effects of dual VET for most, two questions remain understudied. First, in scientific literature, it is unclear if VET is as adaptable for and accessible to specific marginalized groups facing socioeconomic constraints and structural barriers. Second, whereas the strong dual VET tradition in Switzerland draws on a strong economy and a stable labor market, its transferability to less developed socioeconomic contexts, which have mainly informal apprenticeship (ILO, 2011) should be investigated, over and above systemic analyses based on stakeholders’ recommendations (Toepper et al., 2021). Responding to a call for studies gathering contextualized data by focusing on the experiences and perceptions of all actors involved, this study focuses on a project (Skills for Youth In Mozambique, SIM!) run by a Swiss NGO (HELVETAS) in northern Mozambique and funded by the Swiss Government. By implementing dual VET in a remote and rural area with very low youth access to education and high rates of precarious and informal employment (ILO, 2022), the SIM! Program aims at supporting the STWT and the career development of marginalized youth through vocational training, basic education, career guidance, and coaching. Following a qualitative approach to understand the challenges experienced by youth enrolled in the program and the perceptions and strategies of practitioners implementing it, the data was collected through seven semi-structured interviews with beneficiaries and two focus groups with 29 trainers. Based on Reflexive Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006, 2019) of data, preliminary results point to beneficiaries and trainers having shared perceptions of the main challenges of the STWT, stemming from lack of socioeconomic resources that lead to restricted access to educational and vocational opportunities. In line with the main goals of the program, beneficiaries report its positive impacts through enhanced vocational and entrepreneurial skills and increased self-efficacy. Accordingly, trainers’ main strategies aimed at proximal (i.e. development of vocational and entrepreneurial skills) and distal (i.e. long-term career planning) goals to buffer the impact of socioeconomic constraints and labor market restrictions on youth’s access to stable employment and decent work. To sum, we observe that, to ensure the transfer of dual VET in Mozambique, the program circumvents the local limitations of formal work opportunities by promoting entrepreneurial skills to help beneficiaries create their own employment opportunities. Although such a focus on entrepreneurship may be relevant to enhance adaptability and agency in a precarious environment, it can also be criticized because it tends to overemphasize the role of individual initiatives, over and above well-established contextual predictors of STWT success, and as a corollary, view precarious trajectories as mainly resulting from individual vulnerabilities (Blustein et al., 2024). Further directions will be discussed, calling for research and practices that not only focus on youth’s capacities to adapt to their life circumstances but also on collective resources (e.g. critical consciousness, social support) for multiple actors to reflect critically and develop joint action toward societal change.

The Organic Law 3/2022, of 31 March, on the organisation and integration of Vocational Training poses important challenges and substantial changes to the Vocational Training (VET) model in Spain. The main objectives of this law are the modernisation and adaptation of training programmes to the demands of the labour market. It aims to raise the quality and relevance of training, with a flexible and accessible VET model that guarantees lifelong learning, increasing employability, professional qualification and labour market insertion. It also seeks to strengthen collaboration between educational institutions and companies to stimulate innovation and the continuous updating of training content.

The most substantial modification established is a gradual transition to a VET model that aims to integrate educational and labour systems through a flexible, modular, and dual VET approach to be completed by December 2028. The law stipulates the development of two modalities of Dual VET: general and intensive. General Dual Vocational Training combines education in the training center with workplace learning, where students spend between 25% and 35% of their training time in a company. In contrast, Intensive Dual Vocational Training involves greater workplace immersion, with students dedicating between 35% and 50% of their training time to the company, always under a paid employment contract and promoting the connection to the labor market and enhances youth employability.

To ensure its quality, the Law adopts the EQAVET system that’s provides a quality cycle with four phases: planning, where goals and objectives are set according to the local context; implementation, which ensures these objectives are met through the involvement of key stakeholders; evaluation, based on data collection on achievements and outcomes; and review, where improvements and changes are analysed. Additionally, EQAVET includes indicators such as investment in teacher training, participation and completion rates, employment outcomes, unemployment levels, and programmes to improve access to VET (Council of European Union, 2020).

The implementation of the Dual VET system in a territorially diverse country such as Spain presents multiple challenges due to the disparity of productive sectors, variations in the organisation of the VET system—including institutional autonomy, regulatory frameworks, and resource availability—and disparities in student performance, all of which impact the viability of the model (Homs 2024; Salvà-Mut et al., 2024). Furthermore, territorial factors have been shown to influence dropout rates in VET (Cedefop, 2016). Specifically, territories with stronger academic performance tend to exhibit lower dropout rates, whereas those with weaker educational outcomes experience higher dropout rates in VET. A higher level of employment in the service sector is correlated with increased dropout across all VET levels, a trend linked to a deregulated labour market with abundant low-skilled jobs. Conversely, a greater proportion of industrial employment is associated with lower dropout rates, likely due to its more regulated nature and higher qualification requirements. Similarly, high youth unemployment and the percentage of young people not in employment, education, or training (NEETs) are linked to dropout rates, as returning to education during periods of economic crisis does not necessarily lead to graduation due to systemic inadequacies (Salvà-Mut et al., 2024).

In this context, it is essential to ensure flexibility in territorial planning while developing a model to assess the quality of current training and its implementation process. This will help identify areas for improvement and generate proposals for its efficient application in line with European quality standards. The study will examine the conceptualization of Dual VET in Spain from the perspective of territorial diversity, explore the main challenges in its implementation, and present recommendations for its successful execution according to European quality criteria.

Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) plays a crucial role in sustainable development by improving employability, income, and poverty reduction globally. In Cambodia, however, challenges such as skills mismatches, outdated training methods, and weak alignment with labor market needs persist. This study evaluates the impact of TVET programs on graduate employment and income, focusing on three top-performing TVET institutions in Phnom Penh. It also explores how well the curricula align with industry demands and the factors influencing student enrollment.

A mixed-methods approach was used, combining quantitative surveys with qualitative interviews. Data were collected from 325 TVET graduates and key stakeholders, including employers, TVET institutions, and development partners. Statistical tools, such as Chi-square and t-tests, tested hypotheses regarding the quality of education, employability, income levels, and skill gaps.

The findings show that 90% of graduates believe their TVET programs adequately prepared them for the workforce, though satisfaction varied between public and private institutions. While 82% of graduates were satisfied with the curriculum, concerns about teaching methods and content emerged, with 8% expressing dissatisfaction. Training facilities and internships were largely well-received, but many graduates called for more hands-on experience. Employers cited gaps in practical skills, particularly in problem-solving, customer service, and digital literacy, suggesting that curricula should be better aligned with industry demands.

TVET programs significantly improved employability, with 57% of graduates reporting better job prospects. Graduates demonstrated notable skill improvements in technical and soft skills, including communication, teamwork, and financial management. These findings were statistically significant, highlighting TVET’s role in enhancing career development. However, employers stressed the need for closer collaboration between TVET institutions and industries to ensure curricula meet the changing needs of the labor market.

Income levels also improved post-graduation. Before enrolling in TVET, 50% of graduates earned between USD 200-300, while 45% earned over USD 400 after completing their programs, demonstrating a significant income increase. This shift was confirmed by statistical analysis, leading to the rejection of the hypothesis that TVET programs have no effect on income.

The study examined factors influencing student enrollment in TVET, finding that job opportunities and financial gain were the primary motivators. However, only 28% of students viewed employment as their main motivator, revealing a gap between expectations and reality. Institutional reputation and personal interest were less influential, indicating that many students see TVET as a practical route to employment rather than a passion-driven choice.

Successful TVET institutions shared key best practices, including strong leadership, long-term private sector partnerships, industry-relevant curricula, quality internships, and staff development. These institutions demonstrated that collaboration with employers is crucial for ensuring that training aligns with labor market needs. However, challenges remain, such as the misalignment between curricula and industry needs, particularly in practical training and digital skills. Societal perceptions of TVET as a less prestigious option for education also contribute to low enrollment rates.

The study found significant skill gaps between the training provided by TVET institutions and the skills required by employers. Deficiencies were particularly noticeable in practical skills, communication, problem-solving, and digital literacy. Employers and stakeholders agreed that TVET curricula must be regularly updated to reflect industry standards. While 79% of employers rated TVET graduates' skills as "very good" or "good," 8% rated them lower, indicating room for improvement.

In conclusion, the study offers several recommendations to improve TVET quality in Cambodia. These include strengthening public-private partnerships, updating curricula to reflect current industry standards, enhancing practical training, and adopting modern teaching methods. The study calls for increased funding, better monitoring, and improving TVET’s reputation to attract more students. Aligning TVET with labor market needs is essential for enhancing Cambodia's workforce competitiveness and supporting economic growth.

De par son histoire, la formation professionnelle en suisse se retrouve face à des finalités contradictoires : “d’une part, la volonté politique de promouvoir la formation et la spécialisation individuelle et, d’autre part, le besoin des entreprises de disposer d’une main-d’œuvre peu qualifiée” (Bonoli, 2016, p.31). Dans une étude comparative, Hadjar et al. (2021) ont démontré que des élèves du secondaire en suisse étaient moins nombreuxses à aspirer obtenir un diplôme tertiaire que leurs condisciples du Luxembourg, ce qui semble attester de l’impact du contexte et du système sur les aspirations. Par souci de réduction des inégalités sociales, le système suisse est aujourd’hui caractérisé par l’existence de nombreuses passerelles qui semblent garantir une égalité d’accès aux formations supérieures, quel que soit son premier diplôme. Dans ce contexte de promotion de la mobilité, comment les jeunes appréhendent-iels leur avenir professionnel ? Leurs aspirations reflètent-elles les tensions entre finalités économiques et finalités sociales de l’apprentissage ?

En mobilisant des données secondaires d’un projet FNS portant sur les discriminations durant les parcours de formation professionnelle, cette communication proposera un état des lieux des aspirations professionnelles d’une cohorte d’apprenti·es de six centres de formation du canton de Genève, interrogé·es à trois reprises entre 2020 et 2022. La question ouverte était la suivante : « Nous aimerions savoir à présent quel métier vous espérez exercer dans 10 ans (merci d'écrire le métier en toutes lettres). »

Les réponses ont été codées manuellement selon plusieurs dimensions telles que la cohérence avec la formation en cours, la nécessité de poursuivre des études pour y parvenir, ou encore l’incertitude. L’objectif était que ces dimensions permettent d’appréhender le sens derrière le “choix” de la formation en cours : est-elle un prérequis à leurs aspirations ? Par ailleurs, ce codage inductif permet de rendre compte de l’unicité de certaines réponses, qui auraient été difficiles à classer en se basant sur l’échelle de prestige des professions en Suisse (Joye et al., 2023). Selon celle-ci, le métier de concierge est socialement perçu comme peu prestigieux, que faire dès lors d’une réponse telle que : conciergerie de luxe ? De plus, les activités telles que youtuber ou influenceuse sont absentes des échelles standardisées.

Les premiers résultats descriptifs montrent notamment qu’en troisième année de formation (N=755), moins d’un tiers (29%) des interrogé·es aspirent à exercer exactement le métier qu’iels sont en train d’apprendre. Iels sont 19% à aspirer à une activité dans le même domaine mais qui nécessitera des études supplémentaires et 9% écrivent explicitement ne pas savoir : aucune idée / je ne sais pas / encore flou / on verra bien ou la vie me mène. On retrouve aussi 13% d’aspirations à des activités pour lesquelles il est difficile de définir le parcours-type ou les diplômes nécessaires : Athlète professionnel / chanteur / de la télé / Dans la politique / humouriste / explorateur / investisseur / businesswoman. Les aspirations semblent aussi refléter l’évolution du marché du travail et l’injonction à l’autonomie (Appay, 2012 ; Zimmerman, 2017) avec un peu plus de 4% d’aspirations à l’auto-entreprenariat ou l’indépendance : chef d'entreprise de banque à mon compte / auto entrepreneur / être mon propre patron.

Afin de mieux cerner les enjeux autour du “choix vocationnel”, ce détour par les aspirations est une occasion de mettre en lumière le point de vue des jeunes au fil de leurs parcours de formation professionnelle. En conclusion, il s’agira de questionner les discours et les initiatives visant à revaloriser cette voie, au prisme de la “labilité” des aspirations des jeunes.

Vocational choice is a complex process influenced by individual, social, and economic factors, which, among other things, contribute to shaping personal perceptions of what constitutes decent work. While several studies have addressed the definition of decent work in different countries, focusing primarily on adult workers (e.g., Buyukgoze-Kavas & Autin, 2019; Masdonati et al., 2019; Ribeiro et al., 2019; Rossier & Ouedraogo, 2021; Vignoli et al., 2020; Zambelli et al., 2022), as well as adolescent populations (Zammitti et al., 2021) and individuals experiencing social vulnerabilities (Magnano et al., 2021), to our knowledge, no studies have explored how young adults in vocational and professional education and training (VET/PET) define decent work and which factors influence this definition. To fill this gap, the present study examines representations of decent work and the socio-demographic and psychological factors shaping these representations among students in Southern Switzerland (Ticino Canton) who already hold a secondary II diploma and are currently enrolled in a University of Applied Sciences (UAS), a Professional Education Institution (PEI), or a program to obtain the Federal Vocational Baccalaureate (FVB2).

Data were collected in May 2021 by a team of trained personnel through questionnaires administered to first-year students enrolled in one of the aforementioned educational programs. A total of 770 students responded to an open-ended question requesting them to define decent work. In addition, sociodemographic data (age, gender, current level of education, attendance mode, and parental occupation) were collected, along with information on satisfaction with education, highest educational expectations, psychological factors (optimism, hope, life satisfaction), and work experience. An interactive process of deductive qualitative analysis was employed to code responses regarding representations of decent work into 14 dichotomous variables. These variables were also used to construct an indicator of the complexity of the provided definitions, distinguishing four levels: basic, simple, complex, and very complex. Statistical analyses (point biserial correlation, phi coefficient, Kendall’s Tau-b, Cramer’s V, and ANOVA) were conducted to measure the degree of association between these variables and the derived complexity indicator with students’ sociodemographic, psychological, educational, and work-related characteristics.

The results largely confirm the conceptualization proposed by the Psychology of Working Theory (PWT) (Duffy et al., 2016), which defines decent work as characterized by safe physical and interpersonal working conditions, working hours that allow for work-life balance, organisational values consistent with social and family values, appropriate compensation, and access to adequate insurance coverage. However, additional elements emerge, suggesting the possibility of expanding this definition based on the Swiss context and the specific experiences of VET/PET students. The quantitative analysis reveals that certain individual characteristics such as age, gender, educational program attended, psychological traits, and previous work experience, are related to the specific aspects of the definitions provided by students. Moreover, results show that 32% of respondents had only a basic understanding of the concept, mainly based on salary conditions. More complex representations were found in students with higher SES and in those enrolled in UAS and in those preparing to enter it (FVB2). Given the relationship between the representation of decent work, individuals' career aspirations and future actions to ensure universal access to such decent conditions, educational institutions are considered to play a pivotal role in fostering initiatives that promote a more accurate and aspirational portrayal of desirable working conditions. This, in turn, would contribute to enhancing dignity in the workplace for all.

German VET is heterogeneous, for example in terms of access (Protsch/Solga 2016) and cognitive demands (Friedrich et al. 2023). Occupations with higher cognitive requirements should offer more opportunities to acquire additional and more transferable skills, leading to rewards on the labour market (Meyer/Sacchi 2020). Access to these occupations is strongly linked to school-leaving certificates (Friedrich et al. under review). Young people with no more than a lower secondary school-leaving certificate rarely start their training in a more cognitively demanding occupation (ibid). However, it remains unclear whether young people with no more than a lower secondary school-leaving certificate are more likely to fail due to firm and institutional barriers, or whether they do not aspire to more cognitively demanding occupations from the start. We investigate who aspires to occupations with higher cognitive requirements and which individual characteristics are associated with these aspirations. For the first time, we thereby consider cognitive requirements as a separate dimension of occupational aspirations.

Our theoretical framework is based on the Expectancy-Value Model (Eccles/Wigfield 2002). The core of this model are the subjective expectancy of success attributed to an educational option and its subjective task value consisting of four elements.: Following, (1) the interest-enjoyment value (interest and enjoyment of the activity) and (2) the attainment value (relevance for affirming one's identity), we argue good academic performance and motivation to learn should go hand in hand with the need to experience competence and to enjoy cognitive activities (Deci/Ryan 1985; Cacioppo et al. 1996). Concerning the (3) utility value (usefulness for one's goals) and (4) relative costs (costs for, e.g., effort required, fear of failure, and opportunity costs) we expect that the low transition rates of students with lower secondary education (Friedrich et al., under review) might lead them to lower their aspirations to avoid excessive costs and still achieve the goal of completing an apprenticeship. Further, we assume that young people's willingness to take risks and learning stress should be related to how they assess their costs in terms of effort and possible failure in relation to training in a particular occupation.

We use starting cohort 3 of the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS Network 2024) to estimate linear probabilistic models (Wooldridge 2010) for young people who have ever expressed an interest in vocational education and training. Our dependent variable is the cognitive requirement level of the aspired training occupation. To disentangle aspirations already adapted to (expected) opportunities from genuine intrinsic aspirations, we estimate models both for realistically and idealistically aspired training occupations. For the cognitive requirement level, we use an indicator from the Vocational Psychological Service (BPS) of the Federal Employment Agency (Friedrich et al. 2023).

The preliminary results indicate that young people with better mathematics grades and those who perceive that attaining an intermediate school-leaving certificate would entail minimal learning stress are more likely to aspire to occupations with higher rather than lower cognitive requirements, although the latter only holds true for realistic aspirations. This might suggest that these people enjoy cognitive challenges and attribute relevance to them. Young people who pursue a lower secondary school leaving-certificate are less likely to aspire to occupations with higher rather than lower cognitive requirements, which could indicate that they anticipate their poorer chances and possible failure, even for their idealistic aspirations. For risk aversion and performance-related learning motivation we find no significant coefficients.

Particularly in times of skills shortages, it is socially relevant to find out how we can pave the way for all young people to enter cognitively demanding occupations. For this end we need to understand why young people are not planning to pursue these careers.

Introduction: Vocational training choices are not solely the result of individual decisions but are also shaped by motivational dynamics and institutional and social constraints. In demanding sectors such as health and social care, these motivations influence apprentices' professional engagement, impact their work-life balance, and ultimately increase their risk of burnout (Hakanen et al., 2008). This study explores the relationships between apprentices' motivations for choosing their training pathway, their professional engagement, and work-life tensions, drawing on Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000). Default motivation reflects a passive commitment often dictated by external constraints, autonomous motivation fosters intrinsic investment aligned with personal values, and controlled motivation is driven by external or internal pressure.

Method: A questionnaire was administered to 351 apprentices in the health and social care sector. Serial mediation models were used to examine how these types of motivation influence burnout through professional engagement and work-life tensions.

Results: A high level of default motivation, through a significant serial mediation effect (b = 0.02, 95% CI [0.01; 0.03]), is associated with lower professional engagement, which in turn heightens work-life tensions and exacerbates burnout. Similarly, a high level of autonomous motivation, through a significant serial mediation effect (b = -0.04, 95% CI [-0.07; -0.01]), is linked to greater professional engagement, which subsequently reduces work-life tensions and mitigates burnout. Finally, although a high level of controlled motivation initially fosters professional engagement, it also leads to a significant serial mediation effect (b = -0.03, 95% CI [-0.05; -0.02]), where increased engagement contributes to heightened work-life tensions, ultimately aggravating burnout.

Discussion: Each type of motivation distinctly influences apprentices' professional trajectories, revealing specific dynamics between individual aspirations and external constraints. Default motivation appears particularly detrimental, as it reduces professional engagement and amplifies work-life tensions, ultimately increasing burnout. This mechanism aligns with Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000), which links poorly integrated extrinsic motivation to lower well-being, illustrating how externally driven career choices can compromise apprentices' overall balance. Conversely, autonomous motivation acts as a protective factor by fostering value-aligned engagement and reducing work-life tensions. These findings support prior research on the benefits of intrinsic motivation for well-being (Gagné & Deci, 2005) and highlight the importance of enabling apprentices to pursue career paths that resonate with their aspirations. Finally, controlled motivation presents a paradox: although it initially boosts professional engagement, this engagement often leads to heightened work-life tensions, increasing burnout. This effect can be explained by the coercive nature of controlled motivation, which drives overinvestment in work at the expense of personal resources needed to manage work-life conflicts effectively (Ryan & Deci, 2000; van Hooff et al., 2005).

These findings underscore the need to support apprentices' vocational choices by considering both their aspirations and the external constraints shaping their decisions (e.g., family expectations, access to training programs). Motivational dynamics play a crucial role in work-life balance and well-being, calling for targeted actions to prevent burnout. For default-motivated apprentices, enhancing the meaning of their work can help mitigate the negative impact of external pressures. For those driven by controlled motivation, fostering work-life boundary management and promoting detachment from work is essential. These results highlight the importance of integrating motivational factors into career guidance and vocational training policies.

The European Union (EU) has long recognised the pivotal role of education and training in fostering economic growth, social cohesion, and individual development. Over the decades, the EU has implemented various initiatives to strengthen its education and training systems, culminating in the development of a distinctive European model, characterised by a commitment to lifelong learning, quality assurance, and international mobility. It brings together a diverse range of educational pathways – from vocational education and training (VET) to higher education (HE) – and aims to provide individuals with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in a rapidly changing global economy. However, the European model is not static; it is constantly evolving in response to societal, economic, and technological shifts.

Our paper is part of the international project “Partnering Up Europe: Transnational strategic partnerships in the European model of education and training (ParEdu)” and studies the relationship between the European model of education and training and two recent major policy initiatives by the EU: the Erasmus+ Centres for Vocational Excellence initiative (CoVE) and the European Universities initiative (EUI). The CoVE initiative, established in 2018, focuses on enhancing VET by establishing networks of VET providers that collaborate with HE institutions, public authorities, employers, and other stakeholders across borders (primarily in Europe) to promote innovation, quality, and inclusivity in VET and to develop transnational skills ecosystems (Authors, forthcoming). The EUI, initiated in 2017, fosters transnational cooperation in HE by creating alliances among universities, working together with various academic and non-academic stakeholders across Europe (Authors, 2023; Authors, 2024).

These transnational strategic partnerships (TSPs) represent a novel approach to collaboration that seek to foster deeper integration and innovation across national borders. By examining these TSPs we seek to unravel the underlying policy rationale, institutional characteristics, and their impact on the evolving European model of education and training. For this purpose, we rely on institutional and organisational theory (e.g., Scott 2014; Powell et al. 2012) as well European policy research (e.g. Authors, 2022; Authors, 2023; Authors, 2023).

This paper focuses on findings from the organisational level part of our analysis, uncovering the institutional and organisational characteristics as well as operational dynamics of these partnerships. Specifically, we offer novel findings in relation to three overarching research themes: first, we explore what the composition and characteristics of the member organisations involved in the CoVE and the EUI are. Second, we show how the governance structures and decision-making processes of CoVEs and EUI compare at the organisational level and discuss what implications these differences could have for the effectiveness of these partnerships. Finally, we identify what the distinct operational models employed by CoVEs and EUI are, and how these models facilitate or challenge the integration and goals of the partnerships. By examining these aspects, our paper provides novel insights into the internal dynamics and external relationships of TSPs, revealing how they function and adapt within the evolving European education model.

Methods

Our study as presented in this paper employs mixed-method approach, combining quantitative and qualitative data sources at the organisational level, specifically comparing the operational models and stakeholder dynamics of 118 TSPs, 53 CoVEs and 65 EUI alliances. Key organisational documents, such as mission statements and strategic plans for TSPs, are analysed following grounded theory approach, alongside a descriptive analysis of statistical data available through public sources (e.g., ETER, Eurostat) to understand the composition and characteristics of these partnerships. Additionally, interviews with TSP coordinators and other relevant stakeholders are conducted and analysed thematically to gain insights into the governance structures and decision-making processes of these partnerships.

In Switzerland, the dual vocational education and training (VET) system relies on the commitment of companies that host and finance apprentices. This investment is based on two objectives: on the one hand, improving productivity by using apprentices as a low-cost workforce or, on the other, investing in the development of a pool of qualified workers for future recruitment. The Health Care Assistant (HCA) program, established in 2004 to address labor shortages in the healthcare sector, illustrates an investment strategy where returns depend on retaining apprentices post-training. However, only 26% of graduates continue in this profession for five years after completing their training (Trede et al., 2017).

This study explores the process of organizational socialization of HCA apprentices and its impact on their retention in training companies. It explores three key questions: (1) What are the psychosocial processes through which HCA apprentices develop a sense of belonging, organizational commitment, and loyalty to the training company? (2) How can the resources and environment in the training company help to retain apprentices? (3) Are there variations between healthcare segments?

To answer these questions, two theoretical frameworks will be mobilized, quality factors of dual education theories and organizational socialization theories. Based on the work on the quality criteria of a dual vocational training system (Berger et al., 2020; Böhn and Deutscher 2019, 2021; Sauli et al., 2021), we will refer mainly to the theories of organizational socialization (Chao et al., 2012; Delobbe and de Boer, 2023) which provide a framework to identify factors influencing the retention of HCAs in their training organizations. In contrast to other forms of socialization (e.g., into the profession or workplace—see Duc et al., 2020), organizational socialization has been underexplored in the context of dual VET.

A mixed-methods approach (Creswell and Clark, 2018), combining an exploratory qualitative study with a deductive quantitative survey is applied. Regarding the qualitative phase, case studies were conducted in training companies across three sectors (hospitals, long-term care, and home care) and three contrasting cantons. So far, three case studies have been completed in three hospitals, including 9 interviews, 14 days of observation, and documentary analyses. Data were analyzed using Atlas.Ti, and four additional case studies are planned for the beginning of 2025.

Based on the results of these case studies, a quantitative phase is planned in the form of a longitudinal questionnaire survey of around 600 HCA apprentices spread across all vocational education and training (VET) schools in the French-speaking cantons. These apprentices will be asked to complete two questionnaires, one during their final year of training (Spring 2025) and the other three months after graduation (Fall 2025). In order to analyze the data collected in the questionnaires, hierarchical regression analyses and mediation-moderation models (Hayes, 2013) as well as latent profile analyses (Morin et al., 2018) will be carried out using SPSS and Mplus statistical software.

The results of this study will provide useful recommendations to help training companies in the healthcare to identify the levers for a better return on investment of apprenticeship, to promote a global approach to the company learning environment among training designers and managers, and to broaden the spectrum of indicators taken into account by public authorities and researchers when monitoring the quality of the Swiss Vocational Training System.

This paper examines training alliances ("Lehrbetriebsverbünde") in Switzerland, focusing on an organisational model that has received relatively little attention in the international literature (Bahl & Ebbinghaus, 2019; Lachmayr, 2009), despite the fact that cooperation between different types of training providers has been a key topic in vocational education research for some time (Culpepper, 2000; Hiim, 2023). The contribution demonstrates how such alliances foster new forms of alternation in basic vocational education and training (VET) and thus adds to the international discussion on alternation in both VET and professional education and training (PET). The presentation is based on a review of documents tracing the development of such alliances in the German-speaking part of Switzerland since the late 1990s, as well as on case studies of 17 training alliances, which were analysed using qualitative interviews.

At first glance, training alliances may not seem particularly relevant to the discussion on alternation in VET/PET, as they primarily concern the organisation of the workplace-based component of training. In fact, they were developed in Switzerland—partly inspired by similar initiatives in Germany—primarily with the aim of encouraging new companies to engage in vocational training (Gertsch, 1999; DBK, 2002a, 2002b). Until then, many companies had refrained from offering apprenticeships, either because legal regulations prevented them from doing so or because they perceived such engagement as unprofitable or administratively burdensome. Through training alliances, apprentices were now given the opportunity to complete their training within a rotation model across different host companies, with the aim of exposing them to the full breadth of their profession.

As this paper demonstrates, however, training alliances did not remain confined to this organisational model. Instead, their establishment also led to the creation of—mostly privately run—training centres, where partner companies could outsource the foundational practical training of apprentices. Similar to fully school-based VET, these centres deliver structured and formalised practical training, often integrating elements that are otherwise covered in intercompany courses (the so-called "third learning venue"). In technical occupations, such training centres have frequently emerged from the in-company training centres of large firms, which, through the establishment of training alliances, became accessible to a broader range of training companies. This model has also been adopted in the IT sector, where such centres now fulfil a function that, at the national level, was initially intended to be taken on by vocational schools.

Furthermore, the paper highlights that some training alliances assume educational responsibilities traditionally associated with vocational schools. A small number of alliances, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry, even provide the school-based part of vocational education themselves. In addition, there are training alliances—typically supported by public funding—with strong socio-political objectives, specifically targeting socially disadvantaged apprentices by offering them additional support and guidance throughout their training.

While this contribution highlights the potential of training alliances, it also aims to address the challenges associated with this model. Overall, it is evident that training alliances have not become as widespread as initially hoped by policymakers. One possible explanation—though requiring further examination—is that companies in Switzerland have little incentive to join such alliances, given the relatively low level of regulation in the apprenticeship market.

With regard to both Swiss policy debates and the academic literature, another key insight is that regular company rotations within alliances are rare. This is primarily because such rotations are often unattractive to companies. When rotations do occur, they rarely aim to broaden apprentices' training experience, in contrast to practices observed in sectors such as agriculture, where rotation is an established training principle.

This paper explores the methodological approach of combining actor-centered institutionalism (ACI; Mayntz & Scharpf 1995) with Toulmin's model of argumentation (Toulmin 2003) to analyze the inception phase of national qualifications frameworks (NQFs). Using Ethiopia and Austria as case studies, the research highlights how this approach can reveal the complexities of educational policy-making, including the negotiation processes, actor dynamics, and underlying justifications shaping NQF development.

NQFs are policy tools aimed at structuring and comparing qualifications across levels and sectors (Young 2003; Tuck 2007). While they have been widely adopted since the 1990s, evidence of their success is limited, and they are often criticized for reflecting neoliberal ideologies that prioritize competency-based models and international comparability over local contexts (Allais 2010, 2019; Chakroun 2010). To investigate these dynamics, the study employs ACI to analyze how actors navigate institutional constraints and opportunities while pursuing their interests. ACI focuses on the coordination of actions and the interplay between collective actors, providing insights into the broader institutional context of policy-making.

Toulmin’s model of argumentation complements this by enabling a structured analysis of the arguments presented in policy documents and interviews. The model identifies six elements of argumentation—claim, data, warrant, backing, qualifier, and rebuttal (Toulmin 2003)—allowing for a systematic examination of both explicit and implicit arguments. This dual methodological approach enables to uncover the plurality of perspectives and tensions underlying the apparent consensus on NQF implementation.

The research draws on a corpus of policy documents and interviews from Ethiopia and Austria, enriched with meta-information (e.g., author, sector, date). To manage the large dataset, a large language model (LLM) was employed as an assistive tool for text analysis. Toulmin’s model was applied across this corpus to identify patterns in argumentation and to evaluate the completeness of argument structures. The analysis also revealed notable tensions, such as the potential impact of NQFs on higher education autonomy and the challenges of integrating non-formal learning.

The study underscores the value of combining ACI and Toulmin’s model to bridge macro- and micro-level perspectives in policy analysis. ACI provides insights into the institutional and actor-driven context of policy-making, while Toulmin’s model enables a granular examination of argumentative structures. This approach highlights how different actors prioritize and frame their arguments based on their roles and interests, offering a deeper understanding of the dynamics that shape policy processes.

The research concludes that NQFs can serve as tools for both reform and consensus-building, but their development is often marked by competing interests and institutional constraints. For instance, while Austrian actors highlighted the benefits of international alignment, they also raised concerns about maintaining higher education autonomy. Ethiopian stakeholders, in contrast, viewed the NQF as a means to harmonize fragmented structures and support national development goals. These findings suggest that the success of NQFs depends not only on technical design but also on the ability to mediate diverse stakeholder interests and address context-specific challenges.

This methodological and analytical approach contributes to the theoretical debate on educational governance and provides practical insights for designing more inclusive and effective policy processes.

Dans un monde marqué par des trajectoires professionnelles souvent fragmentées et non linéaires (Bessin et al., 2010 ; Denave, 2015 ; Negroni & Bessin, 2022), les récits d’expérience sont des dispositifs privilégiés pour comprendre comment les formé-es articulent leurs histoires de vie avec leurs parcours professionnels. Ces récits montrent que les trajectoires professionnelles ne résultent pas uniquement de décisions délibérées, mais sont aussi façonnées par des ruptures, des bifurcations et des ajustements imposés par des événements personnels ou contextuels tels que le chômage, la migration ou les reconversions (Duffy et al., 2016).

Les dispositifs de mise en récit développés pour accompagner les professionnel-les en formation ou en reconversion visent à favoriser une réflexivité sur leur nouvelle identité professionnelle, leurs choix de carrière et leurs expériences passées. Selon Rochex (1995), le sens se produit à l’intersection de l’activité et de la subjectivité, permettant aux individus de réguler leur parcours en fonction de leur biographie personnelle. Ces espaces narratifs permettent aux formé-es de réajuster leur identité professionnelle, revisiter leurs choix et réconcilier leurs aspirations personnelles avec les réalités institutionnelles.

Dans le cadre de ce symposium, à travers l’analyse de récits produits dans différents dispositifs de formation, on cherche à mettre en lumière le rôle des récits comme espaces de reconstruction du sens de l’expérience, des choix de carrière, ou d’une identité évolutive en s’appuyant sur les questions suivantes :

• Comment les récits d’expérience permettent-ils aux formé-es de prendre conscience des facteurs qui ont influencé leurs choix de carrière et de construire un sens nouveau à leurs trajectoires professionnelles ?

• En quoi ces récits contribuent-ils à la construction et au développement d’une identité professionnelle évolutive ?

• Quels effets les dispositifs de mise en récit ont-ils sur les trajectoires professionnelles, notamment en termes de réorientation, de validation d’acquis ou de projection dans l’avenir ?

Vocational and professional education and training (VPET) in Switzerland is internationally recognized as a success. It is based on a partnership between the main actors involved: schools, companies, and employers' organizations. To make VPET competitive for future challenges, all partners involved continually strive to improve the training for young adults. Consequently, schools of VPET (as one of the three learning locations) are compelled to adapt their training programs on a consistent basis to ensure – among others - better synchronization with company practices. These adaptations include a more flexible learning environment which is independent of time and place, self-regulated learning strategies, or talent fostering. These changes and innovations are frequently implemented to enhance apprentices’/students' competencies in the workplace. However, the question remains as to whether this objective is being achieved. Furthermore, what is the perspective of companies on these innovations? Do in-company trainers observe any changes in apprentices’/students’ behavior and learning outcomes?

In evaluations of VPET innovations, the perspectives of different stakeholders, including the apprentices/students themselves, their teachers at professional schools, and the trainers at their companies are often included. In this contribution, a review of the findings from six projects, which took place in the last five years in schools in vocational and professional education and training has been conducted. The innovations encompass a wide range of areas, including digitalization, flexibilization concerning time and place of learning, curriculum innovations, talent fostering, and practice-driven learning. The sectors investigated are diverse, including pedagogical programs (social pedagogy and child pedagogy), ICT, logistics, and gastronomy. Depending on the size of the program, the perspective of the in-company trainers was incorporated through workshops, individual interviews, or web surveys. In total, the perspective of approximately 200 in-company trainers was included.

The projects addressed a variety of evaluation questions and objectives. Schools frequently seek to ascertain whether in-company trainers observe changes in the apprentices'/students’ behavior and competencies, whether they have been adequately informed of the modifications, and whether they endorse the adaptations.

First results show that in-company trainers often lack awareness of the precise nature of adaptations, even though some schools make explicit efforts to engage them in the process. Some in-company trainers harbor reservations regarding these adaptations, assuming that they will either have little impact or, worse, that some apprentices/students will be overwhelmed and learn less. However, this perception varies between projects. In the presentation, a focus will be on the examination of context variables influencing the perception of in-company trainers, as well as general conclusions across all projects.

Countries like Switzerland, Austria, or Germany have long served as global models for vocational education and training (VET) — above all in its dual-track education variant. However, these countries are (almost) the only ones where this Dual System is the norm. This creates an unintended problem: namely for adult immigrants who have already completed their vocational training at home and now like work in these countries. They often lack practical on-the-job training considered normal by native employers. My study investigates this potential effect of on immigrants’ economic integration on the micro- and country-of-origin level with representative survey data for Germany.

When it comes to formal or informal recognition of vocational training from abroad, previous research has shown that native institutions and companies often refer to insufficient or total lack of work experience (i.e., attendance only of vocational schools), when they legitimizing their non-recognition of foreign vocational credentials (Sommer, 2021; (Kogan, 2012)). For this on-the-job learning forms an integral part of vocational training in the German dual system. However, if the institutional mismatch of the German VET system and the one though which migrants has passed in their home country, the degree of institutional mismatch should matter for explaining the variation of labor market success between migrants from differing EU-states vis-à-vis native Germans (with vocational training).

My investigation uses the European Labour Force Survey (LFS), especially wave 2021, to generate country-level indicators and to match them with the individual-level data of pooled German-Mikrozensus (MZ) waves (from 2017 to 2021 so far). The most important indicator is based on a newly introduced question to younger LFS-interviewees in how far the educational program they last completed included working at a firm (none, 1 to 6 months, 7 months or more), an indicator fit for operationalizing the degree to which vocational training in the respective country approaches the ideal of the German dual system. Other origin-country indicators pertain to, e.g., the share of vocationally trained persons or the unemployment rate of vocationally trained citizens in the countries of origin (i.e., economic push factors to emigrate to Germany).

The MZ-subsample of migrants (N = 13 286) encompasses those having entered Germany between the age of 18 to 65 from fifteen EU-member states in the years 2000 onwards and who obtained their vocational qualification in their home country (plus N = 932.875 natives with a vocational degree). Their vocational certificates pertain to level 3 to 4 of the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED). Migrants from these 15 countries are each represented by at least n >= 100 interviewees. The sending countries include Poland, Romania, Hungary, Croatia, Italy, Austria, Greece, Bulgaria, Netherlands, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Lithuania, France, Spain, and Portugal. Our target variable is complexity of tasks required at the job, measuring whether they are overqualified in a position for the un- and semi-skilled, in the correct position for skilled workers or whether they have climbed up the ladder and master (highly) complex specialized tasks. We gather the information on complexity of tasks from the 5th digit of the German occupational classification (Klassifikation der Berufe 2010).

Empirical results include bivariate and multivariate results on the relationship between the degree of (dis-)similarity of the German vocational training system and that of the European countries of origin (duration of learning on the job in the training context) and the quality of employment position. Controlling for important individual features such as the immigration motive or gender which impact upon the rungs attained in the hierarchy of Germany’s labor market, the multivariate multinomial-logistic regression shows a significant moderate net-effect of the duration of on-the-job training typical for the country of emigration.

UNESCO (2016) has published its Strategy for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, which stresses that vocational education and training (VET) must be refocused on its primary vocation: “a learning path that contributes to equity, social justice, lifelong learning and sustainable development” (p. 5). The majority of studies on the role of VET in social justice focus on the impact of VET in terms of social and professional integration of people (e.g., getting a job), particularly those in vulnerable situations. On the other hand, few studies focus on the more subjective factors that can account for VET's potentially transformative role in terms of full potential, such as the possibility to be and do what people really value.

Using Sen's capability approach (1992) as an analytical framework, the comparative analysis of two VET systems reveals specific operating logics, each with its own enabling or limiting aspects, promoting or hindering openness to learners' choices and possibilities. The capability approach has been used in various works in education to identify the role of study contexts on people's possibilities of achievement (Olympio, 2013; Otto and Ziegler, 2006; Picard, Olympio, et al., 2015; Joncas, 2018, Joncas and Pilote, 2019; Robertson, 2015; Verhoeven et al., 2007; Walker, 2012; Wilson-Strydom, 2015). According to the capability approach, a school environment that promotes social justice takes into consideration not only the resources and treatments granted to individuals, but also their opportunities to choose and to achieve what they really want.

While capability theory is a powerful tool for comparing education systems (Olympio & Picard, 2016), it has never been used to compare VET systems. In this communication, we compare France and Quebec’s VET system by highlighting the capabilities (and capabilities failures) of each system. In this regard, comparing VET systems imply to take into account the socio-historical and institutional contexts in which they emerged and are embedded (Heininger & Imdorf, 2018; Maurice et al., 1986, Verdier, 2008, 2018). As remained by Marhuenda-Fluixá (2022), VET system is more complex than others academic education and may evolve to several scenarios: to a civic logic promoting equal opportunity and universal education or to a market logic satisfying corporate needs for instance. Our results are based on a monographic analysis of VET systems, with a focus on the possibilities in terms of capabilities (and capabilities failures), and on a qualitative analysis of learners’ career.

France’s educational system is historically characterised by the importance of the “academic logic” (Verdier, 2008, 2018), a system based on strong academic competition and an overemphasis on academic knowledge. The result is a form of precedence given to characteristics of general education over VET (Verdier & Doray, 2021). Several reforms have made it possible to revalue VET and open up capabilities for learners by developing the permeability and diversity of career paths (for instance by developing access to higher education for VET students). However, it would seem that for some people the opening of the field of possibilities is more formal than real.

The Quebec vocational training system is marked by tensions. The initial project, as defined by the Quiet Revolution, characterized by the versatility, accessibility and democratization of education, did not withstand social and economic constraints (Beaucher et al., 2022). Constantly on the lookout for learners, VET has been built and developed under the pressure of antagonistic forces that have destabilized its purpose, moving further and further away from its initial vision (shorter training courses, circumvention strategies, complexity, dematerialization, etc.), reproducing social inequalities and reducing opportunities for learners (Doray et al., 2021).

Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (the D-A-CH countries) are prime examples of the dual-track vocational education and training (VET) system combining company-based and classroom-based education. Each country is monitoring the development of its system. For instance, each year ibw Austria provides an overview of the current situation of its dual VET system (ibw 2024). In Germany, the BIBB publishes the annual Data report on VET (BIBB 2024), which has become a standard publication reporting information on a detailed level. The Swiss Observatory for Vocational Education and Training publishes a report every two years (Graf et al. 2024).

Nevertheless, detailed comparative data on apprenticeship training in the D-A-CH countries are scarce. Most available information comes from the UNESCO, OECD or Eurostat, which focus on a broader range of countries and rely on highly aggregated data. This limitation is also due to the underlying concepts, definitions, classifications, and measurement methods varying in detail. Comparisons between the three countries are therefore mostly dependent on ad hoc analyses and individual projects (e.g., DC dVET 2016; Ebner & Nikolai 2010; Graf 2016; Lassnigg 2023; Schlögl & Mayerl 2017). An evidence-based, comparative assessment of key indicators for VET could deliver important insights and stimuli but is not easy to establish for the reasons mentioned above. Our project contributes to filling this gap by developing a set of key indicators for the monitoring of developments in dual-track VET systems in the D-A-CH region.

The underlying question is which data are accessible and comparable with what effort and validity? In a first step, we investigate different publicly available national statistics about key figures of the respective dual-track VET systems. As an intermediate result, we present and evaluate indicators useful for current and future comparisons that are available and comparable. The selection of indicators focusses on the upper-secondary level and includes, for example, the number of learners enrolled in dual-track programs, the share of women, or completion rates. As the main result of our pilot project, we display the development of the chosen indicators during the last two to three decades, which partly diverge substantially across countries. For instance, Germany is the only country in the D-A-CH region where the share of women enrolled in dual VET has fallen, from a level comparable to Switzerland to a level now close to Austria. We furthermore establish and discuss variables to determine relevant occupations that exist in all three countries and are sufficiently large enough for future in-depth comparisons.

We find that the establishment of comparative indicators remains complex and difficult in detail and discuss how these challenges can be overcome. Our collaboration between authors from the three countries delivers new, comparative insights on how the dual VET systems could be reformed to potentially address challenges such as skills shortages. Further work on the project aims to extend the analysis to differences between occupations and regions and to tertiary level education.

Since the early 2000s, a few studies in France have examined vocational tracks in higher education—whether Brevet de Technicien Supérieur (BTS) or Diplôme Universitaire de Technologie (DUT), created in 1959 and 1966, or professional bachelor's degrees, introduced in 1999—from the perspective of social recruitment (Beaud, 2008; Blöss & Erlich, 2000; Orange, 2010) or post-graduation trajectories (Cahuzac & Plassard, 1997). These studies have shed light on both the role of these programs in the democratization of higher education—showing how they have been taken up by students from working-class backgrounds—and the evolving selection process in the DUT, which have become less effective as a vehicle for social mobility. They have also highlighted the remarkable increase in further studies after the DUT throughout the second half of the 20th century.

However, these dynamics are likely to change with the transition from DUT to Bachelor Universitaire de Technologie (BUT), which took place in 2021. This new degree introduces two quotas: the first regulates access, requiring that 50% of admitted students come from technological baccalaureate programs, while the second influences post-graduation paths, aiming for an equal split between graduates entering the workforce and those continuing their studies.

The development of this degree is part of long-term processes that shape the structure of higher education in France. First, the phenomenon of segregated massification, widely documented (Beaud, 2003; Merle, 2000), has led to both an increase in student numbers and a growing segmentation of academic pathways. Just as STS programs have become the main postsecondary route for vocational baccalaureate holders (Orange, 2009), the creation of the BUT contributes to the establishment and recognition of the "technological track" (the combination of technological baccalaureate and technological studies) in higher education, particularly by fostering the inclusion and success of technological baccalaureate graduates. Another consequence of this massification is the framing of professional integration as a "public issue" (Hugrée & Poullaouec, 2022; Mauger, 2001). Higher education’s professionalizing tracks—particularly short-cycle programs—are increasingly promoted as facilitating employment, in contrast to other segments such as general bachelor's degrees or preparatory classes for the Grandes Ecoles (CPGE).

This study seeks to contextualize the orientation strategies of students choosing the BUT within this broader framework. In other words, do these structural trends influence how future BUT students define their academic choices, thereby reshaping the social recruitment of these programs?

To address this question, we rely on multiple data sources. First, we analyze data from the Ministry of Higher Education, the ParcourSup platform, and UGA’s information systems to quantify the profiles of students entering the technological pathway over the past fifteen years. Second, we examine the motivations behind choosing the BUT through a survey administered at the beginning of the academic year over the past two years (n=937). Additionally, we incorporate findings from a qualitative study based on interviews (n=9) with students from technological baccalaureate backgrounds.

Three main findings will be presented in this talk. First, we highlight the growing correspondence between high school diploma types and higher education pathways over the past fifteen years. Second, we identify key actors influencing this alignment—whom we term "training prescribers"—and their role in shaping students’ orientation choices. Lastly, we explore the relationship between the position of the BUT within the higher education landscape and students’ perceptions of their program. More specifically, we show that choosing the BUT is largely driven by a desire to maintain the possibility of pursuing long-term studies (up to the Master’s level) within a professionalized learning environment (work-study programs, apprenticeships, etc.).

Recent years in Spain it became public that thousands of young were unable to find a place on the vocational training program they aspired to. This phenomenon has highlighted two things: the first being that after many years of policies fostering vocational training over academic courses, the education system itself has been insufficient to provide enough places. The challenge is pressing since 50% of employment opportunities by 2030 will demand intermediate qualifications, while only 25% of the population is currently in possession of these and 35% are low-skilled. The second matter that has been addressed concerns the motivating factors that drive young people to choose vocational training, and what kind of advice and counselling is provided in secondary schools to influence these young people's preferences.

This mismatch is leading to several consequences, the most significant being that vocational training programs have grown more competitive, as academic records become the main basis for admission. Another consequence is the exponential surge in private and online training programs (460% and 240% in a decade, correspondingly), a suitable alternative for previously underperforming young, with courses where there is no means of assessing quality. The young therefore opt for the academic track (“bachillerato”), generally at the same school where they attended lower secondary education. Otherwise, they enroll in a vocational training program in branches with availability, even if it is not their first choice. All these options are associated with a high risk of early school dropout or with changes and reorientations in the educational pathways of the young, making them more complex.

These recent events challenge conventional theories about the choice of studies in the post-compulsory secondary level. Within the sociology of education there are two schools of thought that have attempted to explain this choice. The theory of reproduction emphasizes the influence of social origin (cultural, economic and social capital) on this choice, where middle-class families avoided vocational training due to the potential risk of descending mobility. This perspective implies a structure of two differentiated pathways in educational systems: the academic pathway and the vocational pathway, whose function is the reproduction of social categories. The second most significant sociological theory, the theory of rational action, introduces calculation regarding the mobility strategies of families and the young regarding academic performance, the risk involved in choosing one pathway or another and the cost of opportunity, as well as other material and cultural elements.

Within this setting, a research project is being conducted, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, with the aim of studying educational pathways after compulsory education, particularly vocational training pathways. Emphasis is placed on non-linear pathways or those that incorporate changes in these pathways. The findings include motivations related to the type of vocational training chosen, which was not initially the preferred option, with subsequent reorientation towards academic studies, non-regulated training programs or other related or altogether different vocational training fields. This strategy of change serves also to prevent dropout.

We use a mixed research methodology, with only the quantitative part being presented in this communication. Our strategy lies in the analysis of the national survey on training and labor market insertion, which allows us to analyze the diversity of trajectories, the profile of students opting for vocational training as well as the changes in the four years following the end of compulsory education. The trajectories are reconstructed through sequence analysis, while regression models are used to examine the probability of choosing vocational training based on the social and academic characteristics of young people, in addition to the likeliness of change during the trajectory.

In 2024, in France, 327,800 young people were enrolled in initial vocational education and training (VET). Despite decades of government initiatives aiming to use VET – both at the secondary and higher education levels – as a tool to combat youth unemployment (Arrighi, 2013), the sector remains historically shaped by its origins in working-class qualification pathways and its persistent low status within both the educational and social hierarchies (Jellab, 2017; Pierrel, 2024). Although school democratization policies have been implemented since the 1960s, educational inequalities and the internal hierarchies between different tracks within the French education system persist.

A substantial body of research in the sociology of education has documented the trajectories and social backgrounds of young people enrolled in initial vocational programs in France. Coming predominantly from the most precarious segments of the youth population, these apprentices often have difficult academic trajectories and maintain an ambivalent relationship with school knowledge and the educational institution. Many justify their educational pathway through a vocational discourse (Palheta, 2012; Moreau, 2013), yet an analysis of their trajectories highlights the strong influence of social and academic constraints in shaping their “choices” (Duru-Bellat, 2002). However, while acknowledging the constrained nature of these pathways, other studies emphasize the need to go beyond a strictly deterministic perspective by analyzing how these young people actively construct the meaning of their educational trajectory and experience within VET. This requires examining the strategies they employ and how they reconfigure their trajectories within a broader system of social relations (Dubet et al., 1991).

Building on this perspective, this paper aims to highlight the heterogeneity of apprentices in initial education and the diverse motivations driving them – motivations that are often ambiguous, evolving, and embedded in different temporalities. It highlights that while many young people in initial VET express a rejection of the school-based model (Vincent et al., 1994) and perceive their orientation as a means to escape traditional schooling, they nonetheless encounter a learning environment that remains structured by the very system they sought to leave behind (Denave et al., 2020). Their engagement with apprenticeship fluctuates between an instrumental approach – where the diploma functions as a “license for professional integration” – and a more involved investment in training, perceived as both an educational and social rehabilitation space. In this latter case, the diploma also holds symbolic value as a “gateway” legitimizing further education and career aspirations (Briand & Chapoulie, 1993; Pierrel, 2024). This engagement with apprenticeship is therefore not static; it evolves over time, sometimes in ways that challenge initial expectations. For some, VET confirms a pre-existing career plan; for others, it acts as a stepping stone toward reorientation or further education.

This presentation draws on two ongoing doctoral research projects conducted among apprentices in initial education in France. It is based on empirical data collected through interviews and participant observation in apprentice training centers (CFA) and companies. By adopting this approach, this study explores the processes through which apprentices (re)define their educational trajectories and professional aspirations over time, offering deeper insight into the dynamics shaping their experiences in vocational training.

Personality and identity have been identified as central factors influencing career aspirations during adolescence (Gottfredson, 2002). While fundamental personality traits are generally stable during adolescence (Hirschi, 2010; Low et al., 2005), post-obligatory education serves as a secondary orientation context in which individuals further develop their identities, gain new insights into available career options, and expand their understanding of opportunities, resulting in the refinement of their career ambitions and aspirations (Heckhausen & Shane, 2015).

This study explores the evolution of young adults' career aspirations during the transition from school to work, with a particular focus on how post-compulsory education pathways structure these aspirations. Specifically, it examines how the permeability of the Swiss education system, particularly through pathways such as the vocational baccalaureate, allows young people to refine and adjust their occupational aspirations over time. By analyzing how both the qualification level and the gender composition of aspired occupations evolve through different educational pathways, the study provides insights into both stratification and flexibility in occupational development.

Using data from the DAB Panel Study (Becker et al., 2020), which trackes nearly 2,000 participants in German-speaking Switzerland since 2012 until 2028, we study the development of occupational aspirations of young adults measured from eighth grade to their mid-twenties (in 2024) across eleven waves. Occupational aspirations are identified based on the Swiss Structural Survey, which categorizes occupations according to their qualification and gender composition. Latent growth curve models estimate individual development trajectories, while regression models assess the influence of structural and individual factors, including gender, parental education, and migration background on the development of occupational aspirations.

The results show that, on average, young adults increase their career aspirations over time, with 55% aspiring to tertiary level occupations by their mid-twenties, compared to 29% during compulsory schooling. This trend reflects the permeability of the Swiss education system, which offers multiple pathways for further education and qualification, even for occupations with initially low academic requirements. While the international literature often reports stagnation or downward trends in aspirations (Clark, 1960; Lee & Rojewski, 2009; Tomasik et al., 2009), the Swiss education and training system allows for continuous horizonal and vertical mobility, especially for students pursuing a vocational baccalaureate.

Gender differences in occupational aspirations are also evident. Young women are more likely to aspire to occupations requiring higher education qualifications, a pattern that is in line with international trends (OECD, 2022, p. 39). However, in vocational education, young men obtaining a vocational baccalaureate (FVB) are initially more likely than their female counterparts to aspire to tertiary level occupations. Within the observation window, however, this gap narrows as FVB females increase their aspirations. Despite these upward trends, career choices remain highly segregated by gender, with young women tending towards female-dominated and young men towards male-dominated occupations . Gender segregation is more pronounced among vocational students than among those in academic upper secondary education. Nonetheless, the findings suggest that while early educational transitions reinforce gendered career choices, the permeability of the Swiss education system allows for adjustments, particularly for young women seeking further qualifications. A decade after entering VET, both young men and women aspire to less gender-stereotypical occupations than at the age of 15.

In conclusion, the study highlights how post-compulsory education pathways influence the development of career aspirations. The permeability of the Swiss education system plays a crucial role in enabling young people to refine and adjust their career goals, demonstrating both the structuring effects and flexibility of educational and occupational trajectories.

Introduction

Interpreting a technical drawing is a common task in many professions. However, it does not always prove to be an easy one for apprentices. It implies being able to transpose a two-dimensional drawing onto a three-dimensional plane and having good visual-spatial skills. Facilitating this transposition is one affordance offered by immersive technologies such as virtual reality (VR; e.g., Renganayagalu et al., 2021) and augmented reality (AR; Candido et al., 2023; Papakostas et al., 2021; Rocha et al., 2024). Nevertheless, interventions involving basic vocational training and having a prolonged duration are still lacking. The same holds true for interventions combining 2D and 3D visualisations rather than exploiting either of the two options (Piri & Cagiltay, 2024), as well as directly comparing the two technologies with each other, although some aggregate data is now available (e.g., Di & Zheng, 2022).

We developed an application available for both AR and VR, that allows learners to practice 2D to 3D transposition, aiming to test (a) the extent to which these technologies support the learning of technical drawing and more generally the development of mental rotation skills, and (b) the extent to which AR and VR differ in supporting this learning.

Methods

The participants are N=29 (agemean=18.0; SD=3.15) apprentice heating and plumbing installers, who often have to build pipes on construction sites. They were involved during their first year of training, to minimize prior knowledge of technical drawing.

The application allows students to position three types of pipes (T-joint, 90° elbow, and straight pipe) using their hands, to replicate a given technical drawing. Two sets of four views (top, front, side, and isometric) are displayed: blue-bordered views show the target composition, while corresponding, green-bordered views update in real time to reflect the student's construction. The app adjusts support by modifying the number of displayed views and limiting validation attempts to encourage independent problem-solving.

Each participant was randomly assigned to one of two conditions: in the AR condition (N=15) they used a Microsoft Hololens2 device, in the VR condition (N=14) a MetaQuest3. For four weeks, during one lesson per week, the participants performed four different tasks of increasing difficulty, each comprising three exercises. For each exercise, the trainees had five minutes. One week before starting the AR/VR experience and one week after finishing it, a mental rotation test and a learning test on technical drawing—this latter constructed in cooperation with the vocational schoolteachers—were also administered. Also, each exercise was corrected based on a scoring system discussed with teachers. A set of psychological variables was assessed too using validated questionnaires at the end of each exercise. Their relationship with performance will be presented at the conference.

As the design is a 2 (group) X 4 (time) design with the latter factor repeated within participants, we analysed the data using linear mixed models and the GAMLj module in Jamovi.

Results

In all the three measures (mental rotation test, learning test, four-sessions exercises) the linear model was significant (always p<.001) and indicated that a substantial portion of variance was explained (R² respectively of .685, .745, and .652); a significant effect of time was found for both conditions (always p<.001). No significant main effect of condition—with AR showing slightly higher mean scores than VR in the first test—and no interaction effect was significant.

The study contributes to the advancement of theory and practice, giving indications both on the effectiveness of immersive technologies for exploiting visual-spatial skills in vocational education and on the feasibility of integrating these technologies in the curriculum, during classroom activities.

Introduction

Using augmented reality (AR) can enhance learning outcomes (Cao & Yu, 2023; Yu, 2023). Two theoretical frameworks guide how to optimize multimedia learning materials: The Cognitive Load Theory (Sweller et al., 2019) explains how intrinsic and extraneous load arise from working memory constraints, while the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML; Mayer, 2021) offers design principles such as modality and redundancy. The modality principle states that narration enhances learning more than written text, while the redundancy principle suggests that combining spoken and written information does not necessarily impair learning. However, although these principles improve learning in non-immersive media, studies on immersive virtual reality (IVR) show contradictory or reversed effects (Albus & Seufert, 2023; Baceviciute et al., 2022), and evidence when using Head‐mounted display‐based AR (HMD‐AR)—an immersive yet reality-anchored technology solution—is missing. Moreover, the effect of AR on cognitive load (CL) remains unclear (Buchner et al., 2022).

Therefore, we examined whether the modality and redundancy CTML principles apply to HMD‐AR and which are the effects on CL. In particular, we tested the following hypothesis:

H1: We expect no differences between audio-only and text-and-audio conditions, consistently with evidence that redundancy does not improve learning when auditory information is already provided (Adesope & Nesbit, 2012).

H2: Audio-based instruction (audio-only or text-and-audio) outperforms text-only by lowering intrinsic cognitive load (ICL) and improving performance (Mayer, 2021).

Method

A between‐subjects experiment included 104 participants (M(age) = 17.2, SD = 2.58) randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (1) audio‐only, (2) text‐only, or (3) text-and‐audio. They learned a T-shirt folding procedure via an HMD‐AR application employing CTML principles (segmenting, signaling, spatial/temporal contiguity, voice), with the sole variation in verbal delivery. None had prior knowledge of this procedure. After the guided learning phase, participants completed a CL questionnaire (Krieglstein et al., 2023), followed by a retention test and three transfer tasks without AR. Performance measures included success/failure (guided, retention, transfer), number of attempts, and folding accuracy.

Results

To test the redundancy hypothesis, we compared audio-only with text-and-audio using the Bayesian approach to verify the absence of difference (Table 1). This suggests that adding on-screen text to audio does not yield measurable effects in HMD-AR.

Table 1. Audio-only vs. Text-and-audio

Measure BF₀₁ Audio Text-and-Audio

ICL (Median) 2.84 1.80 2.20

Guided Success Rate 3.06 91.43% 91.43%

Retention Success Rate 1.11 81.25% 93.75%

Transfer 1 Success Rate 2.15 78.13% 84.38%

Transfer 2 Success Rate 2.30 75.00% 75.00%

Transfer 3 Success Rate 1.13 53.13% 65.63%

For the modality hypothesis, we tested whether audio-based conditions (audio-only, text-and-audio) led to lower ICL and better performance than text-only. Since audio-only and text-and-audio did not differ, we combined them into an audio-based group for PLS-SEM analyses in ADANCO (v.2.4.1). Model fit was excellent (SRMR = .041, d-ULS = .094, d-G = .076). Membership in the audio-based group predicted lower ICL (β = –.21, p = .029) than for text-only, while higher ICL predicted more attempts (β = .37, p < .001) and reduced success (β = –.50, p < .001). These findings support the modality principle.

Discussion

Results confirm no differences between the audio-only and text-and-audio conditions, in line with Adesope & Nesbit (2012). Also, audio-based groups showed lower ICL and better performance than the text-only group, aligning with CTML (Mayer, 2021). Unlike some IVR findings, HMD-AR appears to follow these principles similarly to traditional media. Although this is a single study, its alignment with theory suggests that applying CTML in HMD-AR can effectively support procedural learning, giving important operational guidelines for the development of HMD-AR learning materials. Future research should explore these principles in other vocational education contexts and with more difficult procedures.

Operating room technician trainees acquire numerous complex procedures during their three-year professional training (VPET), including the sterile dressing procedure. This procedure involves two roles: the “instrument technician”, who wears the sterile gown and gloves in preparation for surgery, and the “assistant”, who supports the former during the dressing procedure. VPET teachers report that trainees struggle with avoiding contact with non-sterile areas in the operating room, likely due to limited awareness of body movements and spatial relations.

Immersive 360-degree video technology (360°VR) offers affordances that may address these challenges. Embodiment could enhance trainees’ awareness of body movements and their relationship to sterile and non-sterile areas (Makransky & Petersen, 2021), while the panoramic view may improve visuospatial orientation (Li et al., 2024). Prior research indicates that 360°VR supports procedural skill acquisition, particularly in healthcare contexts (Blair et al., 2021) and emphasizes the importance of signaling to improve learning (Albus et al., 2021). Moreover, 360°VR can include interactive features that actively engage the learners (Violante et al., 2019).

This study investigates how a 360°VR can support trainees in acquiring sterile dressing competence. We hypothesize that, prior to viewing the 360°VR, there will be significant differences in theoretical and procedural knowledge between novices and experienced trainees. However, after exposure to the 360°VR, this gap will diminish.

Participants: Thirty trainees are divided into two groups: experienced (N=15), with over one year of clinical experience, and novices (N=15) with no prior experience.

Materials: A 360°VR demonstrating the sterile dressing procedure is enhanced with signaling to highlight sterile and non-sterile areas and spatial organization. Interactive buttons allow trainees to recall theoretical concepts and switch perspectives between the instrument technician’s first-person perspective and an external third-person perspective. A tutorial precedes the video to explain the interactive features.

Procedure: This quasi-experimental pre-post study consists of four phases:

1. Pre-test: Participants complete a quiz and an assessment test on sterile and non-sterile area recognition using immersive pictures. Novices also participate in a sterile dressing simulation.

2. Learning: Participants watch the 360°VR hypervideo twice—first passively, then with interactive features.

3. Post-test: The same assessment test is repeated.

4. Debriefing: Feedback is collected through focus group discussions.

We adopted a quanti-qualitative approach, collecting the following data:

1. Theoretical Knowledge: A 20-point quiz evaluates understanding before and after the intervention.

2. Sterile Area Recognition: Participants identify sterile and non-sterile zones in immersive pictures (maximum score: 30).

3. Sterile Dressing Performance (novices only): Performance during pre- and post-tests is scored by two expert trainers (maximum score: 10).

4. Video Experience: Focus group discussions are recorded, transcribed, and analyzed qualitatively through content analysis.

Repeated measures ANOVA will evaluate differences in theoretical knowledge and sterile area recognition between novices and experienced trainees across pre- and post-tests. A t-test will assess novice skill improvement.

Preliminary Results

Analysis are still ongoing. Partial data from experienced trainees (N=7) show near-perfect pre-test scores in theoretical knowledge (mean: 19.92/20) and sterile area recognition (mean: 27/30), with minimal post-intervention changes. These findings align with our expectations as well as their advanced proficiency.

Focus group discussions revealed that participants valued the 360°VR panoramic view for improving spatial awareness. The immersive experience was praised for its realism, signaling features, and interactive elements. Repeated viewings helped trainees notice missed details, with no reports of motion sickness or fatigue. Participants recommended structuring training sequentially (starting from theory and concluding with hands-on simulation) and incorporating demonstrations of common errors in the 360°VR to consolidate learning.

So far, preliminary results suggest that 360°VR may support learning for sterile dressing procedure. Further analysis will assess its impact on novices. Complete findings will be presented at the congress.

Simulation-based learning is a core component of vocational education in Switzerland, offering apprentices opportunities to develop practice-oriented competences. Apprentice office clerks engage in peer-to-peer consulting simulations; however, these exercises have limitations. For instance, simulating high-emotional impact scenarios – as in the case of coping with an angry client – is challenging. Immersive technology offers a unique opportunity to create realistic situations while maintaining a safe and controlled environment that can be repeated as needed, ensuring ecological validity (Parsons, 2015). Immersive 360° video technology in particular offers the advantage of eliciting emotional responses comparable to real-world experiences (Schöne et al., 2023).

This study investigates the potential of an immersive 360° video as a tool to elicit acute stress responses in apprentice office clerks, assessing its effectiveness through physiological and self-reported measures. Specifically, it aims to answer the following research question: Can a 360° video featuring an angry client induce higher stress levels compared to a neutral client consultation scenario? It is hypothesized that participants exposed to the stressful scenario will exhibit higher levels of stress compared to those in the neutral condition. Additionally, negative emotions are expected to be more pronounced in the stressful scenario, whereas the neutral scenario will elicit more positive emotions. Moreover, it is expected that a higher sense of presence will correlate negatively with cybersickness, consistent with prior research (Weech et al., 2019).

The study builds upon research on immersive learning environments and stress induction methods. Established paradigms for eliciting acute stress, such as the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), have been extensively used to induce physiological stress responses in laboratory settings. The TSST, typically involving public speaking and arithmetic challenges, has also been adapted to virtual reality (Helminen et al., 2021). However, no established stress induction paradigms specifically address professional scenarios such as client consulting, which are also relevant for many other professions. This study addresses this gap by developing a domain-specific stress induction tool in collaboration with professional trainers to ensure authenticity in workplace interactions.

The study employs a randomized between-subjects design with a sample of ninety Swiss apprentice office clerks (mean age = 16.6 years, SD = 1.39). Participants are assigned to either an experimental group – which views a 360° immersive video featuring an interaction with an angry client played by a professional actor – or a control group – which watches a neutral version of the same scenario. The video simulates a client consulting situation from a first-person perspective, allowing participants to respond verbally. Using audio detection, the video dynamically adapts to the participant’s responses, ensuring coherence and enhancing realism.

Physiological stress is assessed through salivary cortisol and the POLAR H10 heart rate monitor. Self-reported measures include the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (Terracciano et al., 2003), the Subjective Units of Distress Scale, the Visual Analogue Scale for Anxiety (Abend et al., 2014), the eXtended Reality Presence Scale (Gandolfi et al., 2021) and the subscales cybersickness from the ITC-Sense of Presence Inventory (Lessiter et al., 2001). Ethical considerations, including informed consent and debriefing, were strictly followed to safeguard participants’ psychological well-being. Data collection was conducted in January and February 2025 in collaboration with the professional association and implemented at the branch course centre for commercial professions. Data analysis is currently in progress and all the results will be presented at the congress.

This study contributes to VET research by validating an immersive tool for stress induction that could be integrated into future training programs, helping apprentices develop emotional regulation strategies for customer interactions. Moreover, by focusing on the importance of emotions, it addresses the gap in research on emotional experiences in VET (Sauli et al., 2022).

Dans un monde marqué par des trajectoires professionnelles souvent fragmentées et non linéaires (Bessin et al., 2010 ; Denave, 2015 ; Negroni & Bessin, 2022), les récits d’expérience sont des dispositifs privilégiés pour comprendre comment les formé-es articulent leurs histoires de vie avec leurs parcours professionnels. Ces récits montrent que les trajectoires professionnelles ne résultent pas uniquement de décisions délibérées, mais sont aussi façonnées par des ruptures, des bifurcations et des ajustements imposés par des événements personnels ou contextuels tels que le chômage, la migration ou les reconversions (Duffy et al., 2016).

Les dispositifs de mise en récit développés pour accompagner les professionnel-les en formation ou en reconversion visent à favoriser une réflexivité sur leur nouvelle identité professionnelle, leurs choix de carrière et leurs expériences passées. Selon Rochex (1995), le sens se produit à l’intersection de l’activité et de la subjectivité, permettant aux individus de réguler leur parcours en fonction de leur biographie personnelle. Ces espaces narratifs permettent aux formé-es de réajuster leur identité professionnelle, revisiter leurs choix et réconcilier leurs aspirations personnelles avec les réalités institutionnelles.

Dans le cadre de ce symposium, à travers l’analyse de récits produits dans différents dispositifs de formation, on cherche à mettre en lumière le rôle des récits comme espaces de reconstruction du sens de l’expérience, des choix de carrière, ou d’une identité évolutive en s’appuyant sur les questions suivantes :

• Comment les récits d’expérience permettent-ils aux formé-es de prendre conscience des facteurs qui ont influencé leurs choix de carrière et de construire un sens nouveau à leurs trajectoires professionnelles ?

• En quoi ces récits contribuent-ils à la construction et au développement d’une identité professionnelle évolutive ?

• Quels effets les dispositifs de mise en récit ont-ils sur les trajectoires professionnelles, notamment en termes de réorientation, de validation d’acquis ou de projection dans l’avenir ?

In 2022, the number of unfilled vacancies was higher than the number of those still looking for a training position for the first time in Germany (Christ et al. 2022). In 2023, the supply also exceeded the demand from young people (Oeynhausen et al. 2023). In Germany, young people's training aspirations are concentrated in relatively few occupations. One consequence of the increased focus on a small number of occupations is that, on the one hand, it is becoming increasingly difficult to fill training places in seemingly less popular occupations. On the other hand, the competition for jobs in supposedly more attractive occupations also means that many young people are unsuccessful in their search for a training place.

In recent years, research into young people's career choices has increasingly focussed on the need for social recognition. In this context, the narrowing and compromise theory (Gottfredson 1981, 2005) is a widely recognised theory of career choice. Studies show that young people not only consider pragmatic factors such as earning potential or professional interests when choosing an occupation, but often also the possible reactions of their social environment ( et al. 2015, Oeynhausen & Ulrich 2020, Oeynhausen 2022 )

This article analyses factors influencing young people's career choices. The starting point is the desired occupation of young people who have finished school. What role does the social environment (parents and friends) and institutions such as school play in young people's desired occupation? And what role does social media play in young people's career choices? Can gender- and origin-specific differences be identified here?

The studies are based on empirical data from the BA*/BIBB*/IAB** Applicant Survey from 2024, which is a representative, extrapolated written postal sample study of young people who were registered with the Federal Employment Agency's careers counselling service as training place applicants. The BA/BIBB/IAB applicant survey provides important information on the career orientation, career choice and training integration of young people in Germany who are interested in training and who are registered with the Federal Employment Agency as applicants for in-company vocational training.

*BA: Bundesagentur für Arbeit/ Federal Employment Agency

**BIBB: Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung/ Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training

***IAB: Institut für Arbeit und Beschäftigung/ Institute for Employment Research

Occupational choice is an issue of outstanding importance for a fulfilling individual as well as for a functioning social life. The latter applies all the more against the backdrop of an increasing shortage of skilled workers, which in Germany particularly affects the middle qualification segment and thus the vocational education and training (VET) sector (Wolter 2022). One factor that influences occupational choice is the social recognition that certain professions receive. Studies show that young people tend to exclude occupations as potential career options if they are associated with the expectation of low social approval (Eberhard et al. 2015; Matthes 2019).

Occupations differ in the social recognition they receive, usually referred to as occupational prestige. Conceptually, a distinction is often made between a symbolic (e.g. reputation) and a material (most notably remuneration) dimension of occupational prestige (Honneth 2008, Stache et al. 2024). In this contribution, we focus on a social value dimension by looking at the perceived approval from the immediate social environment, which additionally accentuates the significance of individual involvement and perception for prestige assessments.

The perceived social recognition of an occupation and the orientation towards significant others is emphasised in various theoretical approaches as a relevant factor in occupational choice. On the one hand, it can be interpreted as an aspect of occupational image, i.e. as a "generalisation a person makes about a particular occupation" (Gottfredson 1981, 547). It can therefore be understood as part of an occupational choice process based on the fit of people to professions (Holland 1973). Orientation towards significant others is also embedded in rational choice approaches, where ‘social costs’ are included in the assessment of the benefits and costs of career options (Jonsson 1999). The social value of an occupation can also be considered in the context of social norms and their relationship to identity (Akerlof and Kranton 2000). Corresponding findings suggest that the social environment acts as a "sounding board that provides young people with information about the social coherence of their career choice" (Granato and Ulrich 2020, 168) and helps to shape their career aspirations (Matthes 2019).

So far, it remains unclear to what extent occupations differ in terms of their social recognition and how these differences can be explained. Using the example of 29 dual VET occupations we therefore examine (1) how vocational occupations differ in terms of the approval that young people expect from parents and friends, and (2) how individual (e.g. gender, migration background and socioeconomic background) and occupational characteristics (e.g. job profile, gender composition, qualification level) are related to these differences. In doing so, we build on recent research on factors influencing occupational prestige perceptions (e.g. Abrassart/Wolter 2020; Lynn/Ellerbach, 2017; Valentino, 2020) and contribute to the understanding of occupational choice processes by focusing on young people.

The analyses are based on survey data collected at German secondary schools as part of a regional career orientation study in the years 2021-2023 (BIBB 2024). Approximately 2,000 pupils each rated two dual VET occupations in terms of expected approval from family and friends. The rated occupations represent a selection of different commercial, industrial/technical and craft professions. We use the individual and occupational characteristics described above as predictors to model their hypothesised effects on young people's ratings of expected approval from parents and friends in order to examine the extent to which they can explain variance in the expected social approval of occupations. Data on individual characteristics was also collected in the survey. Data on occupational characteristics is obtained from official sources (e.g. the employment statistics of the Federal Employment Agency) and linked to the survey data.

Reflection is a fundamental component of career planning, enabling adolescents to evaluate their beliefs, experiences, and aspirations critically. This is in line with concepts asking people to design their careers (Savickas et al., 2009). We see that reflection is embedded in many career orientation programmes. However, it is essential to distinguish between reflection, which aims to find a follow-up solution in the transition from school to work, and reflection, which touches on beliefs to broaden or change the perspective on a career eventually. Reflection thus helps, on the one hand, solve short-term challenges in transition situations (Guichard, 2022). As important as it is to master the transition from school to work smoothly, it is even more important to know why one has made a specific decision. Only then can career exploration and decision processes add to evaluating one’s beliefs. Grounded in the transformative learning theory (Mezirow, 2009), self-reflection is central to entering a transformative learning and developmental process. Within this framework, one can assess gender stereotypes, cultural norms influencing career planning, and parental expectations directed at children. This is vital, as career decisions made at a young age, not only in Switzerland, are often influenced by gender or cultural factors. Self-reflection and insight are essential competencies for fostering lifelong career management skills, equipping students to navigate the complexities of contemporary career trajectories. In light of the increasing unpredictability of labour markets, promoting reflective capacity in career education is crucial for enhancing students’ adaptability and informed decision-making.

We present findings from a four-year longitudinal intervention study (2021–2025) delivered online. The study engaged 1,748 students from grades 9 to 11 in structured reflective tasks. The intervention was designed to stimulate personalised self-reflection, addressing students’ interests, emotions, and career aspirations. The study employed linear mixed-effects models to examine the relationships between task-induced reflection, task completion, and metacognitive outcomes while accounting for individual- and class-level variance.

As hypothesised, task-induced reflection was positively associated with critical thinking, self-reflection, and insight, thereby reinforcing the role of structured individual reflection in career planning. Baseline measures strongly predicted follow-up outcomes, indicating that initial dispositions towards reflection are crucial in shaping long-term metacognitive development. Contrary to expectations, the number of completed tasks negatively correlated with critical thinking. Exploratory analyses suggested that this relationship was moderated by motivation levels: Highly motivated students in career planning benefited from engaging in additional tasks, demonstrating an increase in reflective capacity. Less motivated students encountered diminishing returns, indicating that excessive engagement in structured tasks without intrinsic motivation may hinder deeper critical engagement. Random intercept models revealed substantial variance within students but minimal variance at the class level, underscoring the highly individualised nature of career reflection and the importance of tailoring interventions to address student-specific needs.

Reflection-inducing tasks enhance critical thinking, self-reflection, and insight, particularly when students engage in task-induced reflection and have intrinsic motivation for career exploration. These findings emphasise the necessity of integrating reflective practices into career education while recognising the individual nature of career planning. By embedding metacognitive skill development within a structured and supportive framework, educators can play a pivotal role in enhancing students’ adaptability, decision-making, and lifelong career resilience in an evolving workforce.

In Germany educational choices and the labour market are highly segregated by gender. The occupational segregation by gender reproduces inequality, as occupations that are traditionally female-dominated are usually characterised by lower income levels, lower professional prestige and limited career development opportunities. Consequently, occupational gender segregation contributes to income differences, unequal employment prospects and career opportunities between men and women.

A gender-atypical educational choice has the potential to reduce gender-specific inequalities. However, this only applies if the educational choice leads to a career in that field. Though, existing research show that people formally trained in professions where their gender is numerically underrepresented, tend to have a worse experience in the labour market. The few studies on this phenomenon focus mainly on academic careers, while there is little research on the employment trajectories of people with atypical vocational education and training (VET) qualifications. This is where our study comes in, analysing the further employment trajectories of men and women with a gender-atypical VET. Our two main research questions are:

1. How does the labour market entry of men and women with gender-atypical VET compare to the labour market entry of people with gender-typical or gender-neutral VET?

2. What are the reasons for men and women leaving their gender-atypical occupation in the course of their employment trajectory?

Our theoretical framework is based on the idea that training and employment trajectories are shaped by a range of personal, societal and institutional factors. We therefore look at institutional settings characterising occupations, gender stereotypes evolving in the work context and the individual’s negotiations between their own aspirations and the prevailing occupational conditions.

Method

We employ a mixed-method approach, combining quantitative and qualitative data analysis. The quantitative analysis uses the National Education Panels (NEPS) dataset and tracks the training and employment trajectories of 4,000 respondents, who completed their VET some years ago. Of these, around 300 graduates completed a gender-atypical VET programme. We examine the labour market integration, income development, probability of occupational change and the risk of becoming unemployment. We compare results between people with gender- atypical, gender-typical and gender-neutral VET.

The qualitative analysis is based on self-collected data (07/24 - ongoing) from:

a. 19 biographical-narrative interviews with female career changers from male-dominated STEM and trade professions and male career changers from nursing professions.

b. 15 interviews with experts on the gender-specific characteristics of occupations and the possible causes of career changes from gender-atypical occupations.

Preliminary results

Initial analysis of the interviews shows that in the course of their careers the respondents feel alienated by their occupation, experience difficult working conditions and encounter general structural problems. For men the poor working conditions in the care sector paired with few professional development opportunities and low professional prestige are the main reasons for their career exits. Also, they switch more frequently to higher prestige professions, following an additional episode of training. Correspondently, the NEPS data show that men with a gender-atypical vocational training have a higher tendency to enter further education phases. Furthermore, men are more likely to take up a new employment in an occupation that no longer corresponds with their training, but provides them with better career opportunities. Based on the interviews, women experience more (in)direct discrimination as well as structural barriers, especially once they become mothers. Also, women tend to be more negatively affected by a career change, as most of them move as unskilled workers into lower-paid jobs. The NEPS data also show, that women with gender-atypical VET are more likely to be precarious employment than men. Though, unlike men, they do not appear to switch to jobs in different fields more frequently.

Initial Vocational education and training (VET) plays a pivotal role in the initial socialisation and professional integration of young people into the workforce and broader society. Achieving an upper secondary level qualification is an educational policy goal that is generally regarded as essential for the successful socialisation and future economic engagement of young people. Early leaving from VET are therefore considered problematic for the young people concerned, companies and society. Research on this topic has grown considerably in the last ten years (Böhn & Deutscher, 2022). This applies primarily to questions about the structural determinants of drop-outs (Krötz & Deutscher, 2022), including the perspective of the apprentices themselves (Bosset et al., 2022) or the individual consequences for career development (Stadler & Schmid, 2016). Premature contract dissolutions are also an actively discussed topic at an international comparative level (CEDEFOP, 2016; Huismann & Hippach-Schneider, 2023).

While these studies have generated a rich body of knowledge on the background and consequences of VET drop-outs, there is hardly any reflection on the fact that this phenomenon has always been associated with the institutionalization of initial VET (e.g. cursory in Schmid, 2010, p. 73). VET drop-outs are an inherent and a historically persistent phenomenon of the dual VET system. However, the political problematization of this phenomenon seems to be subject to its own rationales. This paper explores the relation between the persistence of VET drop-outs and the shift in the political sensitivity with regard to this phenomenon. It asks: How persistent has the phenomenon of VET drop-outs been since the institutionalization of initial VET in the early 20th century? How does the development of this phenomenon relate to the political perception of the problem?

In order to provide answers to these questions, this paper focuses on the development of initial VET in Switzerland. It reconstructs the phenomenon of VET drop-outs through the lens of public-political administrations over a long period of time. Since (vocational) education policy and, in particular, social policy are largely the responsibility of the cantons, this study is based on the cases of three German-speaking Swiss cantons. It will reconstruct the numbers of VET premature contract dissolutions for a period from the early 1920s to the end of the 20th century. The reconstruction is possible due to the public accountability reports of the cantonal administrations, which have reported on their administrative actions with a high degree of consistency over time (Imlig, 2016). The three cantons under analysis (St. Gallen, Solothurn and Basel-Stadt) are empirically relevant as they have published corresponding data over long periods of time, show a large variance in the importance of dual VET at upper secondary level (from high to low) and differ from each other in terms of the structure of VET administration (Department of Industry and Commerce or Department of Education).

At the same time, the definition of these reports’ topics and focal points must be understood as a consequence of the (different) political sensitivities of the respective government and its administration. Theoretically spoken, the purpose of creating visibility through statistics is threefold: firstly, to describe social facts; secondly, to trigger observation; and thirdly, to assign meaning (Köhler, 2008). Accordingly, the definition of statistical categories and their level of detail, as well as possible changes in these statistical categories over time, can be used to make an analytical approach towards the questions about how a manageable phenomenon of VET drop-outs has become a political problem – and how this relationship has changed over time. The study thus provides a differentiated reflection into the historical development of this phenomenon of VET drop-outs, which is widely discussed today.

Research has paid scant attention to the trajectories of university dropout students once they leave the higher education system (Tieben, 2024). Failure to separate permanent dropout from temporary and/or transfer behaviours has often led a substantial overestimation of the dropout rate from higher education (Tinto, 1975). VET is increasingly considered as an alternative in the learning trajectories of university dropouts to obtain a post-secondary qualification (Hossler et al., 2012). While abundant studies on the profile and factors influencing degree transfer exist, few studies focus on VET as a destination after university dropout in Europe.

This paper presents a quantitative study that compares two transfer-out behaviours of first-year university students in Spain. The research question is: Which factors influence transfer to VET in contrast with transfer to another degree? This investigation is part of the research project “Assessment of risk factors and prevention of university dropout. Development of a good practice guide (ModAU-GBP)” led by the University of Oviedo with funding from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities [MCINN-23-PID2022-141290NB-I00] and EU funding on behalf of the Principality of Asturias [GRUPIN: ID2024/000713].

Building on prior studies, we first explored bivariate correlations between these two types of transfer and the following factors: sociodemographic (gender, age), family background (parents’ educational attainment) and academic variables (type of upper secondary education school, baccalaureate modality, reasons for choosing the degree, type of degree, and reasons for leaving the degree). Secondly, a predictive model was constructed by means of a Multivariate Logistic Regression (MLR), which identified the demographic, socioeconomic, family, personal, and academic trajectory variables that impact on dropout direction.

The sample comprised 500 first-year university students who dropped out within the first three years after entry and either transferred to another degree (lateral transfer) or to a VET course (reverse transfer) the year after dropping out. This sample belongs to a bigger sample (N=3719) collected by the Educational-Training Transition and Labour Insertion Survey [ETEFIL-19] dataset (INE, 2019).

The results show that different directions of drop-out intention stem from various factors, with academic performance, father’s education level, personal/family issues and gender having the largest significant effect. Even after controlling for other factors, men were significantly overrepresented in reverse transfer. Likewise, students whose father was a VET qualification holder were significantly more likely to enroll in a VET course after dropout. The odds of reverse transfer were also significantly increased when low academic performance or personal/family issues were reported as the main cause of dropout.

The model shows an acceptable fit (R² McF .304) and classification performance with more than 76% of cases correctly predicted in both dropout directions. Morover, it shows an acceptable balance between sensitivity (76.3%) and specificity (76.9%). The model predictions are reliable (accuracy 76.7%) and the AUC value (.854) reinforces the idea that the model is robust in terms of discrimination between classes.

We conclude that the choice of VET in case of university dropout is shaped by external pressures whereas degree transfer is more self-directed. Students who are not persisting in university may be more likely to enroll in VET if this option were made more visible by Higher Education Institutions. Reverse transfer should become a more frequent feature of Post Secondary Education pathway discussions from high school and specific information about non-linear post-secondary pathways and reverse transfer should be aimed at university students at the risk of dropout.

Many studies highlighted the vulnerability of people experiencing school-to-work transition (SWT). This is particularly true during turbulent times, such as economic crisis (Bradley and Devadason, 2008; L´opez B´oo, 2012; Watson, 2020; Woo and Yoon, 2010). As firms favour insiders and experienced candidates, the decrease in economic activity is particularly detrimental for young jobseekers (Forsythe, 2022). Consequently, periods of crisis are conducive to the emergence of precarious trajectories and growing social inequalities.

The COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented shock –at least in recent history– on our society. It affected lives in various domains: physical and mental health, leisure, employment. The economic activity fell drastically as well as job openings and searches (Goolsbee and Syverson, 2021; Kraenzlin et al., 2020). In this context, students leaving secondary vocational education and training (VET) might have been severely affected by the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and related measures.

Studying the consequences of this crisis is important in two respects. Foremost, this disruption may have consequences for the life courses of many people, potentially in the long run (Helbling and Sacchi, 2014). Identifying profiles of vulnerability is thus crucial to deter the long-term effects of this crisis. In addition, a better comprehension of these consequences is necessary to improve the responses that can be provided in the future when similar events occur.

This study aims to document the medium-term impact of COVID-19 measures on young people leaving Vocational Education and Training (VET). Particular attention is paid to identify whether new patterns of transition have emerged in the wake of COVID-19.

When direct transition to employment is made difficult by economic conditions, a coping mechanism is to remain longer in education (Lopez Boo, 2012; Watson, 2020). However, some school leavers might not be able to follow this route and enter in unemployment. This would lead to a polarisation among VET graduates.

There are several reasons for this. First, some sectors of the economy were more affected by the COVID-19 measures leading to an increased risk of unemployment (Blundell et al., 2020). Secondly, educational opportunities are not distributed evenly. Continuing education is easier in some fields of study than in others, the socio-demographic background fo pupils also plays a role in this context (Cortesi and Imdorf, 2013).

We use LABB (FSO, 2024), an exhaustive administrative database, to study the school-to-work transition trajectories of young individuals who got a VET diploma in Switzerland. We apply innovative methods to identify patterns of particularly unstable and atypical trajectories. To highlight the changes associated with the pandemic, three cohorts of VET graduates are compared. Pupils graduated in 2017 act as a control group for the 2019 and 2020 cohorts affected respectively during and since the beginning of their SWT.

Results show fewer direct transitions to employment, more precarious trajectories and more continuation of studies for the pandemic impacted cohorts. This confirms a polarisation among VET graduates during the pandemic. Our study further highlights that VET graduated in the service and primary sectors were more affected by the COVID-19 crisis, leading to precarious ransitions for students. In contrast, individuals in the health sector were protected from unemployment and were more likely to remain in education. In the meantime, convergence also occurs. The pandemic is associated with a decrease in the differences between linguistic regions and between genders. These results remind us that the VET system is highly heterogenous and so are the COVID-19 consequences on its graduates.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted apprentices in dual vocational and education training (VET). In training firms, where apprentices spend most of their time during training, the impacts of the pandemic were particularly challenging. For instance, for some apprentices, the working environment changed (e.g., home office), and others had to take on new tasks (e.g., vaccinating) or lacked social support (e.g., personalized feedback). Depending on how training firms and occupations were affected by the pandemic, apprentices experienced their environment differently. If and how strong aspects were perceived as disruptive, novel, and critical (Morgeson et al., 2015), the apprentice’s self- and external perception of their professional role could have changed.

Professional roles can be based on self-perception, the external definitions of others (Brooks-Yip, 2023), and interactions with the environment and the actions that follow (Blumer, 1980). Accordingly, apprentices are, on the one hand, seen as learners in training and are not equally responsible for the daily business as trained employees (Chan, 2019). On the other hand, depending on the sector, apprentices quickly take on day-to-day tasks that untrained workers would otherwise complete (Gehret et al., 2019).

Drawing on the symbolic interactionism theory, we assume that the meaning of interactions can be processed differently during a disruptive event such as COVID-19 (Blumer, 1980; Carter & Fuller, 2015). Disruptive events can change expectations or assumptions of oneself, leading to conflicting or ambiguous roles, e.g., due to a lack of communication, unclear responsibilities, or work overload (Levinson et al., 1965; Örtqvist & Wincent, 2006; Rizzo et al., 1970). Challenging working environments and perceived role changes could have additionally increased the propensity of premature contract terminations or the psychological stress of apprentices.

To study perceived changes in apprentices’ roles, we conducted 16 group interviews in Spring 2023 in Switzerland's French and German-speaking regions with approximately eight apprentices per interview. We interviewed apprentices from nine different training occupations, which were differently affected by the pandemic (home office, work overload, short-time work, marginal affectedness) and differed regarding their intellectual requirement profile. The apprentices graduated in the summer of 2023, making them the last cohort who experienced the whole pandemic during their apprenticeship. Additionally, we conducted 11 expert interviews with vocational trainers who worked as trainers before, during, and after the pandemic to supply insights into how trainers perceived apprentices’ roles. The interviews were coded and analyzed using codebook thematic analysis (Ando et al., 2014; Miles & Huberman, 1994; Roberts et al., 2019).

Results of the group interviews indicate that apprentices’ roles changed depending on how they, as learners, were affected by the pandemic. For example, apprentices who mainly experienced home office during COVID-19 either perceived themselves as students who were dependent on the instructions of others, or they felt they had to take charge of the situation and become more responsible employees. Therefore, apprentices in home office more often experienced role ambiguity. By contrast, apprentices with work overload more often experienced their role to switch depending on the situation. On the one hand, these apprentices perceived their role as vulnerable because they were shielded from specific tasks. On the other hand, work overload led to including apprentices in tasks for which they were not yet qualified. Apprentices who experienced work overload instead perceived conflicting roles.

Perceived changes in apprentices’ roles during the COVID-19 pandemic are determined by interactions with others that shape how apprentices saw themselves and how they felt their trainers defined them. This is generally true, yet the crisis of COVID-19 underlines this crucial and interactive relationship. The current study emphasizes the influence of crisis on the forming of professional roles of apprentices.

The COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected the economy and the labour market. It led to a decrease in the number of job vacancies and an increase in youth unemployment (SECO, 2021). Such economic downturns hit young people at the beginning of their careers particularly hard and may hamper their school-to-work transitions (Cockx & Ghirelli, 2016). Uncertainties about the economy can deter graduates from entering the labour market and encourage them to stay in education and invest in further training to postpone labour market entry and increase their future chances in the labour market (Sironi, 2018). In this paper, we are thus interested in _how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected recent graduates' transition into further education and whether we find differences between graduates from different education programs and regions depending on how affected they were by the pandemic_.

In this paper, we focus on graduates from dual vocational education and training (VET) in Switzerland because the choice between entering the labour market and continuing education is particularly important for them. Swiss VET graduates have several options to continue in education. Those with strong academic skills may earn a Federal Vocational Baccalaureate and/or enter a University of Applied Sciences. Alternatively, they may serve a second apprenticeship or enter a College of Higher Education. From a theoretical perspective, transition processes are a complex interplay between labour market opportunities, institutional structures, and individual characteristics (Schels & Wöhrer, 2022). To theorize school-to-work transitions, we use a rational choice approach (Breen & Goldthorpe, 1997; Erikson & Jonsson, 1996). We argue that VET graduates choose between further education or labour market entry based on a subjective analysis of perceived costs and benefits of each option, such as the probability of success, expected future earnings and employment opportunities, or status loss. Previous studies have shown that entering the labour market during times of crisis is particularly difficult and may have negative long-term impacts such as lower income, higher risk of unemployment and mismatch, and lower job satisfaction (Kahn, 2010). Graduating in times of crisis thus increases the costs of entering the labour market. In turn, it also increases the benefits of staying in education and improving own’s position in the labour queue (Sacchi et al., 2016). This may be particularly true for those with higher socio-economic status, who are generally more likely to invest and continue in education (Becker & Glauser, 2018).

We use longitudinal register data on educational trajectories of Swiss VET graduates (LABB data) to answer our research question. This administrative data contains information on educational enrolment in Switzerland and, for a subset of individuals, information on social background. We compare cohorts graduating from VET before the pandemic (2016-2019) with the ones during (2020-2021) the pandemic to recognize changes in the transition processes. We combine this data with our own data on the pandemic-related affectedness of occupations.

We use multivariate regressions to analyse our research question. Our main dependent variable is the probability of staying in education instead of entering the labour market. We distinguish between (i) the probability of entering a vocational baccalaureate school after graduation (FVB2), (ii) the probability of entering a University of Applied Sciences, and (iii) the probability of entering a College of Higher Education.

Results indicate that while the transition into further education remained relatively stable overall, developments differ between regions and occupations depending on how the pandemic affected the costs of staying in education or entering the labour market. For instance, in Zurich, more students enrolled in FVB2 school during the pandemic, most likely because mandatory entrance exams were abolished during the pandemic, decreasing the costs of entering FVB2 school.

The 2018 reform of the French apprenticeship system significantly liberalized its structure, facilitating the creation of new training programs. The government also provided substantial financial incentives to encourage companies to hire apprentices. These measures, particularly reinforced during the COVID-19 pandemic, led to a dramatic and quick increase in the number of apprentices, rising from 437,000 in 2018 to over one million in 2023 (Plé, 2024). This unprecedented growth, coupled with an increasing reliance on work placements in school-based training, has positioned alternance training “formation en alternance” as the dominant training model endorsed by French authorities (Veillard, 2023). However, this rapid expansion has raised concerns about the pedagogical quality of such programs. In response, France Compétences -the national agency responsible for coordinating vocational training- launched a research initiative to assess and enhance the quality of alternance training.

This study investigates a critical challenge in alternance (and dual) courses: the transfer of knowledge and learners’ transition between classroom-based instruction and workplace learning periods (Beach, 2001; Zittoun & Perret-Clermont, 2002; XX et al., 2024). Specifically, it explores the role of Intermediate Situations (IS), hybrid learning environments that serve as interfaces between academic instruction and workplace experience (Métral, 2016; Zitter et al., 2016). Rather than adopting a purely utilitarian perspective, IS aim to foster the integration and mobilization of knowledge in professional practice, supporting learners’ long-term development. The research pursues three main objectives: 1) mapping the use of IS in alternance training programs by identifying their presence, type, and prevalence; 2) analyzing the factors influencing IS implementation, including regulatory, organizational, and socio-professional determinants; 3) Assessing the pedagogical impact of IS by examining their instructional characteristics and effects on learning activities.

We use a mixed-methods approach combining: 1) a quantitative survey conducted in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, analyzing the prevalence and diversity of IS across training programs; 2) Six qualitative case studies across different sectors (agri-food, healthcare, construction, and social work) and qualification levels (post-secondary and higher education). Data collection included structured questionnaires, semi-structured interviews with learners and trainers, and classroom/workplace observations.

The quantitative survey reveals that IS are present in more than two-thirds of training programs, though their use and characteristics vary widely. These situations take multiple forms, including practical sessions in school workshops, role-playing exercises, real or virtual simulations, student-led projects, and debriefing sessions following workplace training. A typology, developed using statistical classification method (MCA supplemented by an HAC), categorizes training programs into five classes based on the similarity of their pedagogical approaches. This typology highlights the diversity of instructional strategies used in alternance programs, reflecting distinct training cultures across different fields and educational levels. For example, while internships are deeply embedded in healthcare training (e.g., nursing, midwifery), they are rarely paired with apprenticeship models. The qualitative case studies confirm the pedagogical value of IS in developing professional skills. Interviews with learners indicate a strong preference for these situations, with many expressing a desire for increased opportunities to engage in them. However, the findings also reveal that the full potential of IS is not always realized due to several challenges, particularly a lack of didactic expertise among trainers.

Workplace-based skills training courses in vocational high schools play a crucial role in preparing students for employment by equipping them with industry-relevant skills. However, challenges such as organizational inefficiencies, lack of employer collaboration, and communication gaps continue to impact the effectiveness of these programs. This study investigates the challenges faced in the "Workplace-Based Skills Training Course" (İşletmelerde Beceri Eğitimi Dersi) in Türkiye using a mixed-methods research approach, integrating quantitative and qualitative data to provide a comprehensive understanding of vocational education processes (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2018; Billett, 2011).

The research follows an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design in two phases. In the quantitative phase (October–December 2024), two newly developed measurement scales were applied to students, teachers, and vocational training coordinators in 21 cities. These scales assessed organizational communication, employer engagement, and training effectiveness in vocational high schools specializing in food and beverage services. Data collection has been completed, and statistical analyses are ongoing. The qualitative phase (February–April 2025) will involve semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and on-site observations with selected participants using purposeful sampling (Patton, 2002). Thematic analysis will be employed to contextualize the quantitative findings.

This study follows core mixed-methods research principles, integrating quantitative results with qualitative insights at three levels: design, method, and interpretation (Fetters, Curry, & Creswell, 2013). At the design level, an explanatory sequential model is employed, where quantitative results guide qualitative data collection. At the method level, connection and building techniques ensure that quantitative findings inform the selection of qualitative participants, and qualitative insights refine the interpretation of numerical data (Bryman, 2006). Finally, at the interpretation level, results will be synthesized through narrative integration and joint displays to highlight overarching themes (Guetterman, Fetters, & Creswell, 2015).

Preliminary results from the quantitative phase indicate students face significant challenges in adapting to workplace environments, primarily due to insufficient orientation, unclear employer expectations, and inadequate supervision. Teachers and coordinators report difficulties in tracking student progress and engaging with enterprises due to bureaucratic hurdles and a lack of standardized feedback mechanisms (Deissinger, 2015; Billett, 2011). Employers highlight curriculum-industry mismatches and low student readiness for professional tasks (Sweet, 2013).

A critical issue identified is the lack of a centralized digital system for monitoring internships, which limits coordination, feedback, and progress tracking. Unlike Germany's dual education model, Türkiye lacks a structured evaluation framework that effectively bridges vocational schools and enterprises (Euler, 2013).

To address these challenges, this study proposes a socio-technical systems approach, integrating technology-driven solutions with organizational reforms (Trist, 1981). A digital internship management platform is recommended to facilitate real-time performance tracking, structured feedback mechanisms, and centralized student progress monitoring

By systematically combining quantitative and qualitative data, this research provides empirical evidence on vocational education challenges in Türkiye and offers practical solutions for improving training processes. The findings aim to support policymakers, educators, and industry stakeholders in enhancing the effectiveness of workplace-based skills training courses in vocational high schools.

Plébiscitée par tous, l’alternance touche aujourd’hui tous les secteurs d’activités, domaines et niveaux de formation. Elle peut intervenir à tous les âges de la vie, en préalable, début, milieu ou fin de carrière et se déploie de manière exponentielle. Il convient dès lors de se rendre attentif à la qualité des dispositifs pédagogiques pour permettre à ces pédagogies de se distinguer d’autres formes.

La littérature scientifique valorise l’alternance intégrative comme celle qui serait la plus propice au développement car elle prend en compte de manière itérative et structurante les va-et-vient de l’alternance entre les environnements de la formation. Or les formes actuelles et émergente de l’alternance s’éloignent de plus en plus d’un simple modèle « d’aller-retour » entre le centre de formation et l’entreprise. L'étude de la diversité des formes d’alternance permet de tirer des leçons des pratiques mobilisées, et de valoriser celles les plus enclines à la fabrication d’une alternance plus inclusive : capable de s’adapter à la diversité des profils d’apprentissage, de mettre chacun en capacité d’apprendre, de s’approprier et de transférer ses connaissances et compétences, de se développer.

Penser en ces termes conduit à interroger les ingénieries de l’alternance (amont, en cours, aval) et à appréhender les itérations et liens élaborés entre les différents environnements de la formation et les expériences d’apprentissage qui s’y construisent. Elles prennent plus ou moins en compte l’importance de soutenir un continuum d’apprentissage (points d’ancrage, de passages, boucles de rétroaction) et de professionnalisation. Cela suppose de concevoir des ingénieries d’interface qui proposent des situations propices à relier les expériences vécues : des situations interface. Celles-ci sont à appréhender comme une zone de contact structurante entre les environnements de la formation et les expériences d’apprentissage. Le vécu, le sien et celui des autres, s’y organisent et se structurent, se questionnent et se formalisent, s’éprouvent et interpellent, etc. pour se développer.

Notre travail conduit de ce fait à se questionner sur la perception qu’ont les individus qui se forment de ces situations interfaces et de la manière dont celles-ci participent au développement de leurs compétences et de leur pouvoir d’agir.

Nous mobilisons pour cela, le cadre des capabilités. Il permet une analyse multifactorielle des dispositifs et de leur fonctionnement du point de vue de la personne qui y agit, mettant en évidence les conditions du développement qu’elles soient environnementales, organisationnelles, sociales, dispositionnelles, et appréciées dans leurs interactions.

Dans cette contribution, après avoir présenté le cadre d’analyse des capabilités, nous exposons brièvement quelques situations interface mises en évidence dans une recherche portant sur des dispositifs de formation déployés dans les Maisons Familiales Rurales, tout en faisant une incursion dans une autre recherche et qui a participé à travailler sur l’idée d’alternance capacitante. Puis, nous faisons le choix de détailler une situations interface particulière : la situation d’« évaluation de stage ».

Cet arrêt sur image permet de mettre en évidence l’intérêt et les enjeux d’une pédagogie des situations interface quel que soit la forme d’alternance déployée. Cette pédagogie participe de la construction de l’expérience des personnes en formation, celle-ci étant à mettre en lien avec les conditions de la professionnalisation. Cet arrêt sur image est aussi l’occasion d’enrichir la grille de lecture proposée à partir du cadre des capabilités et de compléter les éléments de sa modélisation lorsqu’il s’agit de convertir des ressources en capacités d’action et/ou de choix.

Nous montrons que le cadre des capabilités est très utile pour étudier les ingénieries de l’alternance et leurs situations interface puisqu’il ne prend ni le parti des environnements (approche sociologique) ni celui des individus (approche pédagogique), mais celui de leurs interactions réciproques (approche socio-pédagogique).

In Switzerland, almost two thirds of young people leaving compulsory education follow vocational training, mainly in the dual system (SERI, 2022). This system alternates between courses at vocational school and training in a company and exposes young people, from the age of 15, to real working conditions, including exposure to physical and mental health risks or accidents (FSO, 2021; SUVA, August 2021). The alternation between training sites also means that a variety of actors (trainers, teachers, school psychologists, etc.) are involved in the transmission of occupational health and safety (OHS) knowledge and the support of apprentices. Various studies indicate that the dual system can be an obstacle to apprentices’ OHS, whether due to the weak articulation between school and company (Laberge et al., 2014), or to heterogeneous roles and representations of OHS among these various actors (Chatigny & Riel, 2014; Moreau and al., 2013). While some studies on the Swiss dual system highlight the difficulties of articulation between training sites (Berger and al., 2020; Sappa & Aprea, 2014), none have examined these aspects from an OHS perspective.

This contribution, based on ongoing research on apprentices' OHS (SNSF No. 10001A_200746), explores how teachers, in-company trainers (CT) and inter-company course trainers (ICT) provide OSH training and support to apprentices. This analysis is particularly necessary given that, despite the legal provisions and accompanying measures on the subject (training plans and appendices), young people aged 15 to 24, including apprentices, suffer more accidents at work than adults (Lanfranconi, 2006; FSO, 2020) and are more exposed to physical and psychological risks (Lamamra & Masdonati, 2009; FSO, 2021). The current contribution considers that this higher accident rate and overexposure are partly due to the division of labour in the transmission of OHS issues between training sites and between various actors (general education teachers, branch teachers, CT or ICT), the heterogeneity of the content transmitted and the fragmentation of OHS knowledge that results from this. It thus considers that the lack of coordination between training centres inherent to dual VET constitutes a major obstacle to the coherent and continuous transmission of OSH knowledge, and therefore to the support of apprentices (Chatigny & Desmarais, 2015; Moreau and al., 2013).

The analysis is based on 54 individual interviews conducted in French-speaking Switzerland with teachers, CT and ICT from five sectors: construction, catering, health care, retail and hairdressing.

A first part will describe the various ways in which teachers, IC and ICT think about their role in transmitting OHS knowledge and supporting apprentices. From this starting point, the aspects of OHS to which these actors attach importance will be highlighted, as well as the ways in which they approach them. Finally, a third part will highlight the heterogeneity of conceptions and practices, and what they reveal about the low degree of collaboration between these different actors, in particular between teachers and trainers.

The analysis will show that heterogeneous practices contribute to a fragmented approach of addressing OHS issues. It will emphasize that the lack of consistency between practices reflects a more global issue of dual VET system, namely the weak articulation between vocational school and training company.

The ASEAN-Swiss TVET Initiative (ASTI) was launched to address critical challenges in youth employment and skills development across Cambodia, Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR), and Myanmar. These countries face persistently high rates of informal employment, widespread skills mismatches, and limited access to quality vocational training, especially among out-of-school youth and low-skilled workers. ASTI responds to these challenges by introducing a structured Work-Based Learning (WBL) model grounded in dual training principles from Switzerland and Germany, adapted to the socio-economic realities of the ASEAN region. The initiative seeks to enhance the relevance and quality of TVET systems by embedding practical, company-based training within national qualifications frameworks and fostering close collaboration between government agencies, vocational institutions, and private-sector actors.

This paper examines the rationale, design, and early implementation outcomes of ASTI using a qualitative, multi-method approach. Data collection involved online surveys with private sector stakeholders and implementing companies, written questionnaires with business chambers and government officials, and in-depth interviews with participating trainees. The study focuses on Cambodia and Lao PDR. It aims to assess how WBL is perceived by key actors, what conditions shape its effectiveness, and what strategic adjustments are needed to support scale-up and policy integration. The research also draws on international literature to contextualize ASTI within broader debates on youth employment, skills development, and public–private partnerships in TVET.

Findings from the study reveal strong stakeholder support for WBL as a mechanism to build workforce readiness, improve soft skills, and bridge the education–employment gap. Employers appreciated the contribution of trainees to daily operations and saw WBL as a low-risk pathway to talent development. However, they also reported recurring challenges related to trainee preparedness, limited trainer capacity, and a lack of standardized training materials. Institutional actors highlighted weak coordination and unclear legal frameworks as key barriers to sustainability. Despite these hurdles, the paper concludes that ASTI’s WBL model is widely seen as a valuable and transformative tool. With targeted improvements in orientation, trainer support, stakeholder coordination, and monitoring systems, WBL can become a foundational element of an inclusive, industry-responsive TVET system in the ASEAN region.

Nepal faces a persistent skills mismatch in its labor market, particularly within micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which are crucial to the economy. The limited engagement of private sector in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) leads to this gap. In response, the Government of Nepal, with technical assistance from Helvetas, launched Swiss Funded Enhanced Skills for Sustainable and Rewarding Employment (ENSSURE) project in 2016 to integrate Swiss-inspired apprenticeship models and foster industry engagement.

The ENSSURE project promotes the apprenticeship model, wherein apprentices gain practical industry experience while receiving formal education. An impact assessment by ETH Zurich (CEMETS) showed that companies investing in apprenticeships received positive returns on investment (ROI), with the total productive contributions exceeding costs and a net benefit of NPR 17,000 over 24 months. The ROI varied by sector, with electrical engineering firms seeing higher benefits (NPR 62,000) than mechanical engineering firms (NPR 6,000), though employer satisfaction was high across industries. Apprentices valued the opportunity for skill acquisition, formal certification, and career advancement.

One of the key success factors in getting on board over 1085 companies to participate in apprenticeship programs, is formal collaboration with Industry Associations, including, the Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI). All of them have established a Skills Unit to strengthen skills development.

A study conducted in the Bagmati, Koshi, and Lumbini provinces explores the economic and non-economic factors influencing MSMEs’ participation in apprenticeship programs, such as firm size, resource capacity, reputational incentives, and perceived productivity gains. The study’s findings will inform policies and incentives to increase private sector engagement in TVET.

This research contributes valuable insights for enhancing public-private partnerships in vocational education, offering policy recommendations for scaling apprenticeship programs in Nepal and other developing economies.

Dans un contexte de mondialisation et d’évolutions rapides des marchés de l’emploi, la formation professionnelle et technique (VET/PET) joue un rôle essentiel dans l’insertion professionnelle des individus. Cependant, un facteur clé souvent négligé est la place des langues dans ces formations. Que ce soit dans l'apprentissage des compétences techniques ou dans la communication professionnelle, la maîtrise des langues devient indispensable. Ce travail explore l'importance de l’intégration des langues étrangères et des compétences interculturelles dans les programmes de VET/PET, en mettant l’accent sur l'impact de la langue dans l’efficacité des formations.

Cette présentation vise à examiner comment l'intégration des langues étrangères et des compétences linguistiques dans les formations professionnelles et techniques peut améliorer les opportunités professionnelles des apprenants, renforcer l’employabilité et favoriser une meilleure mobilité internationale des travailleurs. L’objectif est de démontrer que la compétence linguistique, loin d'être une compétence accessoire, est un levier fondamental pour la réussite des apprenants dans un environnement de travail globalisé.

Cette présentation vise à examiner comment l'intégration des langues étrangères et des compétences linguistiques dans les formations professionnelles et techniques peut améliorer les opportunités professionnelles des apprenants, renforcer l’employabilité et favoriser une meilleure mobilité internationale des travailleurs. L’objectif est de démontrer que la compétence linguistique, loin d'être une compétence accessoire, est un levier fondamental pour la réussite des apprenants dans un environnement de travail globalisé.

Pour cette étude, nous avons mené une analyse comparative de plusieurs programmes de formation professionnelle en Europe et en Afrique, en examinant la place accordée aux langues étrangères dans ces formations. Nous avons également recueilli des témoignages d’apprenants et de formateurs sur les avantages et défis liés à l'intégration des langues dans les cursus VET/PET. Cette approche nous a permis d'identifier les pratiques innovantes et les obstacles à l'implémentation de ces compétences linguistiques dans les formations professionnelles.

Les résultats préliminaires montrent que la compétence linguistique est souvent négligée dans les formations VET/PET, malgré ses bénéfices pour l'insertion professionnelle. Une meilleure intégration des langues améliorerait les compétences interculturelles des apprenants et faciliterait leur adaptation à un environnement de travail multilingue. Cela contribuerait également à lever les obstacles à la mobilité professionnelle, notamment pour les jeunes diplômés.

En conclusion, la place des langues dans les formations professionnelles et techniques mérite une attention accrue. L'intégration des compétences linguistiques dans ces formations ne doit pas seulement être perçue comme un ajout pédagogique, mais comme une nécessité stratégique pour répondre aux exigences du marché du travail globalisé. Cette réflexion ouvrira des pistes sur la manière dont les formations VET/PET peuvent s’adapter aux défis contemporains, en favorisant une éducation plus inclusive et plus connectée à la réalité internationale.

Dans un contexte de mondialisation et d’évolutions rapides des marchés de l’emploi, la formation professionnelle et technique (VET/PET) joue un rôle essentiel dans l’insertion professionnelle des individus. Cependant, un facteur clé souvent négligé est la place des langues dans ces formations. Cette présentation explore l'importance de l’intégration des langues étrangères et des compétences interculturelles dans les programmes de VET/PET, et démontre que la compétence linguistique est un levier fondamental pour la réussite des apprenants dans un environnement de travail globalisé. L’étude se base sur une analyse comparative de programmes de formation en Europe et en Afrique, ainsi que sur des témoignages de formateurs et d’apprenants. Les résultats suggèrent que l'intégration des langues dans ces formations améliore l’employabilité, la mobilité internationale et les compétences interculturelles des apprenants. Cette communication plaide pour une révision des curriculums VET/PET afin de mieux intégrer les compétences linguistiques, non seulement comme un atout pédagogique, mais comme un impératif stratégique pour préparer les travailleurs aux défis contemporains du marché global.

The 1970s in Switzerland were years of great change, driven by the post World War II economic boom, by rapid technological advances and by profound societal transformations. Also the Swiss education system went through a period of major transformation, the so-called “educational expansion” (Bildungsexpansion) period, characterised by a kind of “reform euphoria” and by a general increase in participation in different forms of education and, more specifically, a gradual and massive increase in the participation of young Swiss people in upper secondary education, both general and vocational (Criblez 2001, Gonon 2018).

The education system was under particular pressure during these years (Bonoli & Vorpe, 2022). Three challenges needed to be met: Firstly, changes in the world of work, with major technological innovations, required ever more advanced qualifications. Secondly, there was a growing ‘social demand for education’ (Venturelli, 1985) among the general population, who aspired to improve their level of education. Finally, we also faced a new challenge: that of equality of opportunity in education, with an ever stronger demand to ensure conditions of equal access and treatment for all young Swiss people, not only for compulsory education but also for upper secondary education.

These three challenges determine the general development of the Swiss education system from the 1970s up to now, characterised by an increase in the importance of general education, an improvement in the conditions of apprenticeships and the introduction of measures to improve equality of access to upper secondary education (Bonoli & Gonon, 2023). However, while a general trend can be identified, the cantons responded to these three challenges in different ways (Bonoli & Vorpe, 2022).

By closely analysing the legislative framework of five Swiss cantons (Ticino, Vaud, Fribourg, Basel Stadt, Thurgau) between 1960 and 1980, our presentation aims to highlight the different cantonal responses to the three challenges mentioned above. Particular emphasis will be placed on the reforms adopted in the cantons to open up access to upper secondary programmes (in particular to general upper secondary education) and thus improve freedom of choice after compulsory school. Attention will also be placed on the subsidies or grants made available to reduce the financial barriers that could limit educational options, and finally on the measures adopted to improve apprenticeship training conditions and bring them into line with those of students at general education schools.

This analysis will reconstruct the situation of the education system in the five cantons, both on the basis of official documents (laws, regulations, government papers, commission reports, parliamentary debates) and on the basis of available statistical data (Swiss yearbooks of statistics, federal censuses, cantonal yearbooks, departmental reports).

This analysis will enable us to show major differences: on the one hand, cantons that open up access to post obligatory general education schools and grant a great deal of financial aid, and on the other, cantons where few measures are adopted in the years under consideration, with the result of drastically limiting the freedom of choice of young people, who are forced to choose apprenticeship training in the absence of possible alternatives.

About 20 years ago, Switzerland introduced a two-year Federal Certificate of vocational education and training (VET), complementing the regular three- and four-year programmes (Federal VET Diploma). VET certificates aim at integrating academically low-achieving but practically talented young people into the labour market and/or allowing them to continue their education by earning a VET diploma (Schwaab, 2019). 6% of all upper secondary degrees in 2023 were federal certificates (Swiss Federal Statistical Office, 2024) . Although around three fourths of all VET certificate holders are integrated in the labour market within 6-8 months after the apprenticeship (Fitzli et al., 2016; Hofmann et al., 2020), they search longer for a job, are unemployed more often and change jobs involuntarily more frequently than diploma holders (Fitzli et al., 2016). However, little is known about employers’ perception of and willingness to hire certificate holders. Therefore, we ask: How do employers rate VET certificate holders’ chances to be invited to a job interview compared to VET diploma holders? How can differences in hiring chances between certificate and diploma holders be explained?

Several theoretical strands explain employers’ preferences for educational degrees. First, human capital theory argues that the applicant with the most productive skills at the lowest cost is hired (Becker, 1964). Education and training can inform employers about applicants’ skills (e.g. occupation-specific skills) as well as hiring costs (wages, expected duration of the on-the-job-training and expected tenure of the job applicants). Second, signalling theory argues that education and training credentials serve as signals of unobservable cognitive skills (present before the start of the education and training) which influence on-the-job productivity (e.g. motivation, ability to learn) (Arrow, 1973; Stiglitz, 1975). Third, culturalist theories emphasize that hiring decisions are based on employers’ perception of applicants’ fit with the team and customers (Rivera, 2012). Educational credentials may serve as indicators of the cultural capital and social skills expected to fit in (Bourdieu & Passeron, 1977).

We use data from a series of factorial surveys with in total 2105 Swiss employers, i.e. persons (co-) responsible for filling a real vacancy. We limit our sample to 31 occupational fields, in which both the VET certificate and VET diploma are established (N=1037). The vacancies were drawn from all vacancies for permanent positions in these fields published online in Summer 2024. Each employer evaluated eight vignettes describing hypothetical profiles of job applicants with regards to the likelihood to invite the applicant for a job interview (main dependent variable) and applicants expected productivity, team and customer-fit, wage expectations, and tenure (mechanisms). The profiles were randomly varied in four dimensions: highest education (e.g. federal certificate; federal diploma; main independent variable); work experience; gender and grades. For the analysis we run separate OLS regressions for each occupational field including fixed effects for the employers.

The results show that federal certificate holders are significantly less likely to be invited to a job interview than federal diploma holders in 22 of the 31 occupational fields. A sizeable part of the difference can be explained by employers’ perception of VET certificate holders as less productive and to fit less well with the team and customers than federal diploma holders. Only wage expectations work in favour of VET certificate holders, because employers assume that this group of job applicants expects lower pay. Overall, our results show that culturalist theories and theories focusing on job applicants’ productivity (human capital and signalling) can jointly explain part of the differences in hiring chances between diploma and certificate holders. The unexplained part of VET certificate holders’ lower employment chances indicate that additional mechanisms are at work, which need investigating with future research.

Introduction

Vocational Education and Training (VET) prepares students for the labor market by combining theoretical instruction with practical training in companies. The dual VET model ensures that students develop industry-specific competencies while gaining real-world work experience (Deissinger & Gonon, 2021). Norway follows a 2+2 model, where students spend two years in school before entering a two-year apprenticeship. However, many students struggle to secure an apprenticeship, preventing them from completing their training (Høst & Smedsrud, 2022).

In response, the Completion Reform (Meld. St. 21, 2020–2021) introduced a “third year in school” for students unable to obtain an apprenticeship. Despite being an alternative pathway, participation remains low, raising concerns about its effectiveness and accessibility.

Theory

In VET, organizational theory can be seen as closely related to equity in education, emphasizing the interaction between different actants in the network around the students (Czarniawska, 2014). In Norway, equity in VET is closely linked to institutional collaboration between schools, apprenticeship agencies, and employers. The role of local networks and institutions is essential in bridging educational gaps, where VET equity is not just about equal opportunities but ensuring meaningful access to education and employment (Author, 2023). Low participation and completion in third year at school suggests that further adjustments are needed to improve equity in vocational training.

Method

This study employs a mixed-methods approach to examine pathways from school-based training to completed apprenticeships. The quantitative component analyzes regional data on students transitioning from the first two years at school, to a vocational certification. It tracks completion rates, dropout trends, and regional disparities in apprenticeship placements.

The qualitative approach consists of a case study in health care education at “third year at school”. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 participants, including leaders, teachers, apprentices, and supervisors. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while thematic analysis identified patterns in institutional strategies supporting students.

Results

Findings reveal significant variations in student demographics, completion rates, and the structure of “third year in school”. The majority of students were adult women, often immigrants, seeking to complete their training and enter the health care sector. This group achieved higher completion rates compared to many other groups.

The studied case followed a highly structured model, where teachers closely supervised students and demanded full-time engagement. The program was task-oriented, ensuring that every assignment contributed to the final exam, with trial exams reinforcing exam preparedness.

A key success factor was the strong collaboration with health care institutions, where workplace supervisors played an active role in guiding students toward exam-relevant tasks. This ensured that students received practical, work-relevant training despite the absence of a traditional apprenticeship. Additionally, the majority of students in the program were adult women who were highly motivated to complete their education and secure employment in the health care sector. Many of them had prior work experience and viewed the program as an opportunity to formalize their qualifications and improve their job possibilities.

Conclusion

Findings emphasize the importance of organizational structure, instructional strategies, and work-based collaboration in making “third year at school” a viable alternative to apprenticeships. However, unequal participation and completion rates raise concerns about educational equity. The study highlights the need for further structural adjustments to ensure that students, regardless of background, receive high-quality vocational training.

The evolving landscape of vocational education and training is shaped by rapid technological progress and the changing demands of the labor market. Meeting these challenges requires adaptable, evidence-based approaches to reform. Reform labs, such as those conducted by the Center on the Economics and Management of Education and Training Systems (CEMETS), play a crucial role in promoting knowledge exchange between policymakers, practitioners and researchers. However, assessing their long-term impact remains a challenge. This study assesses the lasting impact of CEMETS programs using a structured research contribution framework to analyze the different levels of engagement and their corresponding effects on policy, practice and systemic change.

Building on Caves and Lueling’s (2021) application of the Research Contribution Framework (RCF) to knowledge sharing, this study uses the three phases of the RCF: research uptake (activities, outcomes and engagement), research use (awareness and capacity for change) and research impact (behavior change and end results). The adaptability of the RCF to different contexts, methods and theories of change makes it a versatile tool for evaluating the long-term impact of knowledge sharing interventions.

Using the RCF (Morton, 2015), this study categorizes CEMETS alumni participation into three models of engagement: (1) one-time participation, (2) repeated participation, and (3) repeated participation combined with applied research. Each model represents a different level of engagement and is assessed against five key dimensions: engagement and knowledge exchange, knowledge enhancement, capacity building, impact on policy and practice, and societal/economic impact. A mixed methods approach will be used, including annual follow-up surveys, the CEMETS Alumni Impact Survey (LimeSurvey) and qualitative case studies based on in-depth interviews.

The theoretical framework integrates established models for impact analysis in education and research. Caves and Lueling (2021) did not find a significant impact of repeated participation alone, they recognized the qualitative value of ongoing knowledge sharing. We build on this perspective by suggesting that repeat participation, when combined with context-specific applied research, leads to greater long-term impact by ensuring that research findings are directly actionable. This cyclical process encourages deeper engagement and more sustainable application of knowledge. By introducing the element of ongoing participation, our study extends the RCF and provides new insights into optimizing knowledge-sharing initiatives for long-term effectiveness and systemic change.

While bibliometric and case-based approaches (Bornmann & Marx, 2013) provide insights into academic productivity, they often fail to capture broader socio-economic and systemic impacts. The Payback Framework (Wooding et al., 2007) links research findings to tangible societal benefits and serves as the basis for our assessment of leadership development, policy implementation, and institutional reform among CEMETS alumni. In addition, the Social Impact Assessment Methods for Policy and Institutional Change (SIAMPI) framework (Spaapen & Drooge, 2011) emphasizes the role of productive stakeholder interactions in promoting sustainable impact and serves as an important lens for interpreting survey and interview data.

Future research should explore additional theoretical perspectives to refine our understanding of the long-term impact of VET reforms. Frameworks such as the Knowledge Exchange Framework (Kitagawa & Lightowler, 2013) and the Research Impact Pathways Model (Donovan, 2011) could provide further insights into the mechanisms that drive policy adoption and practice change. In addition, the inclusion of network analysis could help to capture the diffusion of reform ideas among alumni and their professional networks.

This study contributes to the growing discourse on measuring the real-world impact of research-based policies. By applying a rigorous evaluation framework to CEMETS alumni engagement, we enhance our understanding of how reform labs can catalyze lasting change in TVET systems worldwide.

A period of uncertainty and crisis, driven by climate change and other environmental damage, is forcing us to rethink our socio-economic models (Raworth, 2017). Although vocational activities are a driver of this crisis, more sustainable practices can be developed through technological, economic, and social innovation (Slopinksi et al., 2020). Situated at the intersection of education and work, VET has transformative potential if apprentices as part of the future workforce are prepared for the challenges ahead (Rebmann & Schlömer, 2020). However, sustainability education (SE) often faces institutional barriers (Curnier, 2017) and pedagogical challenges as it requires changes in professional practices that are difficult to achieve (Durisch, Gauthier et al., 2022). SE aims to provide knowledge and raise concern about the environmental urgency and its interrelationship with socio-economic issues, to empower apprentices to understand the complex and controversial issues surrounding the crisis, and to enable them to navigate an uncertain world and to act in accordance with their concerns (de Haan et al., 2021).

There is little research on how apprentices understand the ecological crisis and how they perceive the potential of their vocational activities to build a more sustainable future (Slopinksi et al., 2020; Vogel, 2017). We also do know little about how apprentices experience SE during VET and SE changes their perceptions. SE in the context of VET has been criticized for focusing too much on developing operational skills for labor market demands and neglecting controversies and contradictions between environmental, economic, and social interests and alternative socioeconomic models (Schütt-Sayed, 2019). VET also seems to rarely enable self-directed participation and emancipatory self-development (Ketschau & Steib, 2022).

Based on a qualitative study with apprentices involved in different dual VET programmes in Switzerland, this presentation provides insights into apprentices' environmental concern in relation to their vocational activities and the impact of sustainability learning experiences during VET. Environmental concern has cognitive, affective, and conative dimensions (Franzen & Bahr, 2024). It involves recognition of human impact on the planet and people, can include feelings of personal concern and an intention to act. The aim of the study is to identify potentials and barriers within VET that enable apprentices to develop a conscious, reflective, and committed attitude towards sustainability in the context of their vocational activities.

This ongoing research, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, follows the principles of grounded theory (Charmaz, 2014). In a first phase of data collection in 2024, eight group discussions and 18 individual interviews with apprentices were conducted. Data analysis changed between phases of open, more inductive coding with focused, more deductive coding.

Results show that family socialization and prior environmental concern already shape apprentices’ concern for environmental problems and their motivation to act in vocational contexts. Moreover, environmental concern does not simply emerge carrying out environmentally friendly work practices, but only develops in the context of expansive learning opportunities, in which the workplace plays a key role (Fuller & Unwin, 2003). Opportunities for active participation and in-depth reflection on environmental issues, including exposure to controversy and conflicting interests, allow for deeper understanding and the development of a sense of agency and hope that more sustainable vocational practices can mitigate the ecological crisis. The findings show that the potential of VET to raise environmental concerns is rarely fully realised. Apprentices often observe that firms place little emphasis on environmental sustainability, seeing it as incompatible with economic interests. For those concerned about the ecological crisis, this lack of attention is difficult and reinforces their sense of hopelessness. For others, it legitimises the idea that economy and ecology are difficult to reconcile, minimising the need for their involvement in the issue.

This research explores the role of education institutes in influencing students' behaviour toward green careers through green(ed) curricula and green campuses based on the dimensions of the greening education institute model (Pavlova, 2017). Findings derive from a quasi-experiment performed at the University of Tirana with students of the Faculty of Economy. Targeted students were exposed to a greened curriculum in two subjects (namely, Human Resource Management and Innovation). Greening the curriculum in this context implies refining objectives related to sustainability and updating content and methodologies accordingly (Cotgrave & Alkhaddar, 2006). Subject-relevant concepts and practices about climate change and green economy were integrated into these classes. Furthermore, learner-oriented teaching and learning methods were enhanced, such as interaction with experienced professionals as guest lectures in sustainable practices in the world of work; study visits at companies that apply green processes and technologies, reflective assignments, case studies written by students on observed green practices at work, and generation and presentation of green start-up ideas in students' competitions.

Based on its previous application to explain career choices (Alimehmeti et al., 2025; Arnold et al., 2006; Lahiru et al., 2018), the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) (Ajzen, 1991) was used as a framework to understand how green curricula and green campuses influence students' intention to seek for and further develop in jobs that apply sustainable and environmentally conscious practices (green career). As per TPB, intentions to choose employment or self-employment in these types of jobs, would be determined by positive or negative attitudes a person has toward working in green(er) jobs; subjective norms, representing the social pressure to choose a green job; and perceived behavioural control (PBC), related to the perceived compatibility with green job requirements or even existence of such jobs in the labour market. Green skills enhancement through green curricula and applied practices to green the university campus (e.g. recycling, green building) were the added antecedents (see Yuriev et al., 2020 for TBP expansion). Another objective of this study was to test the framework for green skills developed by Swisscontact according to which i) green skills development is effective if there is demand through the existence of green(er) jobs, and ii) attitudes and green mindset are in the basis of green skills that can be enhanced by skills related to processes and specific occupations or technologies.

A structured questionnaire measuring TPB variables, green skills, and students' perceptions of a green campus was performed at the courses' beginning and end. Respondents (319 before and 438 after) were students who benefitted from the intervention and students used as a control group. Principal Component Analysis confirmed the variables, while regression analysis verified the causal effects.

Results:

• Attitudes, subjective norms and PBC toward green careers impact students' intention to pursue this type of career
• Greening the curricula contributes to improved green skills
• Green campus practices have a strong impact on students' attitudes, subjective norms and PBC toward pursuing green jobs before and after the intervention
• Before the intervention, green skills did not impact determinants of intentions to choose greener jobs, but the impact was verified after the intervention.

Findings are crucial in understanding how green education influences students' green behaviour. A green(ed) curriculum impacts students' skills. Guest lectures or company visits are effective and can be integrated as green career guidance mechanisms (see Chang & Mann, 2024). Furthermore, studying on a campus that applies green practices effectively contributes to attitudes and community norms toward sustainability and perceived self-efficacy in choosing this career route. This study empirically validated the Swisscontact framework for green skills and jobs.

This paper analyzes the impact of environmental awareness on the occupational choices of adolescents. To do so, we exploit the apprenticeship system in Switzerland, where about two-thirds of adolescents choose an apprenticeship in their preferred occupation at around age 15. We consider two dimensions of environmental awareness as potential drivers of their occupational choice. First, we consider time-persistent regional social norms, which we proxy by regional differences in popular votes on environmental issues. Second, we investigate short-term shocks in environmental awareness, which we proxy by the occurrence of Fridays for Future strikes in different locations at different points in time. To measure whether adolescents choose occupations that have the potential to serve environmental protection, we estimate an occupational greenness score based on Swiss job-ad texts as data. Combining this occupational greenness score with detailed process-generated data on adolescents’ applications from Yousty, Switzerland’s largest online job board for apprenticeship positions, we find that environmental awareness is positively related to the greenness of adolescents’ occupational choices. However, this finding applies only to short-term shocks in environmental awareness and not to time-persistent pro-environmental norms. We interpret this result as evidence for a social-movement effect on norms and values that significantly alter adolescents’ occupational choices.

This symposium focuses on the crucial role of transversal competences in supporting school-to-work transitions, a topic of increasing importance in today’s rapidly changing labor market. Transversal competences are skills that lie across disciplines and contexts (Scharhost & Kaiser, 2018), such as problem-solving, communication, emotion regulation, collaboration, and resilience. These skills are developed in real-world situations and are transferable across different work environments, helping individuals adapt to new roles, technologies, and challenges (Brunello & Schlotter, 2011).

The first presentation explores factors influencing Italian youth's school-to-work transition, with a special focus on the role of transversal competences. Using a life-course approach, the study examines how multiple, interconnected transitions shape career paths and long-term employability, shedding light on the complexities of youth entering the job market. The second presentation investigates socio-emotional skills for vocational students, particularly in health and social care. Their research highlights how different 'emotional profiles' impact differently on professional engagement, burnout and resilience, and highlights the need for socio-emotional skills training in vocational education to better prepare future professionals. The third contribution examines the concept of ‘cross-boundary teaming’ in healthcare and technology, showing how adaptive collaboration and education-work partnerships foster agility in dynamic and multidisciplinary environments. This approach highlights the value of transversal competences in navigating complex and fluid work settings. The last contribution discuss the role of professional learning communities in pre-service art teacher education. Their findings demonstrate how collaboration, adaptability, and self-efficacy may strengthen professional identity, bridging the gap between theory and practice in teacher development. The symposium will conclude with a synthesis and future perspectives by the discussant. Overall, the symposium aims to provide insights into how transversal competences can effectively support the transition from school to work and lay the foundations for long-term career success.