Editions

In Serbia, a new law on dual vocational education and training has been launched which provides better protection and more rights for students in the workplace. A survey shows that this law has a major impact on the everyday school and work life of young people.

Increasing numbers of university students do internships during their time at university to prepare themselves for the labour market. However, there is little evidence whether or not such an investment actually pays off. A new study investigates this question.

Vocational education and training (VET) is designed to prepare adolescents for direct entry into professional life. The social institutions which steer the actions, roles and relations between the various VET actors are of particular importance in this context. However, there is little scientific knowledge of how such institutions can be compared internationally and how their robustness can be evaluated. Now a new study provides answers to these questions.  

New technologies pose a challenge not only to companies but also to vocational training. A survey among graduate business economists, (higher technical colleges, HF), has shown that digitalisation has significantly changed their everyday working life in a short period of time.  

In a new study, KOF has investigated the cooperation between the different actors in the Swiss education system. The results show that they are generally satisfied with how they collaborate. However, there is scope for improvement as regards cooperation with the federal authorities.

Youth apprenticeship is a major topic globally. In the United States, Colorado’s current pilot youth apprenticeships — implemented by CareerWise Colorado in partnership with companies, schools, state leaders and philanthropic partners — are the most compelling. The two pilot cohorts already under way are anecdotally very successful, with students and companies reaping rewards from participation.

Nowadays, the buzzword ‘digitalisation’ is on everybody’s lips. A growing number of studies is researching the question which professions may be threatened by digitalisation and where new jobs could be created. The debate pays little attention to the impact of digitalisation on the quality of existing jobs. A survey among graduates of higher technical colleges (HF) shows that digitalisa-tion generally increases satisfaction among the respondents.

The public debate frequently conveys the impression that the social status of vocational education and training (VET) has declined. Can this impression be substantiated by empirical evidence? In a new study based on PISA data, KOF researchers show that the relative cognitive skills of prospective VET students and grammar school students have remained constant over time. This suggests that the social status of vocational education and training has not declined.

As research has shown that good Vocational Education and Training (VET) systems lead to better results, and there is already a good understanding of what a good VET system is, it is important to know what it takes to improve a system. KOF's Education Systems Research Division has just finished the first version of a literature review on the implementation of VET reforms.

In contrast to general education courses, vocational education and training (VET) prepares young people for direct entry into the labour market. Although there is a common objective, vocational education and training programmes vary substantially at the international level. Up until now, reference points for international comparison of VET programmes have been scarce, and there has been a distinct lack of theory-based as well as empirically applicable approaches facilitating such comparison.

In many countries, the youth labour market deteriorated substantially after the financial crisis. Political interest in vocational education and training programmes as a means to improve this situation increased significantly. However, as yet little is known about the impact of vocational education and training on the youth labour market. The authors of a new KOF study aim to close this gap.

KOF is carrying out regular surveys among students and their employers to ascertain whether the Framework Curriculum for Business Studies at PET Colleges is still up to date.

As skills mismatch and youth unemployment are high, vocational education and training (VET) systems in many countries are undergoing reforms in order to meet skills demand. Employer engagement is a known component of strong VET programs, but what should employer engagement look like during reform processes?