WORK  IN CLASS

by STEVE BAINBRIDGE               CEDEFOP May 2014

  More initial vocational education and training should

               combine school and work based learning.

 

In 2012, just over half, some 50.3%, of the European Union’s (EU’s) upper secondary students were in initial vocational education and training (IVET). But, according to Cedefop’s core indicators (see box) only 27% of them were in vocational courses combining school and work-based learning.

There are wide differences between countries, both in terms of numbers of young people in initial VET and those that blend school and work-based learning.

In counties such as Belgium, the Czech Republic, Austria and Slovakia (see table) more than 70% of upper secondary students were in initial VET in 2012 - the highest rates in the EU. Other countries, such as Denmark with 46.1%, Germany (48.6%) and France (44.5%), are nearer to the European average.
     In Denmark, however, almost all initial VET students are in some form of combined school and

work-based learning. In Germany, the proportion, some 88.2%, is also very high. In the Czech
Republic, Austria and Slovakia the figure is more than 40%. France, with around 26.9% of its initial VET students combining school and work-based learning, is very close to the European average. however, Belgium, despite having a high proportion of vocational students, has only 4.3% combining school and work-based learning.

This is not to say that teaching in school-based systems is not good quality, that students do not learn
practical things, or that they have worse job prospects. According to the latest data (from 2009),
the employment rate of initial VET graduates aged 20 to 34 in Belgium is 85%, one of the highest in Europe and some 11.2 percentage points higher than that for general education graduates of the same age. In France, the employment rate for vocational and general education graduates is about the same at
around 72%.

However, students in vocational learning without a strong work-based element may have less opportunity to acquire work-related skills that can improve their job-readiness.

There is also growing evidence that young people on high-quality apprenticeships and internships are
more likely to acquire useful skills and attitudes to find suitable work and that they have a smoother
transition to the labour market than general education graduates. Recognising these benefits, the European alliance for apprenticeships, launched by the European
Commission in July 2013, aims to improve the quality, supply and image of apprenticeships across the EU.

Some member States are already engaged in bilateral cooperation on VET reform, apprenticeships and apprentice mobility.

However, the success of extending combinations of school and work-based learning depends heavily
on employers’ commitment to provide opportunities.
Given that employers continue to stress the need for ‘soft’ skills such as teamwork, ability to adapt and to
continue to learn, all of which can benefit from having experience in the workplace, it is in their interest to
do so.