In-house training quality promotes successful completion of apprenticeships
Zollikofen, 19.08.2024 - Apprentices do better in companies that offer them a diverse range of tasks and the freedom to find their own solutions. Improvements in the quality of in-house training could help to reduce the number of apprenticeship failures by 10 per cent. These are the findings of researchers at the Swiss Federal University for Vocational Education and Training SFUVET.
As part of a National Science Foundation project, Pontus af Burén and Jürg Schweri from the Swiss Federal University for Vocational Education and Training SFUVET analysed the extent to which the quality of in-house training affects the successful completion of an apprenticeship. In doing so, they established that the impact of effective training processes can be clearly measured.
The higher apprenticeship success rate with better quality training is driven by two main factors: firstly, effective training processes reduce failures in qualification procedures (final apprenticeship exams), and secondly, they reduce the number of contract terminations that result in a shift to a less demanding apprenticeship or a prolonged interruption of training.
The researchers asked the training companies about seven aspects of their training processes that are essential to training quality. Two of these aspects were particularly striking, highlighting that the failure rate is around 10 per cent lower in training companies that offer their apprentices a particularly diverse range of tasks and the freedom to find their own solutions.
More time for training and tailored training plans
Companies whose training processes are above average allot their trainers more time for training and tailor their own training plans to complement the national training plan. This also applies to training companies that involve their apprentices more frequently in challenging and productive work as opposed to simpler tasks or practice exercises.
These findings highlight the essential role of training companies in vocational education and training (VET) and how initiatives by industry sectors and the VET partners to improve training quality can significantly contribute to the success of VET programmes.
Data analysed from 3,700 training companies and 10,000 apprentices
The study by the SFUVET researchers combined data from approximately 3,700 Swiss companies with official register data on nearly 10,000 of their apprentices to investigate whether a causal relationship exists between in-house training processes and successful apprenticeship outcomes. The consistency of the findings confirms the connections that were found. This SFUVET study is one of the first pieces of empirical evidence proving the link between training quality and successful outcomes in vocational education and training.
Address for enquiries
Prof. Dr. Jürg Schweri, OBS SFUVET
058 458 27 82, juerg.schweri@sfuvet.swiss
Jacques Andres, SFUVET Communications
079 342 79 92, jacques.andres@sfuvet.swiss
Publisher
Swiss Federal University for Vocational Education and Training SFUVET
Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research
http://www.wbf.admin.ch
State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation
http://www.sbfi.admin.ch
