Purpose: The present study aims to investigate the reasons for the gap between academic education and the required skills of the labor market in Iran. Design/methodology/approach: For this purpose, the authors adopted a thematic analysis method. The participants in the study were connoisseurs from universities and research institutes in Iran, who…

This paper studies whether specialized academic fields of study in secondary school, which are common in many countries, affect earnings as an adult. Identification is challenging, because it requires not just quasi-random variation into fields of study, but also an accounting of individuals' next-best alternatives. Our setting is Sweden, where at…

We examine how workers invest in human capital following unanticipated local labor market downturns. We find that, on average, two-year college enrollment increases by three students within three years for every one hundred workers laid off. This rise in enrollment accounts for half the observed increase in labor force nonparticipation following…

Despite the ongoing debate about how much academic versus vocational upper-secondary education is favorable for a country and large differences across countries of those two types of education exist, the interplay of vocational and academic education on upper-secondary level and its consequences for the entire education system remain…

The five articles in this special issue present studies focusing on two key aspects of vocational education and transitions in the Nordic countries in relation to social justice: (a) impacts of policies and reforms on transitions and (b) content, practices, curriculum and equality. Collectively, the articles outline important similarities and…

Education scholars have long debated the relative merits of vocational pathways in high school, weighing apparent employment benefits against the risk of foreclosing academic opportunities. Yet scholars are no closer to a consensus and the literature on vocational education has fragmented: economics, comparative political economy, sociology and…

Purpose: This article explores the relationship between governmental policy and the development of higher vocational education in China. Design/Approach/Methods: The article begins with a textual analysis of dozens of policy documents on higher vocational education issued by the Chinese government since 1999. Findings: The article argues that the…

Guided Pathways is a comprehensive reform model focused on student success by designing clear pathways for students, helping them to make informed decisions, and stay on their chosen path while striving to increase attainment in credentials with labor market value. The population of students that will provide colleges the best evidence of the…

In a context of considerable interest in apprenticeship in recent years, Cedefop and the OECD decided to explore its future from the perspective of a number of megatrends, including sociodemographic changes, the accelerated adoption of emerging technologies and new forms of work organisation. They also considered how these trends have affected,…

The integration of coursework in doctoral programmes is becoming increasingly common worldwide. In Portugal, too, coursework is now part of many doctorates and is usually assigned to the first year. This paper aims to understand if coursework is also an element of the relatively recent industrial doctorates in Portugal and, in this case, if it…

This research, which is the second part of a two-part study, was commissioned by the New Zealand Productivity Commission to inform their study of the future of work in New Zealand. The main research question asks, in essence: In what ways are secondary school subject-choice systems, and students' subject choices, positioned to respond to future of…

This research, which is the first part of a two-part study, was commissioned by the New Zealand Productivity Commission to inform their study of the future of work in New Zealand. The main research question asks, in essence: In what ways are secondary school subject-choice systems, and students' subject choices, positioned to respond to future of…

In this paper, we analyse social inequalities along the horizontal dimension of education in Italy. More precisely, we focus on the role of family background in completing specific fields of study at both secondary and tertiary levels of education. To mitigate the limitations of the traditional sequential model, we construct a typology of…

This study explores Portuguese academics' acceptance of employability as a purpose for higher education further to the Bologna reforms, focusing on their understandings of employability and their teaching practices. The data were gathered through focus groups in which participated around 70 academics from 3 disciplinary areas, belonging to…

The Federal Vocational Baccalaureate (FVB) constitutes the major link between the academic and vocational track in Swiss educational system by combining a vocational apprenticeship with general education. Regarding the effects of economic competencies on these transitions, there is a substantial lack within the current state of research. The…