ERIC Number: EJ1321826
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1359 6748
EISSN: N/A
Supporting Apprentices' Integration of School- and Workplace-Based Learning in Swiss Initial Vocational Education and Training
Sauli, Florinda; Wenger, Matilde; Berger, Jean-Louis
Research in Post-Compulsory Education, v26 n4 p387-409 2021
In a dual initial vocational education and training (IVET) system, an integration between school- and work-based learning is essential to provide apprentices with necessary trade-specific skills and to ensure the quality of training. However, apprentices often perceive a disconnection between learning sites. Accordingly, based on the concepts of boundary crossing and school-workplace connectivity, this study aimed to investigate how the integration between school- and work-based learning contributed to the quality of Swiss IVET from the perspective of apprentices, vocational teachers and in-company trainers. Data were collected through focus groups (n = 64) and thematic data analysis was carried out following an inductive and deductive approach. Key findings indicated some issues related to sociocultural differences between school and training company: a general devaluation of school-based learning (non-aligned with workplace-learning or perceived as useless) and the diversity of apprentices' experiences at the training company. Furthermore, the analysis revealed how these situations perceived as disconnected can become learning opportunities: by applying a skill acquired at school in the workplace that is not part of the routine (learning mechanism of transformation); by bringing in the classroom authentic situations experienced by apprentices at work (learning mechanism of reflection). Implications for training and teaching are addressed.
Descriptors: Apprenticeships, Vocational Education, Work Experience Programs, Job Training, Education Work Relationship, Foreign Countries, School Business Relationship, Alignment (Education), Educational Quality
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Switzerland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A