Work-placed learning is daily practice for most Swiss adolescents during their education on the upper secondary level. Much effort is put into the development of VET by the government, by organizations and enterprises, and their associations in order to offer all adolescents the opportunity to find an apprenticeship place and to ensure high quality training. It is acknowledged that work-placed learning plays a crucial role in the dual system of VET in Switzerland. In this presentation the focus is on how apprentices evaluate their working environment and on the potential of the workplace to contribute to an effective and sustainable vocational training. Most research and publications address the issue “apprenticeship” either with a focus on the system or on the schooling-part of VET. Publications offering a profound scientific insight into the practice and conditions of vocational education and training at the workplace are still rare. A study that addresses topics like the conception of work-placed learning, the characteristics of the apprenticeship place, the motivation of the adolescents and the development of competences is QuWibB (Quality standards and their effects in vocational training). The project focuses on mechanics (Polymechaniker). Another example is the Swiss national youth survey TREE (Transitions from Education to Employment), which allows not only to reconstruct the pathways of the Swiss adolescents in VET, but also gives some insights on how adolescents evaluate their apprenticeship place. Several criteria can be addressed to evaluate the potential a workplace has to contribute to an optimal learning: pedagogical competences of the trainer, job characteristics (error-tolerance, job control, for example), or social support (Stalder, 2003). These conditions have a great impact on the quality of the work-placed learning. Furthermore, work-placed learning has to address the issue of cooperation and interaction, as most tasks in the real world can only be solved by teamwork. To foster such processes (as described in Gurter et al., 2007) special attention has to be given to the climate and social support at the apprenticeship places and in the enterprises. In this paper results from a study with apprenticeship as Restaurationsangestellte (craftsman in restaurants and hotels, qualified to host guests, selling food and beverages, and working in the production and logistic). A special focus will be given to the description of the job characteristics as a prerequisite to the discussion on how much the practical work can add to the education of the apprentices. A second focus will be on the social climate and social support in the enterprises. This research helps to improve concepts of work-based learning and also to better understand the situation in enterprises.

This research is based on a mixed-methods design (questionnaire and in-depth interviews). Data collection was in December 2007 during a special course of two weeks with apprentices from different enterprises. Additionally, data from the Swiss national youth survey TREE will be used.

Results show that many apprentices are very content with their apprenticeship. The working conditions and job characteristics are also often good. But, some apprentices report that they were bullied, or forced to do illegitimate work. Results are presented that allow the discussion on how to improve work-placed learning.