Recruitment at the middle qualification level – case studies from Germany, England and Switzerland

Author(s):

Tanja WeigelPhilipp Gonon Ute Hippach-Schneider

Conference:

ECER 2009

Network:

2. Vocational Education and Training (VETNET)

Format:

Paper

Session Information

02 SES 07.5 A, Enterprise Learning and Recruitment

Paper Session

Time:

2009-09-29

17:15-18:45

Room:

HG, HS 23

Chair:

Andreas Saniter

Contribution

The project undertakes an exemplary investigation of company recruitment strategies for activities at the middle qualification level in three countries. The investigation relates to companies in three activity profiles: the commercial, technical and IT areas. The countries forming the object of comparison are Germany, England and Switzerland because there is a high degree of similarities within the educational systems (Germany-Switzerland) on the one hand, on the other hand there are differences (Germany-England). The reasons for recruitment decisions are investigated to shed light on which qualifications best cover the requirements companies have for certain activities. The objective is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of vocational training compared to a higher education qualification (Bachelor degrees) for a certain activity profile. Furthermore the project intends to provide indications of how the attractiveness of vocational training pathways can be retained or even increased further. Research questions: • From which educational sectors do companies from within the same branch which are comparable in terms of product range and size recruit their skilled workers for comparable activities? • How do companies assess the capabilities of those who have completed vocational training and higher education graduates? • From the point of view of the companies, are Bachelor qualifications in direct competition to VET qualifications? • What reasons do companies have in respect of the recruitment of those who have completed vocational training and of higher education graduates? • Have companies realigned their recruitment strategies recently, and if so in which way? • What can incentivise companies to prefer those who have completed vocational training? The project takes an international comparison of the recruitment strategies of companies as a vehicle for focussing on the interface between the educational and employment systems. The theoretical framework consists of an interdisciplinary approach including theories of labour market research and the human capital theory (Schultz 1992, Thelen 2004), vocational socialisation and competence development (Eraut 1994, 2003). To enable an interpretation of the interviews with the enterprises in a holistic way, a special focus is on the existing literature about the concept of competence within educational systems. The project intends to create a competence model in which the different views and judgements of the enterprises regarding the vocational and bachelor qualifications are included. This competence model presents the basis for the comparison between the enterprises, the countries and the sectors.

Method

Individual case studies based on a qualitative research approach form the basis for the reconstruction of company recruitment strategies. For the selection of the companies we have defined certain criteria e.g. that the companies should be big international enterprises, because the chance of identifying comparable task areas in the different countries is likely to be higher if international companies are involved. The case studies are based on guided interviews. The questionnaire for the guided interviews has been developed according to the research questions. The interviews are expert interviews with human resources managers responsible for recruitment decisions of two companies per activity profile (3) and per land (3). So far we have completed nine interviews and we plan to have finished all interviews with the human resource managers by end of March 2009. The analysis of the interviews will be conducted as a computer-supported qualitative data analysis with the software maxqda.

Expected Outcomes

The project will identify whether a competitive relationship between vocational training and higher education qualifications (BA) exists from the point of view of companies in Germany, England and Switzerland. The results obtained could make a contribution to current political considerations on how the attractiveness of vocational training can be retained for high-ability young people and on the extent to which companies can be incentivised to continue their engagement in vocational training. Furthermore, as a result of the comparison of vocational training in Germany, England and Switzerland and the level of success achieved on the respective labour markets in these countries, the findings of the research project may serve as a basis for argument in the political debate surrounding the alignment of qualifications within the EQF and within national frameworks. The results of the project should contribute in facilitating statements regarding equivalences between different qualifications in different countries.

References

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Author Information

Tanja Weigel

Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung (BIBB)

Bonn

Philipp Gonon

University of Zurich, Switzerland

Ute Hippach-Schneider

Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung (BIBB), Germany

International Monitoring and Benchmarking / European VET Policy