Session Information
02 SES 08 C, Pathways and Transitions I: Orienting Towards VET
Paper and Ignite Talk Session
Contribution
The relevance of acquired competences from educational processes for the return in later employment is highlighted in previous research studies (e. g. Hanushek et al., 2015). In addition, research findings toward explanatory factors of training success in Vocational and Educational Training (VET) confirm the meaning of cognitive basic dispositions as well as crystallized abilities (e.g. in mathematics, science or language: e. g. Abele, 2011; Schmidt & Hunter, 2004; Seeber & Lehmann, 2013).
The admission to VET dependents on complex external and self-selection processes. In a simplified assumption, training companies aim on the best possible staffing of their training places. Consequently, it is likely that training companies intended a good fit between the training requirements and the applicants' competences. To ensure this match, companies can carry out complex and multi-tiered selection procedures. Moreover, those interested in VET programs choose occupations that meet their preferences (taking into account their perceived competences) in consideration of training market opportunities. If these selection processes succeed, it can be assumed that competences can, among other things, represent an explanatory factor for the successful cast of a trainee.
For Germany, in addition to training places, which are occupied by training companies, there are also full-time school based training places for which the competent vocational schools are responsible for the selection process (this applies to the majority of educational, nursing and social occupations). Selection mechanisms for these training places are less pronounced, as the fulfilment of formal criteria is often enough (usually a middle school certificate by the training place demanders). In this case, it can be assumed that adolescents will receive training places more easily, if they fulfil formal criteria. Nevertheless, a correlation with competences is also possible, If adolescents can assess their perceived competences.
Besides recent NEPS (National Educational Panel) studies (Autorengruppe Bildungsberichterstattung, 2018; Beicht & Walden, 2017; Holtmann, et al., 2017; Tjaden, 2017) analyses regarding the transition process into full-qualifying VET programs considering valid diagnosed competences are a research desideratum. The few existing studies differ also in their results. Some studies show significant influence of competences to the initial entry into full-qualifying VET-programs with small effect sizes (Autorengruppe Bildungsberichterstattung, 2018: math & science competences; Beicht & Walden, 2017: math competence) and some studies could not confirm these effects (Holtmann et al., 2017: mathematical & reading competence; Tjaden, 2017: mathematical competence).
Two main critical aspects of the state of research have to be emphasized. On the one hand, variables on educational background (that is controlled in each of the studies) already include comprehensive information about competences. As a result, the influence of competence scales in the respective regression analyses is weakened. On the other hand, the majority of the regressions are done on a highly abstract level. Here, only the entry into full-qualifying training programs as a dependent variable is analysed. However, it has to be assumed that occupational groups differ in their training requirements, as shown for example by the ULME study for commercial occupations (Seeber, 2013). Neglecting occupational-group-specific requirements favours the levelling of competence effects.
The present article takes up the desiderata toward the influence of competences on the initial entry into full-qualifying VET programs by occupational group differentiating analysis. The following questions are pursued here:
1. Do competences of adolescents have an influence on the initial entry into full-qualifying VET-programs if the initial entry into VET is analysed by occupational group differentiated models?
2. How strong is the effect of the competences on the initial entry into the occupational groups under the control of educational background, career choices, socio-economic aspects and the supply-demand ratio in the VET market?
Method
For the following analyses, the starting cohort 4 (SC4, version 9.1.1) of the National Education Panel (NEPS: Blossfeld et al., 2011) is used. This dataset contains longitudinal information of 16,425 Germans toward their educational and employment histories since their first measurement in the 9th grade in autumn 2010. Variables on the competences are only available from the measurement obtained within the 9th grade. With the progress of educational processes, especially through programs that prepare for the acquisition of a university entrance qualification, the competences are to be regarded as invalid. However, the data set is reduced to the 9th and 10th grade school leavers (n = 5744), who entered in the German VET system (dual system, full-time school-based VET sector, transition sector). The NEPS dataset contains information on the four competence scales reading competence, mathematical competence, scientific literacy and ICT literacy. In addition, two scales for measuring Domain General Cognitive Functions (reasoning and perceptual speed) are also available and are being used. For multivariate analyses different control variables are considered like school leaving certificate, personal characteristics (e.g. migration background, gender, career choices), socioeconomic background factors (e.g. parental education, educational resources in the parents' household) and regional information toward the supply and demand ratio in the training market. Missing values are estimated by multiple imputation (n = 10). For ease of interpretation, the competence scales and the DGFC scales were normalized to a mean of 50 with a standard deviation of 10. In particular, the focus is on the following twelve occupational groups. For analysis purposes, the categorizing of occupational groups takes place according to similar domain references or relatively similar requirement and activity levels. •Building occupations •Business/commercial occupations •Childcare and educational occupations •IT occupations •Medical assistance occupations •Nursing and geriatric care occupations •Nutrition and food production occupations •Office and administrative occupations •Sale occupations •Technical electronic occupations •Technical metal occupations •Other occupations The reference sector is the transition sector. This sector mainly includes adolescents who have been unsuccessful in finding a traineeship. Two analysis steps are planned. On the one hand, descriptive analyses of the distributions of the competence scales will be shown according to the respective research groups (occupational groups and transition sector). On the other hand, logistic regressions are used for empirically testing the influence of competences on the initial entry into specific occupational groups under the control of the previous listed control variables.
Expected Outcomes
The analysis confirm that competences have an influence on the entry into full-qualifying VET programs. For example, the higher the level of mathematical competences, the easier it is to enter business or technical occupations. Overall, the following result can be summarized for the influence of competences toward the initial entry into full-qualifying VET-programs by the multivariate analyses: If two adolescents differ by one standard deviation (10 competence points) in a specific competence scale under otherwise identical conditions, the likelihood to enter in the respective occupational group would increase by approximately 1 to 3 percent points instead of entering in the transition sector. The results make clear, effect sizes of the competence scales to explain the variance of entering a specific occupational group are only partially significant and small. Thus, the strongest explanatory components are not attributable to the scales of competence. In particular, the application intention and the level of education after the 9th/10th class can explain the largest part of the variance to enter a full-qualifying VET program. However, robustness tests show that the influence of the educational background decreases when competence scales are used. Consequently, individual competence scales should be considered as an incremental explanatory value to the educational background for analysing the initial entry into VET. At the conference, the results would be discussed in the light of the previously mentioned complex external and self-selection processes. This includes for example the interaction with VET-sector-specific selection mechanisms, the attractiveness of occupational groups as well as the influence of regional and sociodemographic context conditions of the training market that can influence the relevance of competences in the admission process to VET.
References
Abele, S. (2011). Hängt die prognostische Validität eignungsdiagnostischer Verfahren von der Operationalisierung des Ausbildungserfolgs ab? In R. Nickolaus & G. Pätzold (Eds.), Lehr-Lernforschung in der gewerblich-technischen Berufsbildung. Zeitschrift für Berufs- und Wirtschaftspädagogik (pp. 13-35), special issue. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag. Autorengruppe Bildungsberichterstattung (2018). Bildung in Deutschland 2018. Ein indikatorengestützter Bericht mit einer Analyse zu Wirkungen und Erträgen von Bildung, http://dx.doi.org/10.3278/6001820fw Beicht, U., & Walden, G. (2017). Generationeneffekte beim Übergang von Schulabgängern mit Migrationshintergrund in betriebliche Ausbildung. Zeitschrift für Berufs- und Wirtschaftspädagogik, 113(3), 428-460. Blossfeld, H.-P., Roßbach, H.-G., & von Maurice, J. (Eds.) (2011). Education as a Lifelong Process – The German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS). Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft, special issue, 14. Hanushek, E. A., Schwerdt, G., Wiederhold, S., & Woessmann, L. (2015). Returns to skills around the world: Evidence from PIAAC. European Economic Review, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroecorev.2014.10.006 Holtmann, A. C., Menze, L., & Solga, H. (2017). Persistent Disadvantages or New Opportunities? The Role of Agency and Structural Constraints for Low-Achieving Adolescents’ School-to-Work Transitions. Journal of youth and adolescence, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-017-0719-z Schmidt, F. L., & Hunter, J. (2004). General mental ability in the world of work: occupational attainment and job performance. Journal of personality and social psychology, 86(1), 162-173. Seeber, S. (2013). Mathematische Kompetenzen an der Schwelle und am Ende der kaufmännischen Berufsausbildung. In R. Nickolaus, J. Retelsdorf, E. Winther, & O. Köller (Eds.), Mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Kompetenzen in der beruflichen Erstausbildung: Stand der Forschung und Desiderata. Zeitschrift für Berufs- und Wirtschaftspädagogik (pp. 67-93), special issue 26. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag. Seeber, S., & Lehmann, R. (2013). Basic competencies as determinants of success in commercial apprenticeships. In K. Beck & O. Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia (Eds.), From diagnostics to learning success (pp. 75-83). Rotterdam: SensePublishers. Tjaden, J. D. (2017). Migrant Background and Access to Vocational Education in Germany. Self-Selection, Discrimination, or Both?. Zeitschrift für Soziologie, http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/zfsoz-2017-1007
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