Session Information
02 SES 09 C, Pathways and Transitions II: Pathways at Risk
Paper Session
Contribution
In a society in which discontinuous training and work biographies (Offe, 1984) and transitions (Weinhardt & Walther, 2016) are increasing, the concept of vocational success is being challenged. Choosing a profession with the long-term goal of economic independence is perceived as an important development task during adolescence (Fend, 2009). The successful accomplishment of this task can be seen as individual prerequisites for the integration into working life (Hupka-Brunner & Wohlgemuth, 2014). This is particularly relevant in an employment-centred transition regime, as can be observed in Switzerland, where occupational status plays a key role for the social integration into society (Stolz & Gonon, 2013). Therefore the interest of this paper lies on the way young people, with discontinuous vocational biographies, perceive their own vocational success.
While a large proportion of Switzerland’s population undergoes a linear path with immediate connection to a vocational training or general education system, a significant minority of 20-25% experience postponements and difficulties at this first transition into further education and training (BFS, 2016; Meyer, 2018). The risk of not graduating at upper secondary level is, regarding to TREE[1]-Data, increased for young people with a non-linear pathway (Sacchi & Meyer, 2016). This risk, however, is much higher for those who do not participate in a transitional solution than for those who do. Transitional solutions have a positive effect on objective/extrinsic vocational success (Sacchi & Meyer, 2016). Further findings on objective/extrinsic vocational success for young adults who participated at a transitional solution are given by data of the GÜRB[2]-Project (Gebhardt, Kamm, Brühwiler, Dernbach-Stolz & Gonon, 2017). The analysis shows a significantly lower average grade in the qualification process for young people who visited a transitional solution than those who did not (Gebhardt et al., 2017). On the other hand, there were no significant differences in finding a connecting solution or remaining in the training company after finishing apprenticeship (ibid.).
Taking into account the theoretical framework on vocational success, not only objective/extrinsic but as well subjective/intrinsic vocational success should be taken into account (Häfeli & Schellenberg, 2009; Abele, Spurk & Volmer, 2011). Adapting the construct of objective and subjective career success by Abele et al. (2011) towards vocational success, both aspects should be measured independently, especially in an employment-relationship of dependency. The authors differentiate between self-referent subjective career success (measured by job satisfaction) and other-referent subjective career success (measured by items which compare one’s success to relevant others) (ibid.). Furthermore the authors highlight the positive feedback cycle of both subjective success indicators on initial and changes in objective career success (Abele et al., 2011). Häfeli and Schellenberg (2009) have a processual understanding of objective vocational success indicators (finding an apprenticeship, successfully completing it and finding a suitable job). While subjective vocational success is not differentiated accordingly, aspects such as training and occupational fit, social integration, self-efficacy and satisfaction with training and occupation also point to the processuality of subjective success indicators (ibid.).
While there is some research for objective vocational success for young adults, who have participated in a transitional solution (Sacchi & Meyer, 2016; Gebhardt et al., 2017), there is a lack of data for subjective vocational success for this group. As theoretical reconsideration highlights the importance of the subjective aspects for one’s vocational success, the presentation aims at filling the gap. Thus the research question is the following: How do participants of a transitional solution experience the subjective vocational success of their training compared to the group with a linear path into vocational education and training?
[1] Transition from Education to Employment
[2] Gelingende Übergänge für Risikogruppen in die Berufsbildung
Method
Based on the theoretical distinction of objective & subjective indicators of vocational success, special attention is given to the latter. In addition to GÜRB-data on subjective vocational suc-cess, we will further take into account data from the longitudinal-survey TREE . The GÜRB-Sample includes 406 young adults from the German-speaking part of Switzerland. The sample comprises 302 young adults who participated in a transitional solution. For the TREE sample, the contribution focuses on a cross-sectional view of phase 2 (T3/T4), in which the response rate is around n=4,500 young adults shortly before the transition to working life or tertiary education (TREE, 2016). Young adults who have not found a direct entry into vocational or general education are compared to those with a linear path into vocational education and training. Young adults who start general education after compulsory schooling or remain without education were therefore excluded from the analysis. The operationalization of subjective vocational success is based on the theoretical approach of Häfeli and Schellenberg (2009) and Abele et al. (2011). According to the authors, subjective vocational success includes the following aspects (see in brackets, which TREE scales can be used): - Satisfaction with training (overall satisfaction, satisfaction with the training company, satisfaction at workplace) - Occupational self-efficacy (scope of action at workplace, participation, opportunities for advancement and further education) - Identification with a profession (professional commitment, examined at T8) - Professional fit (no scales) Four indicators were developed in the GÜRB study on the basis of these theoretical consid-erations. While the first three aspects can also be analyzed using TREE-Data, there were no scales for measuring professional fit. We will therefore focus on the first three indicators. Identification with a profession will be measured with GÜRB-Data during apprenticeship, while with TREE-Data a later time is examined, after entering the professional world (T8). Starting with frequency distribution analyses on how these indicators were perceived by par-ticipants of a transitional solution, we will then test the formation of indicators for the three aspects. To answer the question on how subjective vocational success is been perceived by the group with prolonged transitions into vocational education and training, analyses of variance will be tackled by independent t-tests (see Field, 2013) both for GÜRB- and TREE-Data.
Expected Outcomes
According to GÜRB data, both groups of young adults (with or without having participated in a transition solution) can be classified as largely successful with regard to all subjective vocational success indicators (M >3 on a 4-point Likert Scale, right-sided distribution). The variance analyses show no significant differences between the groups’ arithmetic mean values. A more differentiated picture is possible for the analyses of the TREE data, as on the one hand the group without a transitional year is massively larger and thus more representative for the Swiss population and on the other hand the vocational success indicators are formed dif-ferently. For example, there is a more differentiated indicator for satisfaction (in addition to satisfaction with profession as well general satisfaction and satisfaction with the company providing the training), while occupational self-efficacy was formed from the TREE scale "Stress and Resources in the Company". Furthermore, the analyses of professional commit-ment at time T8 extend the examination of subjective success to the time after training. There-for we expect significant differences between the two groups, with significantly lower subjec-tive vocational success for the group attending a transitional solution. As the measurement method for subjective vocational success differ between the two datasets, the presentation will end with a discussion on an appropriate measurement method taking into account the corresponding theoretical framework.
References
Abele, A.E., Spurk, D., & Volmer, J. (2011). The construct of career success: measurement issues and an empirical example. Zeitschrift für Arbeitsmarkforschung (ZAF), 42(3), 195-206. BFS (Bundesamt für Statistik). (2016). Der Übergang am Ende der obligatorischen Schule, Edition 2016. Neuchâtel: BFS. Fend, H. (2009). Arm und reich im frühen Erwachsenenalter – Wege zu Einkommen und Auskommen. In H. Fend, F. Berger & U. Grob (Eds.). Lebensverläufe, Lebensbewäl-tigung, Lebensglück. Ergebnisse der LifE-Studie, pp. 161-192. Field, A. (2013). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics (4th ed.). London et al.: SAGE. Gebhardt, A., Kamm, C., Brühwiler, C., Dernbach-Stolz, S. & Gonon, P. (2017). Gelingende Übergänge für Risikogruppen in die Berufsbildung (GÜRB). Zwischenbericht zur quantitativen Datenerhebung. St. Gallen: Institut für Professionsforschung und Kom-petenzentwicklung. Häfeli, K. & Schellenberg, C. (2009). Erfolgsfaktoren in der Berufsbildung bei gefährdeten Jugendlichen. Bern: EDK. Hupka-Brunner, S. & Wohlgemuth, K. (2014). Wie weiter nach der Schule? Zum Einfluss der Selektion in der Sekundarstufe I auf den weiteren Bildungsverlauf von Schweizer Ju-gendlichen. In M. Neuenschwander (Ed.): Selektionsschwellen im Schweizerischen Bildungssystem, pp. 99-131. Zürich/Chur: Rüegger Verlag. Meyer, T. (2018). Wie das Schweizer Bildungssystem Bildungs- und Lebenschancen struktu-riert. Empirische Befunde aus der Längsschnittstudie TREE. Basel: Universität Basel. DOI: 10.5451/unibas-006799348. Offe, C. (1984). "Arbeitsgesellschaft": Strukturprobleme und Zukunftsperspektiven. Frankfurt: Campus. Sacchi, S. & Meyer, T. (2016). Übergangslösungen beim Eintritt in die Schweizer Berufsbil-dung: Brückenschlag oder Sackgasse? Swiss Journal of Sociology, 42(1), 9-39. Stolz, S. & Gonon, P. (2013). Das ‘Übergangsregime’ in der Schweiz – Von der Sekundarstu-fe I in die Berufsbildung. Arbeit, 17(3), 298-310. TREE (Transition from Education to Employment). (2016). Documentation on the first TREE cohort (TREE1), 2000–2016. Bern: TREE. Weinhardt, M. & Walther, A. (2016). Organisation und Organisationen von Beratung im Übergang. In B. Althans & J. Engel (Eds.). Responsive Organisationsforschung. Me-thodologie und institutionelle Rahmung von Übergängen, pp. 307-326. Wiesbaden: Springer.
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