The transformation of the workplace has been accelerated by the continuous digitalization, societal changes (e.g. demography, migration, cultural diversity) and recently by COVID-19. This will dramatically increase the speed of creation of new job profiles, while existing job profiles might disappear,[i] and fundamental shifts will intervene in job qualifications with new set of skills being required to enter the labour market. In addition, the share of employment in low-wage occupations may decline for the first time by 2030, with one in 16 people having to change jobs and industries.[ii]

The problem that compels this research is a perceived gap between the soft skills required by Luxembourg’s employers who now hire graduates of the vocational training institute CNFPC from Esch-sur-Alzette and the actual skills these graduates have, and a crucial need for a pedagogical transformation in the teaching and learning practices used by CNFPC to adequately train workers to meet employers’ needs.[iii]

The key questions addressed by the research paper are:

RQ 1: What are the perceptions and attitudes of vocational education students related to the soft skills needed to be successful in future employment and do they change in time, e.g. after the training?

RQ 2: What are the perspectives of employers connected to vocational education about the soft skills of graduates?

RQ 3: Which boundary-crossing practices in VET programs are best suited to enhance the development of students’ industry-ready skills, especially in terms of soft skills?

The paper presents some of the initial findings related to the investigation of 3 cohorts of future bus drivers trained by CNFPC, including an international exploration of the job profile and required skills in different parts of the world.

Due to the nature of the topic, the envisaged methodology for this research is a multi-method approach, to bridge dimensions from the micro (concrete teaching & working) and macro (professional training and qualification) levels and to embrace multiple perspectives on the processes under scrutiny. The framework combines in a complementary sense: 1) ethnographic methods through participants’ observation within the boundary-crossing VET training context, e.g. groups of future bus drivers, 2) discourse analytical perspectives on official documents (curricula, qualifications framework, regulations…), 3) focused interviews with VET-related actors, i.e., employers, participants and trainers, a. with VET students to get closer insights in their perceptions and attitudes related to the relevant soft skills for future employment b. with VET-connected employers about the softs skills of graduates and boundary-crossing practices to enhance the development of industry-fitting skills c. with VET trainers about their educational practices and perspectives on potential changes.

In responding to government demands for a highly skilled workforce, this research generally argues for a framework for VET institutes in Luxembourg to ensure their success to deliver programmes which respond to the market needs and reliable data for stakeholders and policy makers. The expected outcomes: - scientific data about VET students’ perceptions and attitudes towards soft skills and their relevance for employability, and if they change after the soft skills training, currently not available, - an exploration of the perspectives of VET-connected employers about the softs skill levels of graduates and boundary-crossing practices to enhance the development of industry-fitting skills, - a monitoring analysis about the current VET practices and multi-voiced perspectives on potential transformations in this field.

[i] Luxembourg’s Ministry of Education (2019) - National Research and Innovation Strategy for Luxembourg [ii] McKinsey Global Institute (2021) - Research “The future of work after COVID-19” [iii] CEDEFOP (2020). The Osnabrück Declaration on vocational education and training as an enabler of recovery and just transitions to digital and green economies. Retrieved online on 20 January 2021 from https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/files/osnabrueck_declaration_eu2020.pdf