The purpose of this paper is to explore and compare the training and employment settings, opportunities, and scenarios of at-risk VET students in four countries from the perspective of the support provided to them by VET teachers individually and by VET schools institutionally, to meet their learning and training needs and to promote their employability/employment. The study is part of the large EEA research project Vocational education and workplace training enhancing social inclusion of at-risk young people (EmpowerVET), in collaboration between Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Norway.

The study builds on two research questions. First, what characterizes VET teachers’ possibilities to support at-risk students (national perspective)? To this end we will explore four factors: (i) availability of VET teachers, support staff, and trends; (ii) policies in VET teacher training; (iii) changing roles of VET teachers along with more diverse student populations, and; (iv) support available to VET teachers to deal with at risk students. Second, what characterizes the similarities and differences between the four countries, in the above regards, in the light of their different political-economic models of skills formation?

At-risk students/youth is not a homogenous group, nor easily definable. They often, but not always, need special support in the context of education, and duly special competence from the teaching staff to address their learning needs, against their often “uniquely complex” situations. Their risk of societal marginalization is often related to school dropout. In Norway, three background factors, sometimes intertwined, characterize youth at-risk for marginalization: migration, history of child welfare services, and psychological problems (Sletten & Hyggen, 2013, 23). In the Baltics economic hardship and geography often add to these.

Theoretically, the study builds on the concept of VET teacher competences (Antera, 2021) and institutional models of skills formation setting (Tūtlys, Vaitkutė & Bukantaitė, 2022).

Both the European Union (EU) and the OECD strongly relate the quality of VET provision to professional competence of VET teachers and its development (Antera, 2021, 463). Few studies have been investigating VET teachers’ competence, but both solid competence in the vocation and being a good pedagogue define a “good vocational teacher” (Mogstad Aspøy, et al., 2017). While they typically have a strong vocational identity, a large proportion of them lack formal pedagogical competence (Turmo & Aamodt 2007). Furthermore, strong focus on absence and often low school motivation are pulling teachers’ role towards being also a social worker (Lloyd & Payne, 2012; Young, 2000), as does increasing student diversity. Followingly, VET teachers often face challenges in trying to address at-risk students’ needs for learning and support. Continuous and high-quality professional development becomes a necessity to keep pace with the rapidly developing demands of their job (Psifidou & Pevec Grm, 2021).

The countries involved in this study, represent two types of strategic priorities in the development of the VET systems, with different implications to at-risk students (Cedefop, 2021). One is typical to Baltic countries, with an emphasis on fixing demand-supply skills gaps thru VET and strong focus on teachers’ vocations-related and practical skills, at the expense of broader theoretical knowledge. The other is typical to Nordic countries, emphasizing equal access and opportunities for learning skills development to all, and having a balanced view to VET teachers’ vocational and pedagogical skills and their development.

The study is based on expert methodology, a qualitative approach to identify VET practices and policies in the four countries, through research and evaluations carried out in them, and to assess thru them VET teachers’ and schools’ capacities to tackle the challenges of integration of at-risk youth and their vocational and labor market integration. The methodology comprises of three separate phases. First, VET specialists from the four countries in the EmpowerVET project prepared a joint framework to systematically explore VET teachers’ and schools’ capacities to tackle the challenges of integration of at-risk youth and their vocational and labor market integration in each country. Our initial exploration of existing research and statistics showed that accurate statistics, and especially cross nationally valid, comparative statistics on the topic and the target group of at-risk youth is not available. Research and evaluation reports in regards the target group of at-risk youth, mostly are available only on the native languages. Followingly, and second, country reports following the joint framework were produced in the English language by each national team of specialists. Third, the national accounts were analyzed and compared, and finally, the knowledge provided in them systematized to allow to answer to our research questions. The analysis is still ongoing.

Preliminary findings show wide differences in availability of VET teachers and support staff, policies, changing roles, and both in the availability of and approach to organising of support within VET systems across the countries, also across the Baltics. The support here refrs to both that to teachers in their work with at-risk students and the support to at-risk students themselves. Yet, the countries display similar trends in the increasing volume of at-risk students and their diversity, and the complexity of their need for academic and social support. The implications of the findings to support the learning and employment of at-risk students in VET will be discussed against the two types of strategic priorities in the development of the VET systems, the Baltic and the Nordic.

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