In the contemporary era, sustainability has emerged as a foundational principle for addressing both current and future global challenges. Vocational education and training (VET) has been identified as a critical driver of sustainable development (SD), owing to its action-orientation in the world of work (Slopinski et al., 2020). From a scientific point of view, a strong conceptualization of sustainability posits that human activities, particularly those related to economic processes, must be constrained within ecological thresholds to mitigate the risks posed to the viability of both present and future generations. Simultaneously, fundamental human needs, including health and education, must be safeguarded (Raworth, 2017). The urgency of rethinking existing socio-economic paradigms is emphasized by the Stockholm Resilience Centre (Richardson et al., 2023), which employs the planetary boundaries framework to quantify the extent to which human activities have transgressed biophysical limits, thereby risking the destabilization of the Earth system.

Given the transgressions of several planetary boundaries, this presentation examines the environmental concern of young apprentices in VET. This concern encompasses cognitive, affective, and conative dimensions (Franzen & Bahr, 2024) and can thus manifest in various forms. The cognitive dimension pertains to the recognition of the environmental threats posed by human activities, the affective dimension reflects the emotional concern associated with these threats, and the conative dimension refers to the willingness to take action. However, while fostering concern of ecological sustainability is undeniably crucial, it is insufficient in itself to catalyze pro-environmental behavior. Research indicates that a sense of personal responsibility and efficacy is also essential in motivating individuals to contribute meaningfully to sustainability efforts.

In recent decades, environmental issues have been integrated into all levels of education, and a well-established body of research highlights the influence of education on environmental concern (Franzen & Bahr, 2024). However, the extent of commitment to ecological sustainability varies across educational levels, institutions, and instructors (Holfelder, 2018). In Switzerland, VET aims to equip apprentices with the requisite skills and knowledge to contribute to SD, encompassing economic, ecological, social, and cultural dimensions. Nevertheless, the integration of sustainability issues remains highly heterogeneous across different VET programs (Koch, 2024), with the responsibility for implementation largely resting with vocational schoolteachers and trainers within the firms where apprentices complete their training. Furthermore, research indicates that apprentices in VET often exhibit relatively low levels of sustainability and environmental concern, a trend that may, at least in part, be attributed to their social class and educational backgrounds (Holfelder, 2018).

In Switzerland, apprentices typically spend a significant portion of their training in firms, usually three to four days per week, where they acquire practical vocational knowledge and skills through direct collaboration with experienced professionals. In this context, providing learning opportunities related to sustainability is crucial, yet the question of how these opportunities should be structured remains. The restrictive-expansive training conditions model (Unwin, 2024) suggests that expansive training conditions foster apprentices' capacity to act by enabling their comprehensive participation in the firm`s work processes and facilitating in-depth knowledge exchange with colleagues. These conditions also provide opportunities for reflection and support. In contrast, restrictive training conditions are characterized by the absence of complex tasks, limited involvement in productive work, and minimal opportunities for reflection and support.

This contribution therefore aims to understand to which extent apprentices in Switzerland can develop environmental concern in their VET programs. The research is thus interested in apprentices’ concern for ecological sustainability and what learning opportunities are provided to them in this regard during workplace training in firms.

This contribution is based on a PhD-project that forms part of an ongoing qualitative study funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (No. 100017_219887; Duemmler, 2024), which investigates apprentices' perspectives on sustainability, both in general and with regard to their vocational activities, as well as their experiences with sustainability issues during VET. For the purposes of this contribution, twelve qualitative semi-structured individual interviews and three group discussions (Helfferich, 2011) conducted in autumn 2024 with apprentices aged 15 to 18 years were analyzed. The apprentices were enrolled in various dual VET programs, including drafting, heating engineering, and floristry, each with varying relevance to ecological sustainability. The participants were asked to share their perspectives on several key topics: their understanding and perception of sustainability issues, the potential role their respective occupations could play in SD, their personal roles and motivations in this regard and how they engage with sustainability at their workplace within the respective firms. Access to the apprentices was facilitated through the vocational school, where the data collection took place. The interviews had an average duration of one hour, all participants provided informed consent and voluntarily participated in the study. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and anonymized for analysis. In a subsequent phase of data collection the existing dataset will be supplemented through interviews with vocational trainers and a series of participant observations within the training firms. This phase will offer further insights into the contextual dynamics of the apprentices' workplaces. The analysis of qualitative data employs the grounded theory method (Charmaz, 2014), a systematic approach that involves the generation of initial codes through close proximity to the data. These initial codes are then subjected to an iterative process of abstraction, leading to the creation of axial and selective codes. The analysis is characterised by a dualistic blend of deductive and inductive elements, underpinned by a theoretical sensitivity to salient concepts. In accordance with the iterative character of grounded theory, the coding system is subject to continuous refinement, with modifications being implemented for subsequent rounds of data collection.

The results offer, for the first time, valuable insights into the relationship between apprentices' environmental concerns in Swiss VET and the workplace learning opportunities available to them. The findings examine the role of sustainability in everyday work practices, the extent to which sustainability is discussed among colleagues, and the opportunities apprentices have to engage with sustainability-related issues and initiatives within their firms. Special attention is given to the opportunities for participation in sustainable practices and reflection on sustainability issues, which vary across firms and occupations, potentially influencing apprentices' development of environmental concern. As such, the results provide important insights into the integration of sustainability within VET and the ways in which apprentices develop within this context. Preliminary findings reveal significant variations in environmental concern among apprentices, which are closely linked to their learning environments. For example, draftsmen and women specializing in spatial planning regularly engage with topics such as zoning and river restoration in their professional activities. They also participate in in-depth discussions with colleagues, raising their concern of the environmental impact of their work on SD. In contrast, heating installers, although they typically install heat pumps and solar panels, do not have the opportunity to reflect on the broader environmental and societal implications of their work. While many apprentices contribute to sustainability efforts within their workplaces to varying degrees, there is no assurance that these issues are systematically addressed or critically reflected upon within the firms. In conclusion, both the nature of the work and the working environment play a crucial role in shaping the apprentices' learning process. Creating opportunities for ongoing discussions and engagement with future-oriented issues, particularly in the context of the transition toward greater sustainability, has the potential to broaden apprentices' perspectives and foster a deeper awareness of how their work contributes to SD.

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