This contribution is based on the research project INDUCT. One of the primary aims of INDUCT is to establish a link between the characteristics of a country’s VET system and alternative ways companies organize recruitment, induction and continuing training processes. With its results INDUCT also supplements the findings of other research such as potential international comparative large scale assessments in VET (Achtenhagen & Baethge, 2007; Rauner, Haasler, Heinemann, & Grollmann, 2009).

The added scientific value of INDUCT is that it analyses the period of transition and the related recruitment, induction and continuing training practices from the employers´ perspective and their according needs. INDUCT examines the “black box” of transition and investigates how employers deal with potential gaps between required and “delivered” competences and skills of job entrants starting a new job. By including selected European countries which cover a wide range of educational settings, INDUCT allows comparisons between countries regarding the output of initial VET systems. Moreover, INDUCT gains more detailed information by concentrating on two occupational fields on medium qualification level – car service and health care professions. This contribution will differ from previous contributions to the ECER Conference from the same project (e.g. Schnitzler et al., 2009) in the following points:

• It will be the first conference presentation from the representative full study, using a sample size of 1,600 establishments across three countries (Spain, UK and Germany).
• It will add findings from a third occupational field (health care).

Induct complements previous research on induction, especially the most recent studies which are often focusing on graduates with higher educational degrees (e.g. Drees, 2009) or  on single enterprises (Rappe, 2006). Theoretical accounts of the induction are also scarce (Brussig, 2004). There has been prior research regarding comparable occupations (Kloas, 1991). However, there has been no follow up to this study. Consequently, results have to be checked for their actuality and enlarged in an international comparative way. A further missing aspect in research on induction has been the role of occupation related learning which has been treated as a “black box” whereas the focus was rather on social or value oriented induction (Grollmann, 2009). These gaps and blanks in this field of research have been addressed by INDUCT. Furthermore, by analyzing the employers´ point of view, we were forced to find items and questions that could be understood by employers and offer information that refer to the relevance of a country’s VET system for hiring VET graduates and for content and duration of induction processes and further training. In addition, it required an innovative combination of pedagogically and economically oriented items and the development of items that define intermediate level work.

Achtenhagen, F., & Baethge, M. (2007). Kompetenzdiagnostik als Large-Scale-Assessment im Bereich der beruflichen Aus- und Weiterbildung Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft, 51-70(8). Brussig, M. (2004). Was geschieht nach einer Neueinstellung? ARBEIT, 2(13. Jahrgang), 122-136. Drees, B. J. (2009). Die Einarbeitung in die Praxis als Schlüsselelement eines Bildungssystems der Zukunft. Ein Konzept für die Weiterentwicklung von Traineeausbildung in innovativen Unternehmen. München: Hampp. Grollmann, P. (2009). Betriebliche Rekrutierung und Karriereentwicklung von Berufsanfängern als Indkator for die Leistungsfähigkeit von Bildungssystemen. Entwicklung eines Untersuchungsdesigns für eine repräsentative Unternehmensbefragung (Projektbeschreibung / Antragstext zum Projekt). http://www.bibb.de/de/wlk51673.htm Kloas, P.-W. (1991). Einarbeitung als Qualifizierungsphase. Bindeglied zwischen Ausbildung und institutionalisierter Weiterbildung. Mitteilungen aus der Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung, 24(2), 333-343. Rappe, C. (2006). Die Einarbeitung neuer Mitarbeiter als pädagogischer Prozess. Aufgezeigt am Beispiel einer Firma der Kerntechnik. Rauner, F., Haasler, B., Heinemann, L., & Grollmann, P. (2009). Messen beruflicher Kompetenzen. Teilband 1. Grundlagen und Konzeption des KOMET-Projektes. 1. Aufl. Münster, Westf.: LIT. Schnitzler, A., Grollmann, P., Leoni, R., Markowitsch, J., Moraal, D., Sgobbi, F., & Suleman, F. (2009). European Survey Perspectives on Companies‘ Support for Vocational Learning. Documentation of a Research Workshop at ECER Vienna, 29.09.2009.