No transition without a qualification? Permeability between upper secondary-level baccalaureate school and Vocational Education and Training
The transition from general education to a vocational pathway comes with its own set of challenges. When starting a VET programme, what specific hurdles do individuals face who have attended upper secondary-level baccalaureate school and either left prematurely or graduated? A new ‘Trend in Focus’ report provides current insights into (un)desirable educational transitions.
Due to its high relevance, the topic was recently addressed with a postulate in the National Council. For this reason, researchers from the Swiss Observatory for Vocational Education and Training OBS SFUVET presented current findings on permeability at a meeting of the Parliamentary Group for Vocational Education and Training.
Current findings on educational reorientations
The topic of permeability between upper secondary-level baccalaureate school and Vocational Education and Training (VET) has been addressed again by the Swiss Observatory for Vocational Education an Training OBS SFUVET after it had already been identified as an educational policy challenge in 2019. The latest ‘Trend in Focus’ report ‘No transition without a qualification? Permeability between upper secondary-level baccalaureate school and Vocational Education and Training (VET)’ (available in German and French) discusses the pros and cons of greater permeability and provides the following insights:
- On average in Switzerland, around 8% of people who start upper secondary-level baccalaureate school switch to another education pathway before graduating. Just under 5% move from upper secondary-level baccalaureate school to a VET programme.
- Cantons with a high proportion of AB holders also tend to record more transitions into Vocational Education and Training.
- Individuals who successfully complete upper secondary-level baccalaureate school start a VET programme relatively infrequently (<1%).
- Horizontal permeability in the sense of recognising prior learning is currently limited for individuals transitioning from upper secondary-level baccalaureate school who have not graduated. It should be explored where and how the standardised recognition of prior learning at upper secondary-level baccalaureate school might be introduced for transitions to Vocational Education and Training (VET).