“Who am I?” and “who would I like to be?”
Today people often don’t remain in the first occupation they train in for a lifetime. It is nevertheless a starting point where apprentices encounter other people (colleagues, vocational trainers or customers) and meet the expectations of the world of work and professional practice.
Apprentices need social recognition to develop a positive occupational self-image. Sometimes the vocational education and training path pursued does not receive the acknowledgement that apprentices would like from society. They then have to develop their own occupational identity strategies to ensure positive self-esteem.
A study by SFUVET funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation explores how apprentices in retail, bricklaying and automation technology develop their occupational identities when faced with the requirements of the occupation and world of work. The study was carried out at seven vocational schools in German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland. Based on 92 interviews with apprentices, 37 interviews with VET experts and 16 group discussions with apprentices, the study provided an understanding of apprentices’ experiences of training and the development of their occupational identity.
The research results were summarised in a report (in German and French).
