Abstract
To a large extent, the Swiss dual system of vocational education and training is viewed positively when considering how it supports smooth transitions from school to work. Nevertheless, the level of dropout from the system also highlights some of its limitations. As a follow-up to a qualitative study focusing on dropout phenomenon, this contribution offers a longitudinal perspective. It analyzes young people’s situation 4 years after the breach of their apprenticeship contract and the paths they have followed during this period. Then it discusses these results in the light of transition and occupational integration. Our analyses allow us to emphasize the heterogeneity of the courses following early termination of apprenticeship contracts. They also help us to better understand what are the periods of transition made of and how young people experience them. Concerning occupational integration, they force us to discuss the usual criteria used to characterize successful integration. They also enable us to point out the elements young people underline to define their integration.
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Notes
- 1.
The first stage of this research was conducted from 2006 to 2009. A qualitative approach was favoured so as to apprehend not only the reasons for dropout, but also the various elements involved in this initial experience in the professional world. To this end, 46 ex-apprentices reported their experience through semi-structured interviews.
- 2.
This file follow-up was provided by the TEM – Transition Ecole Métier – association, with whom we have already collaborated for the first stage of research.
- 3.
Our approach is principally deductive as our analyses have been mainly steered by our previous findings.
- 4.
This kind of training prepares students for entering into VET.
- 5.
- 6.
By small job, we mean a contingency job in contrast to employment as a main activity.
- 7.
Tracing path models does not seek to establish a typology, but offers a simpler representation of individual courses grouped according to similarity.
- 8.
We do not take into account what occurs before dropout.
- 9.
We do not take into account the frequent changes in programme or vocation made by young people further to dropout, as they appear of little significance to the path’s composition.
- 10.
All the respondents having completed training obtained a CFC.
- 11.
We refer to Transition time 1 ½ whenever this period extends beyond 6 months. The 6-month duration most often corresponds with the period from training interruption to the start of the next school year. This is the period for which young people have to wait in order to resume training in case they fail to find a new apprenticeship within 3 months from dropout, during which they may remain registered with the vocational school. We refer to Transition time 2 from completion of training.
- 12.
In this framework, it would be interesting to investigate the impact of this reference to an ideal on young people’s representation of their own path in terms of successful or failed transition.
- 13.
Concerning T 1 ½, the excerpts are also taken from interviews with young people who have only undergone a brief transition time (less than 6 months).
- 14.
We refer to the interviewees by using their situation at the time of interview (ongoing apprenticeship or position held). If a change in occupation has taken place, we mention the interrupted apprenticeship. The numbers in brackets indicate how the respondents were referred to in the first stage of research.
- 15.
The excerpts are translations in English of the original French data.
- 16.
Note that she makes this decision further to another dropout.
- 17.
Stalder and Schmid (2006) highlighted various parameters such as reasons for dropout and the duration of the transition time from interruption to resumption of training, but also the nationality, socioeconomic origin and prior level of schooling.
- 18.
We refer to imposed part-time since, on several occasions, the interviewees pointed out that their occupation rate had not been decided by themselves. When looking for a job after completing VET, they agreed to the terms offered even when these did not quite meet their expectations.
- 19.
The categories used by Rastoldo et al. (2009) are as follows: assured integration (intégration assurée) (job stability and job satisfaction); uncertain integration (intégration incertaine) (job uncertainty and job satisfaction); difficult integration (intégration laborieuse) (job stability and job dissatisfaction) and deskilling integration (intégration disqualifiante) (job uncertainty and job dissatisfaction).
- 20.
The categories used by Gauthier et al. (2004) are as follows: young people stabilized on the labor market (jeunes stabilisés sur le marché du travail) (job stability, whether typical or not); young people on their way to stabilizing on the labor market (jeunes en voie de se stabiliser) (resumption of training leading to a qualification or first stable job); young people in precarious situations (jeunes en situation précaire) (unemployment, survival job, resumption of training) and young people on the fringe of the labor market (jeunes en marge du marché du travail) (without activity, small jobs, health problems, etc.). To that may be added the issue of the ability to make feasible projects, which we find in young people stabilized or on their way to stabilization.
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Duc, B., Lamamra, N. (2014). Young People’s Progress After Dropout from Vocational Education and Training: Transitions and Occupational Integration at Stake. A Longitudinal Qualitative Perspective. In: Keller, A., Samuel, R., Bergman, M., Semmer, N. (eds) Psychological, Educational, and Sociological Perspectives on Success and Well-Being in Career Development. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8911-0_4
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