Vocational Education 4.0
The digital transformation is a key technological trend that will change the world of labor in the future. Our research shows that people with a vocational education run the risk of losing their jobs later in life when demand for their occupation-specific skills fades over time due to technical and structural change. This creates a trade-off between early employment advantages and later employment risks for educational programs that train for work in a specific job which is particularly pronounced in apprenticeship countries.
On the one hand, educational programs that train for work in a specific job can facilitate the transition from school to work. On the other hand, they can reduce employment opportunities at older age because of lower adaptability to changing environments. In several studies, we find that individuals with a job-specific vocational education have better employment chances at the beginning of the career than those who receive a general education. But if demand for their occupation-specific skills fades over time due to technical and structural change, they are at a higher risk of losing their jobs later in life.
“The advantage of job-specific vocational education in the school-to-work transition can turn into a disadvantage over the life-cycle compared to general education programs due to continuous technological and structural change.”
Prof. Dr. Ludger Wößmann, Director of the ifo Center for the Economics of Education
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Article in JournalVera Freundl, Philipp Lergetporer, Katharina Wedel, Katharina Wernerifo Institut, München, 2024ifo Schnelldienst, 2024, 77, Nr. 03, 39-43
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Article in JournalMichael Kalinowski, Harald Pfeifer, Sven Resnjanskij, Jens Ruhose, Katharina Wedel, Simon Wiederhold, Ludger Wößmann, Andreas Schleicher, Andrea Nahles, Judith Saurer, Silke Anger, Adrian Lerche, Malte Sandner, Samuel Mühlemannifo Institut, München, 2023ifo Schnelldienst, 2023, 76, Nr. 12, 03-27
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Contribution in Refereed JournalFacing the Life-Cycle Trade-off between Vocational and General Education in Apprenticeship Systems: An Economics-of-Education PerspectiveLudger Wößmann2019Journal for Educational Research Online 11(1), 31-46
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ProjectLeibniz Association2015 - 2018
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Contribution in Refereed JournalVocational vs. General Education and Employment over the Life-Cycle: New Evidence from PIAACFranziska Hampf, Ludger Wößmann2017CESifo Economic Studies 63(3), 255–269
Working paper version available as: CESifo Working Paper 6116 (PDF)
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Guest article — 28 June 2017
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Guest article — 27 February 2017
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Contribution in Refereed JournalGeneral Education, Vocational Education, and Labor-Market Outcomes over the Life-CycleLudger Wößmann, Eric A. Hanushek, Guido Schwerdt, Lei Zhang2017Journal of Human Resources 52 (1), 48-87
Working paper version available as: NBER Working Paper 17504 | Latest version available: Download, Information
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