Low-achieving school leavers in VET

Brief description

This cumulative dissertation project deals with transitions to VET, learning resources and competence development in VET of low-achieving school leavers.

Paper 1: Profiles of cognitive and non-cognitive skills and their effects for low-achieving school leavers‘ transition to VET

In Germany, school leaving certificates play a crucial in the transition from school to VET. Especially low-achieving school leavers, i.e. those without certificate or with lower secondary certificate (Hauptschulabschluss), face problems in getting a VET position. Here, gatekeepers claim lacking cognitive and non-cognitive skills as the main reason for their low chances. However, studies only show limited evidence here. In addition, it is not clear, whether and how cognitive and non-cognitive skills have an effect on the chances of getting a VET position after leaving school. In this paper, I first examine profiles of cognitive and non-cognitive skills of low-achieving school leavers. Following this, I study their effects on the transition chances. The analyses use data from the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) starting cohort 4.

Target groups

Project leader

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Stephan Abele
PhD Student: Jennifer Schauer

Duration of the project

• 2020 - 

Cooperation partners