Career Compromises and Dropout from Vocational Education and Training in Germany.

Abstract

This study investigates the relevance of career compromises (i.e. the discrepancy between expected and attained training position) for dropping out from vocational education and training (VET), focusing on compromises in terms of field of work, social status and gender type. Moreover, it examines whether apprentices’ enjoyment of training ex-plains this association. Using longitudinal data on 5,600 apprentices from the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS, Starting Cohort 4), the results of discrete event history models show that all types of compromises are crucial for VET dropout, but especially compromises regarding field of work and downward discrepancies in gen-der type. Furthermore, the link between compromises and VET dropout is partly mediated by apprentices’ enjoyment of training, which itself is highly correlated with dropping out. These findings draw attention to the role of pre-entry VET policies, such as career counselling, in minimising the incidence of career compromises.

Aspiration–Attainment Gaps Predict Adolescents’ Subjective Well-Being After Transition to Vocational Education and Training in Germany

“…Speculatively, the decisive factors could be the occupational fields in question (see also Wicht et al, 2021) and the skills and characteristics required for the occupations aspired to and attained. This assumption is in line with previous findings showing that AAGs with respect to the occupational field are most relevant for both enjoyment of and dropout from VET (Ahrens et al, 2021a;Beckmann et al, 2021).…”

“…Little research has addressed the potential impact of occupational AAGs on SWB. In line with the theoretical perspectives discussed above, the few existing studies suggest that experiencing an occupational AAG leads to lower job satisfaction (Hardie, 2014), lower SWB (Carr, 1997), lower enjoyment of VET (Beckmann et al, 2021), more depressive symptoms (Carr, 1997;Hardie, 2014), and a decreased likelihood that individuals perceive themselves as "very successful" in their work lives (Carr, 1997).…”

“…Hence, to better understand this phenomenon, it is a task of future research to scrutinize this mediating role of the AAG, for example, in dropout from VET (see, e.g., Beckmann et al, 2021), completion of VET, and other "harder" career outcomes. The findings of this research will be relevant for policymakers and employers who wish to initiate interventions to improve SWB during VET to support further career development-especially because the wishes and expectations of school leavers do not necessarily coincide with the VET positions available on the labor market (i.e., employment realities; Hoff et al, 2021).…”

Ethnic Differences in Gender‐Typical Occupational Orientations Among Adolescents in Germany

“…On the one hand, by adapting to the GTOO of autochthones, immigrants may better meet the demands of the labor market and potentially increase their chances of a smooth transition into the training market. On the other hand, their adaptation may involve compromises associated with adverse consequences, such as lower well-being (Hardie, 2014) or dropping out of training (Beckmann et al, 2021). Future research is needed to investigate the consequences of acculturation processes in immigrant GTOO for both the well-being of immigrants as well as their labor market integration.…”

“You can’t always get what you want”: Prevalence, magnitude, and predictors of the aspiration–attainment gap after the school-to-work transition

“…From the perspective of discrepancy theories (e.g., Higgins, 1987;Michalos, 1985), level of aspiration theory (e.g., Starbuck, 1963), and person-environment (P-E) fit theories (e.g., Edwards & Shipp, 2007), gaps between aspirations and actual attainment may hamper motivation, performance, and well-being. In support of these theories, evidence suggests that experiencing an occupational AAG is linked to lower satisfaction with VET; lower life, job, and income satisfaction; a higher likelihood of dropping out of VET; and a lower propensity to consider oneself as very successful in one's work life (e.g., Beckmann et al, 2021;Carr, 1997;Hardie, 2014;Nießen et al, 2021). Low satisfaction, in turn, is related to a range of detrimental long-term career outcomes such as turnover, dropout, decreased work motivation, and decreased goal striving (e.g., Beckmann et al, 2021;Haase et al, 2012;Medici et al, 2020;Ton & Hansen, 2001).…”