Where to Next? VET Students' Future Plans

Abstract

The 2019 reform of upper secondary vocational education aims to increase the prestige of vocational education and training, while at the same time serving industry’s demand for highly skilled professionals, as set out in the Industry 4.0 strategy. Additionally, it provides a career path that matches young people’s interests, ideas and aspirations. Applying a questionnaire survey allowed to ask the first participants in the renewed types of upper secondary vocational education and training programmes about their plans for the future. The database (N=973) includes responses from 11th-form students in vocational education and training centres in the North Great Plain region. Data were processed using SPSS software, descriptive statistics, cross tabulation analysis and cluster analysis. Results support the hypotheses that, for young people enrolled in new types of VET programmes, higher socio-economic status and a programme type that allows a pathway to higher education are associated with a more optimistic outlook than a programme type with low socio-economic status and no baccalaureate.