Making it real: the benefits of workplace learning in upper-secondary VET courses

In OECD countries, ‘real world’ upper-secondary vocational education and training (VET) programs are used to engage less academically oriented youth in learning, while helping to prepare them for post-school work and/or further training. In general terms, VET programs with high employer involvement, such as apprenticeship schemes, are considered to be superior to classroom-based VET programs that are typically found in many English-speaking countries. In this study, we examine outcomes from a potential ‘third way’: classroom-based VET with a short-term structured workplace learning component. Using propensity score matching and [Programme for International Student Assessment] PISA data linked to information from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY), we find time in workplace learning is associated with higher school completion rates and better employment transitions.

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