Vocational Training in Catalonia: academic performance, dual...

Article

Vocational Training in Catalonia: academic performance, dual VET, and gender

March 2022

Toni Mora, IRAPP, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya; Josep-Oriol Escardíbul, IEB, Universitat de Barcelona; Pilar Pineda-Herrero, EFI, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

This project has received the support of RecerCaixa, a programme promoted by the "la Caixa" Foundation with the collaboration of the ACUP

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This article draws together the main conclusions of a report on the situation of Vocational Training (VET) studies in Catalonia based on administrative data from the academic years 2015-2016 to 2018-2019. Specifically, data have been analysed pertaining to 263,487 students, as well as 3,441 teachers, from 457 public training centres.

Key points

1
Opting for Dual VET (medium and higher cycles) increases the grade achieved by 0.51 points and the probability of gaining a qualification by 1.8%.
2
Being female increases by 12% the probability of completing the full training course.
3
Females achieve an average final grade 0.3 points higher than that of males.
4
Females continue opting for more socially-oriented courses. While 11.2% of males choose IT, only 0.9% of females do so.

5
VET students tend significantly to be older than the age forecast for this type of studies (an average age of 20.6 years for the intermediate cycle and 23.8 years for the advanced cycle).
6
In overall terms, there are only 12% of foreign students.
7
The assessment by work experience tutors is higher when the percentage of female participants is greater.
8
Computer programmers (67%), science technicians (65%) and IT operations technicians (59%) are the occupations considered most necessary for the year 2030.

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The study reveals that Dual VET still represents only a small part of the totality of Vocational Studies, as it groups together 4.46% of the total students registered, of whom nearly 60% are male. However, Dual VET improves academic performance and the probability of obtaining a qualification. The results in distribution by gender confirm other recent data on horizontal segregation (in the choice of studies), with higher percentages of females in social studies and of males in technical courses. Of the total females, 12.8% select courses related with healthcare and 10.3% choose those in sociocultural or community-related fields. In a large number of training courses of a social type females are more numerous when selecting the dual modality, although in the overall figures there are more males opting for this choice. Females show better results in the knowledge learned and present a higher probability of completing the cycle chosen. These better grades are associated, among other factors, with a higher degree of satisfaction with the work experience undertaken. In turn, work experience tutors are more satisfied with work experience placement schemes when the percentage of female students is higher.

As a last point, the report includes a survey of businesses that are representative of two major sectors with expectations of strong demand in the future: healthcare and technology. These businesses confirm that the most highly valued skills, beyond the technical skills associated with the post, are teamwork and communication. The survey reveals the occupations that businesses consider most necessary for 2030: computer programmers, science technicians and IT operations technicians are the most necessary for 67%, 65% and 59% of businesses, respectively.