Program Coherence and Integration of School and Work-Based Learning in the Icelandic Dual Vocational Education and Training System

• In Event: The Global Impact of Career and Vocational Education Training in the Workplace

Abstract

The goal of the study is to look at how the different variations of the vocational education and training (VET) dual system in Iceland relates to the perceived integration of learning at school and the workplace. An electronic questionnaire was sent to recent graduates, workplace trainers, and teachers in all 51 certified trades in Iceland and 667 participants answered (24% response rate). Results show that the two sites of learning, school and workplaces, are parallel rather than integrated. There seems limited communication and collaboration between teachers and workplace trainers and recent graduates did not experience the program as a coherent whole. Association between variations of the dual system and perceived integration were also found in a few instances.

Author

• Elsa Eiriksdottir, University of Iceland