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Combined training programs, the integration of classroom instruction plus real work activities, have been shown to be an effective way to provide smooth school-to-work transitions in Germany. However, the reasons some combined training programs tend to produce graduates with successful early careers and other programs fall short is less well understood. Data from the German dual vocational education system, which has been based on the combined training model for decades, revealed the importance of entering a training-related job immediately upon graduation. Graduates who accepted work outside their training field were substantially less likely to ever have a job which used their vocational training. Initial unemployment, rather than representing the cost of further searching for work in the field of training, often resulted in either continued unemployment or a job outside the field. Combined training tended to lead to high placement rates in training-related jobs, which in turn were associated with low levels of future employment.

Published abstract. Copyright held by JVER. Show less

This article details a study that examined the German vocational training system. The study focused on two different programs: the traditional vocational training program (TVPs) and the non-company based vocational training program (NCPs). The purpose was to describe and compare these two programs in terms of TVP and NCP graduate perceptions pertaining to training satisfaction, economic outcomes, and job satisfaction. The most noticeable difference between the two training programs was indicated in economic outcomes. Industry appeared to prefer graduates from traditional training programs. It is argued that these programs are still perceived by industry to be of higher quality. The article also discusses examples of successful implementation of aspects of TVPs and NCPs in vocational education programs in the USA. Show less

Over the past two decades, action research has grown in popularity in the US. This article shows how the author addresses the seven steps of a classroom action research project in which student perception of an online classroom environment and a traditional classroom environment were assessed together with corresponding learning outcomes. The seven steps are: statement of the problem, review of literature, research strategy, data gathering, data analysis, taking action, and sharing the findings. The case study did not show any statistically significant differences in learning outcomes, indicating that for students participating in this project, learning online was as effective as in traditional classroom setting. Show less