DC dVET COVID-19 News #3 – What does research say?
In the DC dVET member countries, continuous monitoring and scientifically based evaluation of the vocational training systems has long been used to make evidence-based decisions. In times of crisis, this is particularly important to identify where the most urgent challenges lie and then be able to initiate targeted measures. The collection of meaningful data both in the DC dVET countries and in the partner countries of development cooperation is a particular challenge.
The following blog post by ETH Zurich explains how this data collection can succeed in the development context and under the special circumstances of the current crisis. The author suggests surveys via mobile devices as an alternative to face-to-face interviews, as mobile devices are available in many contexts, are a cost-effective way of collecting data and one can reach comparatively many people. In addition, the author describes the pitfalls of such kind of surveys and provides further sources for similar forms of data collection and concrete experiences with these.
Since the beginning of the Corona crisis, various surveys and studies have been conducted in all DC dVET countries on the effects of the pandemic on the apprenticeship markets in the respective countries. While no direct effects on the training market can be identified in Liechtenstein, calculations and surveys for Germany, Austria and Switzerland show a visible loss of apprenticeship positions, especially in the hospitality and other tourism-related industries. For more details on these studies, you can either read our brief summary or have a look at the individual studies:
Austria:
- z.l.ö. Zukunft.Lehre.Österreich: “Impact of the Corona-crisis on dual VET in Austria” (in German only)
- ibw: “Report on the situation of youth employment and apprenticeships in Austria 2018-2019″ (in German only; Chapter 30: Impacts of the Corona-crisis on Youth Employment, Youth Unemployment and the Apprenticeship Market, pp. 207)
Germany:
- BIBB: “The consequences of the Corona-crisis on dual VET: Risks, consequences and necessary actions” (in German only)
- BIBB und LMU: “The effect of business cycle expectations on the German apprenticeship market: Estimating the impact of Covid-19″
- FiBS: “VET in times of crisis under pressure: What does that mean for the VET system?” (in German only)
Switzerland:
- Monitoring of the Task Force Perspective VET 2020 (available in German and French)
- Project “Apprenticeship Pulse” (Most recent survey results from September here, available in German and French)
- Swiss Leading House Economics of Education “The impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the provision of apprenticeships in Switzerland”
We understand that the situations regarding dual VET in the DC dVET countries differ from those in the partner countries of development cooperation. However, we hope that the listed studies can serve as inspiration for own activities regarding applied methods (e.g. forecasts, company surveys) and recommendations for action.
