No. 1/2024: Apprenticeship as Critical Transition in Vocational Education – the Role of Training Agencies

Abstract

Vocational education and training involve a myriad of actors working together in a skills ecosystem. This paper focuses on the role of training agencies (TAs) in this system. They interrelate with schools, workplaces, and the apprentices themselves to enhance the quality of the apprenticeship training. Using data from one Norwegian county, we find a large variation in completion rates. One main finding is that apprentices having a contract directly with an independent private firm have a significantly lower probability of passing the final examination and achieving the trade certificate than apprentices with a contract with a TA.