Successful Integration of Refugees in Vocational Education and Training: Experiences from a New Pre-vocational Programme

Abstract

AbstractTo support refugees and temporarily admitted persons in their endeavour to access vocational education and training, the Swiss federal government and the cantons have launched the pre-apprenticeship to support integration PAI. Based on a multi-source mixed-method design with 432 participants and 184 employers, we describe the PAI programme and explore participants’ learning environments at the workplace and school, their individual characteristics, and their social environment. We investigate factors contributing to participants’ successful transition to regular apprenticeships by comparing participants who could secure an apprenticeship at the end of the PAI with those who did not. Results show that participants appreciated the learning in the workplace and school and felt well-supported by teachers and in-company trainers. They were highly motivated and had good performances, which the employers also confirmed. Those having secured an apprenticeship found their work more interesting, engaged more in learning, and had better learning outcomes than those with an uncertain pathway. We conclude that the PAI programme is a valuable means to foster the integration of refugees and temporarily admitted persons in vocational education and training and highlight factors contributing to the programme’s success.