“Transitioning from School to Workplace in Greece and Sweden: The challenges of Secondary and Post – Secondary Vocational Education and Training ”
Sofia Poultidou
Pages 46 -68
Abstract
The purpose of this research is to discuss the contributing factors at institutional level that affect school-to-work transition by comparing the Greek and Swedish Vocational Education and Training (VET) systems as offered in secondary and post-secondary education. We performed a qualitative research examination of both VET systems based on the literature and review of policy documents. All the collected data were analyzed using the method of content analysis. This paper gives an account of the two main factors that influence transition from VET to the labor market, namely the work relevance of educational content and the intervention of stakeholders. The results suggest that forms of work-based programming in educational structures act as a link between education and work in both VET systems. However, the role of stakeholders has to be empowered at the national level in Greece and at the local level in Sweden. Another conclusion is that both countries face the problem of a skills mismatch in terms of the needs of the labor market. This is reflected in a labor force that is over-qualified in the Greek case and in a generation shift in the Swedish case