Learning in school and at the workplace: Perspectives of recent graduates, teachers, and workplace trainers in the dual system of certified trades in Iceland

• Main Author: Eiríksdóttir, Elsa
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: Icelandic
• Published: Menntavísindasvið Háskóla Íslands 2017
• Subjects: vocational education and training; dual education system; apprenticeship; work-based learning; upper secondary education; starfsmenntun; löggiltar iðngreinar; framhaldsskólar; vinnustaðanám; vinnustaðaþjálfun; tvískipt kerfi starfsmenntunar; Fuller; Unwin; Iceland
• Online Access: https://ojs.hi.is/index.php/tuuom/article/view/2686

In Iceland the vocational education and training (VET) system is generally organized as a dual system, where some of the training takes place at school and some at the workplace. Research has shown that learning at these different sites provides a complementary experience, in terms of, for example, different opportunities for learning and development of competencies (see Aarkrog, 2005; Billett 2009; Bjurulf, 2013; Eraut, 2004; Fuller & Unwin, 2004b; Griffiths & Guile, 2003; INAP Commission ‘Architecture Apprenticeship’, 2013; Lindberg, 2003; Schaap, Baartman, & de Bruijn, 2012). Research has, however, also shown that the effectiveness of the dual system is in part based on the coherence of the learning that takes place at each site. Transfer of learning from the school to the workplace and vice versa is often elusive, and students have difficulty making sense of how what they learn at school is relevant to work and how experiences at the workplace relate to what is discussed at school (Billett, 2013, 2014; Guile & Young, 2004; Mulder, et al., 2015; Schaap, et al., 2012; Sloane, 2014; Tynjälä, 2008; Wahlgren, 2009). The goal of the research was to investigate how the dual system in the certified trades (where a journeyman’s examination is required for working in the trade) is implemented in Iceland and, specifically, to look at whether the system provides a coherent educational experience in terms of how educational pathways are organized. This involves the characteristics of learning experiences at school and at the workplace, and connections and relationships among relevant parties at each site. Recent graduates, teachers, and workplace trainers in four trades, selected as representatives of different dual system variations in the Icelandic VET system, were interviewed (8 participants in each group; N = 24). The semi-structured interviews focused on how the school- and work-based learning parts were integrated in practice, and the perceived benefits and faults of the current implementation. The ...