Article 2024

The impact of company size on dual VET quality in Spanish companies

Education and Training
Journal · Vol. 66 · Issue 9 · pp. 1183-1198
Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive description and analysis of quality levels with regard to dual Vocational Education and Training (VET) at companies participating in this programme in Spain, with a specific focus on company size. Design/methodology/approach: The study is based on a quantitative cross-sectional analysis, collecting quality indicator data from 829 participating companies through a structured questionnaire. Subsequently, both descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted to address the specific objectives. Findings: The study reveals that, on the whole, companies implement dual VET with a high level of quality, achieving compliance rates of above 70% in dimensions related to process, resources, staff and training. However, in this study the dimensions of evaluation and synergies showed lower compliance rates, with figures of 47.4 and 25.7%, respectively. Notably, medium-sized and large companies outperformed micro-SMEs and SMEs in training, evaluation and synergies, while SMEs surpassed large companies in resource management. The study provides recommendations for enhancing dual VET in companies. Research limitations/implications: The main limitations of this study pertain to an absence of data concerning the distribution of the population by company sizes and a lack of information regarding the specific sectors to which these companies belong. Originality/value: This study offers significant value, as it provides data on the quality of dual VET in companies considering size as a key factor. These findings are particularly noteworthy given that research on the quality of dual VET in companies remains limited within the scientific literature. © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Keywords

Author Keywords

Quality dual VET Spain Companies

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations
Departamento de Teorías de la Educación y Pedagogía Social, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Valles, Barcelona, Spain, Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales, Isabel I of Castile International University, Burgos, Spain
Universidad de Oviedo, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
Departamento de Teoría e Historia de la Educación, Universidad de Málaga, Malaga, Malaga, Spain
Departamento de Teorías de la Educación y Pedagogía Social, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Valles, Barcelona, Spain
Funding & Acknowledgements
California Department of Education, CDE
Funding text 1: The authors would like to thank the Catalan Department of Education and Council of Chambers of Commerce for their support.; Funding text 2: Other research funded by the European Union has aimed at supporting educational institutions and placement providers in offering high quality education to their apprentices. One example in this respect is the project \u201CMainstreaming Procedures for Quality Apprenticeship in Educational Organizations and Enterprises\u201D (ApprenticeshipQ), which compiled quality criteria both for SME and VET providers in four areas: apprenticeship design, apprenticeship provision, apprenticeship assessment, and apprenticeship evaluation ().; Funding text 3: An R + D + i project (ref. PID2020-112842RB-I00) funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, or MCIN.
European Commission, EC
Funding text 1: The authors would like to thank the Catalan Department of Education and Council of Chambers of Commerce for their support.; Funding text 2: Other research funded by the European Union has aimed at supporting educational institutions and placement providers in offering high quality education to their apprentices. One example in this respect is the project \u201CMainstreaming Procedures for Quality Apprenticeship in Educational Organizations and Enterprises\u201D (ApprenticeshipQ), which compiled quality criteria both for SME and VET providers in four areas: apprenticeship design, apprenticeship provision, apprenticeship assessment, and apprenticeship evaluation ().; Funding text 3: An R + D + i project (ref. PID2020-112842RB-I00) funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, or MCIN.
Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, MCIN
Funding text 1: The authors would like to thank the Catalan Department of Education and Council of Chambers of Commerce for their support.; Funding text 2: Other research funded by the European Union has aimed at supporting educational institutions and placement providers in offering high quality education to their apprentices. One example in this respect is the project \u201CMainstreaming Procedures for Quality Apprenticeship in Educational Organizations and Enterprises\u201D (ApprenticeshipQ), which compiled quality criteria both for SME and VET providers in four areas: apprenticeship design, apprenticeship provision, apprenticeship assessment, and apprenticeship evaluation ().; Funding text 3: An R + D + i project (ref. PID2020-112842RB-I00) funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, or MCIN.
References 10 References
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2 Reflexion Y Debate, (2021)
3 Thesis Doctoral Universidad Autonoma De Barcelona, (2022)
4 Papeles De Economia Espanola, (2020)
5 Böhn, Svenja, Development and Validation of a Learning Quality Inventory for In-Company Training in VET (VET-LQI), Vocations and Learning, 14, 1, pp. 23-53, (2021)
6 Observatorio De La Formacion Profesional, (2023)
7 Buenas Practicas En Formacion Profesional Dual En Espana, (2021)
8 Lfp Dual En Xifres, (2022)
9 Official Journal of the European Union, (2018)
10 Ces, (2023)
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