Did the Bologna Process Challenge the German Apprenticeship System? Evidence from a Natural Experiment

Abstract

The Bologna Process reformed the German university system by introducing 3-year undergraduate degrees. We evaluate the effects on the dual apprenticeship system, where 29% of new apprentices are also qualified for university. For identification, we exploit regional and temporal variation in reform adoption, using administrative student and labor market data from 1997–2015. The Bologna reform implementation reduced the number of new highly educated apprentices considerably. In particular, clerical apprenticeships were affected. Firms did not substitute with less educated apprentices but partly replaced the lower supply of new highly educated apprentices with university graduates in the long run. © 2024 The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.

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Author Affiliations

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover, Hannover, Niedersachsen, Germany

Funding & Acknowledgements

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover, LUH

We are grateful to the editor, Gregory F. Veramendi, and two anonymous referees, as well as Uschi Backes-Gellner, Stefan Bauernschuster, Albrecht Glitz, Sandra McNally, Markus Nagler, Gregor Pfeifer, Marc Piopiunik, Jens Ruhose, and Guido Schwerdt, for their valuable comments. This paper has benefited from discussions at the annual meeting of the Verein f\u00FCr Socialpolitik 2019 (Leipzig), the conference of the Centre for Vocational Education Research 2019 (London), and the core course \u201CEconometric Methods in Economics of Education\u201D of the 6th Course Programme for Doctoral Students in Economics of Education 2019 (Zurich). Financial support by the Leibniz Center for Science and Society (LCSS) at Leibniz University Hannover through the project \u201CEvaluation der Folgen von Studienstrukturreform und Hochschulexpansion f\u00FCr die Arbeitsmarktertr\u00E4ge von Hochschulabsolventinnen und -absolventen\u201D is gratefully acknowledged. This study uses the weakly anonymous Sample of Integrated Labour Market Biographies (SIAB; years 1975\u20132017). Data access was provided via on-site use at the Research Data Centre (Forschungsdatenzentrum [FDZ]) of the German Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur f\u00FCr Arbeit [BA]) at the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) and subsequently remotely ( https://doi.org/10.5164/IAB.SIAB7517.de.en.v1 ).

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Did the Bologna Process Challenge the German Apprenticeship System? Evidence from a Natural Experiment

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