German-style dual apprenticeship training in the Greater Shanghai Area- Spatial Agglomeration Dynamics

Abstract

A considerable number of German multinational enterprises (MNE) are located in the Greater Shanghai Area. German MNE in the industrial sector show an inclination to export German forms of technical training—more specifically German-style dual apprenticeship training—to their worldwide subsidiaries. Within China, this is especially the case for the Greater Shanghai Area, which has established itself as a ‘hotspot’ for dual apprenticeship training in the last 15 years. This paper explores what makes the Greater Shanghai Area such a ‘hotspot’ for dual apprenticeship training—in international comparison—by focusing on factors influencing the spatial agglomeration of dual apprenticeship training activities in this region. The paper finds unevenly distributed institutional resources regarding the attraction of German Foreign Direct Investment as well as unevenly distributed resources at the skill formation system level as important influencing factors. Both factors show ‘self-reinforcing’ dynamics strengthening already existing spatial agglomeration of dual apprenticeship training activities. © 2021 The Authors. International Journal of Training and Development published by Brian Towers (BRITOW) and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Keywords

Author Keywords

Not provided

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations

Institute of Geography, Ruhr-Universitat Bochum, Bochum, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

Funding & Acknowledgements

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG

Grant: FU424/16‐1

I thank the German Research Foundation for supporting the research project “Global strategies and local forms of technical vocational education and training in German multinational companies: A regional comparison in Emerging Economies” (Grant No. FU424/16‐1), which provided the empirical foundation of this article. I thank Martina Fuchs, Matthias Pilz, and Kristina Wiemann for their support in this project and especially the numerous practitioners who have discussed their insights with me. I also thankfully acknowledge Matthew Becker for proofreading. Open access funding was enabled and organized by ProjektDEAL. 1

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG

I thank the German Research Foundation for supporting the research project “Global strategies and local forms of technical vocational education and training in German multinational companies: A regional comparison in Emerging Economies” (Grant No. FU424/16‐1), which provided the empirical foundation of this article. I thank Martina Fuchs, Matthias Pilz, and Kristina Wiemann for their support in this project and especially the numerous practitioners who have discussed their insights with me. I also thankfully acknowledge Matthew Becker for proofreading. Open access funding was enabled and organized by ProjektDEAL. 1

References 10 References

1 Innovations in Quality Apprenticeships for High Skilled Manufacturing Jobs in the United States at Bmw Siemens Volkswagen, (2014)

2 Zur Logik Betrieblicher Qualifizierungsstrategien Im Internationalen Vergleich, (2008)

3 Wirtschaftsgeographie Okonomische Beziehungen in Raumlicher Perspektive, (2012)

4 Bathelt, Harald, Clusters and knowledge: Local buzz, global pipelines and the process of knowledge creation, Progress in Human Geography, 28, 1, pp. 31-56, (2004)

5 Beer, Julian, Marine and maritime sector skills shortages in the south west of england: Developing regional training provision, Journal of Vocational Education and Training, 59, 4, pp. 467-484, (2007)

6 Beugelsdijk, Sjoerd, MNEs as border-crossing multi-location enterprises: The role of discontinuities in geographic space, Journal of International Business Studies, 44, 5, pp. 413-426, (2013)

7 Boschma, Ron A., Proximity and innovation: A critical assessment, Regional Studies, 39, 1, pp. 61-74, (2005)

8 Training Regulations and how They Come about, (2014)

9 Busemeyer, Marius Raphael, The Political Economy of Collective Skill Formation, The Political Economy of Collective Skill Formation, pp. 1-392, (2012)

10 Cao, Xianzhong, The structure and proximity mechanism of formal innovation networks: Evidence from Shanghai high-tech ITISAs, Growth and Change, 50, 2, pp. 569-586, (2019)

German-style dual apprenticeship training in the Greater Shanghai Area- Spatial Agglomeration Dynamics

How to Cite