Constituting an apprenticeship curriculum

Abstract

Apprenticeships are required for many trades and can take different forms. In Sweden, one form can be viewed as a pathway where students complete a three-year-long vocational education in upper secondary school followed by a post-secondary apprenticeship in a particular trade. Another takes the form of vocational training within the framework of upper secondary school through an apprenticeship. This study analyses how a more clearly defined apprenticeship curriculum can provide sufficient knowledge to identify and understand learning outcomes in apprenticeships. A theoretical framework of an apprenticeship curriculum is used in the analytical work. The findings show that educational goals are often overlooked during apprenticeships, and thus a deliberative education is overridden by deliberative learning that stems from and is closely connected to the individual's own perception of what to learn. By constituting an apprenticeship curriculum, this article contributes to an enhanced understanding of how to analyse vocational learning, and thus adds important elements to the research field.

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“…Apprenticeships are required for many trades and can take different forms. The Swedish approach, for instance, involves students completing a three-year-long vocational education in upper secondary school, followed by a postsecondary apprenticeship in a particular trade (Fjellström and Kristmansson 2019). Another approach incorporates vocational training directly into upper secondary school through an apprenticeship, along with a carefully established apprenticeship curriculum (to ensure that educational goals are not overlooked).…”

Multilevel design considerations for vocational curricula at the boundary of school and work

“…The three categories represent different ways to establish connectivity between the contexts of school and work. Several studies have focused on the first category of designs, that is, on designs based on school-work alignment, for instance, by presenting ways to improve alignment during apprenticeships or internships (Choy, 2018;Fjellström & Kristmansson, 2019;Messmann & Mulder, 2015;Poortman et al, 2014). Attention has also been paid to the more integrative categories of designs: studies have presented insights into designs based on incorporation, such as workplace simulations (Jossberger et al, 2015) and hands-on simulations (Khaled et al, 2016) and into designs based on hybridization, for example, concerning the hybrid nature of vocational curricula (Zitter et al, 2016) and design principles for hybrid learning configurations (Cremers et al, 2016).…”

“…Educational research on vocational education, that is, on education that prepares learners for occupational practice, suggests that a school context may be more suitable for students to learn certain types of formal and general knowledge, while a work context is more suitable to learn and learning, that needs to be managed (De Bruijn et al, 2017;Vaughan, 2018). Workplaces may have limited possibilities to afford learning activities (Billett, 2014;Istance & Kools, 2013), and workplace demands can override pedagogical goals (Fjellström & Kristmansson, 2019). Facilitating connectivity between work-based and school-based provisions is seen as a way to work around such limitations (Griffiths & Guile, 2003).…”

Exploring Co-Construction of Learning Environments at the Boundary of School and Work Through the Lens of Vocational Practice

“…Workplaces may have limited possibilities to support learning activities (Billett, 2014;Istance & Kools, 2013;Nyen & Tønder, 2018), and workplace demands tend to override pedagogical goals (Fjellström & Kristmansson, 2019). Facilitating connectivity between work-based and school-based provisions is often chosen as a strategy to work around such limitations (Griffiths & Guile, 2003).…”