Abstract

Previous research concentrated on the unbalanced gender distribution in the dual system. From this perspective, the lower participation of women as well as their occupational choices in the dual system was interpreted as disadvantage. Employment outcomes after vocational training were assessed accordantly: In typically female dominated occupations, employment conditions in terms of employment chances, job stability, wages, and career chances were assumed to be worse than in male dominated occupations. With rare exceptions, empirical tests of these assumptions were not made. Thus, structural and economic changes in the labour market potentially working in favour of women were not taken into account.

In our project, we aim at filling these gaps. First, we concentrate on low and intermediate educated youth, a group with declining labour market chances over the last 20 years a period that was characterised by a continuing educational expansion as well as labour market tertiarisation. Second, we do not only take apprentices in the dual system into account, but extend our analyses on students in other forms of vocational training, that is full-time vocational schools that are particularly important for young women. We also look at school-based preparatory courses not leading to a vocational credential that often absorb low qualified men. Finally, we look at different aspects of the employment situation directly after vocational training in the early working career, such as employment status, duration of job search, over-qualification and precarious forms of employment.

In our empirical analyses, we aim at following the pathways of school leavers into vocational training and further into the labour market by applying a life course approach. To implement this perspective, micro survey data covering individual information for the period from school to work is crucial. Up to now, there is no data set in Germany that meets these conditions. Thus, we will answer our questions with the help of different existing data sets. First global analyses will be done on basis of SOEP data. In a second step we will use more detailed data sets on the regional level.