The stigma of lower school qualifications : the influence of school education on the probability of unemployment

Abstract

"Graduates of vocational training with or without an exit qualification from the German lower secondary school called 'Hauptschule' have an above-average chance of being unemployed at the next level. Using a data set which includes both school exit qualifications and the marks from vocational training, we show that this increased probability of unemployment can be explained by the enduring stigmatization of graduating school with a low qualification level and by weaker performance in the final examination from vocational training. This leads to additive disadvantages at the next stage in a young person's career. The attainment of a vocational qualification is, therefore, an insufficient basis for successful entry into the labor market. At a stage, when their integration into the labor market appears to have been secured - despite a problematic start - these youths are, in fact, confronted with an increased risk of unemployment and a precarious start in their working career." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Buch, T., Wydra-Somaggio, G. & Hell, S. (2011): Stigma Hauptschulabschluss? Der Einfluss der Schulbildung auf das Arbeitslosigkeitsrisiko an der zweiten Schwelle. In: Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft, Vol. 14, No. 3, p. 421-443. DOI:10.1007/s11618-011-0214-3