Bridging Perceptions and Pathways: Comparative Insights into the Societal Image and Reputation of Vocational Education

Vocational education and training (VET) plays a crucial role in addressing global challenges such as skills shortages and is a key determinant of social justice by facilitating labour market allocation, particularly in the transition of young people from school to vocational training and working life (Bol & Van de Werfhorst, 2013). However, their social image and perceived value have declined in many contexts, weakening their attractiveness and role in reducing youth unemployment (OECD, 2020). In Germany and Switzerland, dual training systems are considered exemplary for their balance between theoretical and practical training, but they face growing challenges in the face of increasing academization (Euler, 2013). In Germany, the declining reputation of vocational education and training threatens to exacerbate the shortage of skilled workers, especially in technical and craft occupations, as young people increasingly prefer academic careers (Granato & Krekel, 2020). Similar trends have not (yet) been observed in Switzerland (Swiss Federal Statistical Office, 2024). In Brazil, on the other hand, public VET faces a double challenge: it is underfunded and undervalued by society, which reinforces inequalities and hinders social mobility (Sekkel & Pandita-Pereira, 2020). Moreover, public vocational training institutions, such as the Federal Institutes in Brazil, are in direct competition with private educational institutions, which reinforces educational inequalities and limits their potential (Menezes Filho & Kirschbaum, 2019). Therefore, this paper focuses on identifying the underlying mechanisms and determinants to understand how societal perceptions influence the image and reputation of vocational education and its alignment with labor market needs. In order to approach this question, a multi-perspective approach is taken, which is methodologically based on two sub-steps: (1) First, Germany and Switzerland are compared on the basis of representative data sets: The National Educational Panel Study (NEPS, starting with cohort 4 with N=14,540 students and 9,180 parents from 2010-2022) for Germany and the TREE study (starting cohort 1 with N=6,343 students from 2000-2016) for Switzerland. These longitudinal datasets provide in-depth insights into educational trajectories, social perceptions, and labor market. This analysis will identify key factors in the two countries, which are considered pioneers in vocational education and training, that shape the image of vocational education and training in both countries. (2) These findings will then be extended to Brazil to analyze parallels and divergences. To this end, societal and systemic factors that currently influence the image of VET in Brazil will be examined, particularly its role in combating youth unemployment and social inequality (Brazilian Ministry of Education, 2020). The scales and instruments validated in NEPS will be adapted to the Brazilian context to ensure comparability. This approach will generate a cross-nationally comparable quantitative dataset and provide insights into how different socio-economic and cultural contexts influence the image of VET. The aim is to identify both common challenges, such as the impact of academization on the attractiveness of VET, and country-specific dynamics. For Germany and Switzerland, initial studies point to the importance of improving the image of VET as a viable and respected alternative to academic education in order to address the shortage of workers in technical professions (Granato & Krekel, 2020). The statistical analyses of the article show that Germany has difficulties in the perception of VET, which is less valued by young people than academic education, leading to unrealistic aspirations. In particular, the results of the National Educational Panel Study in Germany show that parents play an important role here and often have more academically oriented aspirations for their children than the children themselves. The attractiveness of vocational education and training in Switzerland, on the other hand, is largely determined by the promise of permeability, i.e. the possibility of entering university after vocational education and training (Kost, 2019). In Brazil, the study also aims to provide more detailed insights into how societal prejudices against private education hinder the potential of public VET institutions and perpetuate inequalities, which have already been fundamentally addressed in previous contributions (Annen, Sailer-Frank & Schiedeck, 2024; Gomes & Melo, 2021), in order to better promote potential and reduce inequalities in the future. By comparing these contexts, strategies to increase the attractiveness of VET and to better adapt it to the needs of the labour market will be developed, with implications for policy making in all three countries. By integrating the findings from Germany, Switzerland and Brazil, the research will contribute to a sustained dialogue on VET reform in line with the World Education Research Association's (WERA) priorities on equity and educational transitions. Literaturverzeichnis Annen, S.; Sailer-Frank, S. & Schiedeck, C. 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