Edited by: Prof. Dr. Samuel Mühlemann, LMU Munich, Germany and Prof. Dr. Harald Pfeifer, Maastricht University, Netherlands and BIBB, Germany
The labour markets of many industrialised countries are facing extensive technological and demographic changes. Digitalisation, networking, and robotics all transform the world of work and with it the demand for skills and qualifications. This development is accompanied by a decreasing number of young people undertaking vocational training. Instead, school graduates are increasingly pursuing academic qualifications. Furthermore, many regions are struggling to integrate refugees and people with a migration background into the labour market.
Vocational education and training (VET) is often valued for its ability to help young people transition smoothly from education to employment. VET also allows those already employed to adapt to the changing demands of their fields. Despite an increasing amount of research in this area, many questions in the field of the Economics of VET remain unanswered. These questions pertain to both the decision to invest in VET and the outcomes thereof on the individual, firm- and state levels.
The special issue on the Economics of VET therefore strives to bring together theoretical and empirical work addressing topics related to this field of study.