Dropout rates at vocational colleges
What are the “good” colleges doing?

Torben Pilegaard Jensen, Leif Husted, Anne Katrine Kamstrup, Søren Haselmann og Sebastian Møller Daugaard, September 2009

Download AKF Working Paper in pdf-format (Danish)

Summary

Young people with no education or training are in a very difficult position in the labour market. This was already the case before the onset of the economic crisis in the second half of 2008, and the problem has now been exacerbated since primarily young people are affected by rising unemployment. Ensuring that more young people complete an educational or training programme after basic schooling is essential if, in the longer term, Denmark is to avoid a shortage of skilled labour and prevent large-scale marginalisation of young people in relation to the labour market and to society in general.

Focus of the study

Around 95% of the young people who leave school every year subsequently pursue further education or training, but many drop out.

If we are to ensure that more young people complete their education or training, we must make a targeted effort to reduce the dropout rate and prepare students for their chosen course. The dropout rate is particularly high for vocational training such as that provided by technical and commercial colleges. This study focuses on these areas. The dropout issue has become more acute since these colleges offer sandwich courses and the number of practical training contracts has fallen during the recession. To compensate for this, the opportunities for school-based practical training have been expanded, but the queue of young people waiting for a practical training contract is growing rapidly.

This project therefore highlights the following issues:

the characteristics of colleges with low dropout rates, including how they support young people at risk of dropping out as well as their cooperation with the youth education counselling services (UU) and the local authorities;
the UU’s approach to young people with special needs as well as their cooperation with the vocational colleges and local authorities;
the local authorities’ cooperation with the UU and the vocational colleges in relation to disadvantaged young people.

The structure of the study

A great number of studies have attempted to identify the factors behind the dropout figures and propose measures to support young people who are not motivated or who are liable to drop out of education or training. However, the design of this study is different, in that it aims to identify the vocational colleges that are good and not so good, respectively, at retaining students, taking into account the social backgrounds/school-leaving results of the students. The elements of the study can be summarised as follows:

register-based analysis and selection of vocational colleges with good/not so good track records
interviews with youth education counsellors (UU) about their approach to young people who are at risk of dropping out and with guidance counsellors;
nationwide questionnaire survey among UU centres, focusing on formal and in-formal cooperation between the UU, local authorities and vocational colleges, as well as strategies and efforts in relation to disadvantaged young people;
qualitative analyses of selected vocational colleges with good/not so good track re-cords based on interviews with principals, teachers, counsellors, students, etc.

Perspectives – what are the good colleges doing?

Many studies focus on the effect of specific measures aimed at young people who are disad-vantaged when it comes to completing an educational or training programme. This study has shown that to succeed it is necessary to adopt multiple approaches, to ensure that the overall priorities are in place (including roles and responsibilities) and to base the measures instituted on close cooperation between the college and other relevant parties – notably the local community, the UU, various local government services, other places of education/training and companies. The study of vocational colleges with good/not so good track records highlighted the following characteristics of “good” colleges:

Educationally and socially inclusive measures, also in the transition phase from basic schooling:

use introduction days and assessments of actual skills as a basis for placement, and to a lesser extent the personal education plan jointly prepared by the student and the UU;
are in close contact with the UU in the transition phase from basic schooling to vocational college, possibly through the UU’s presence at the college;
offer and develop basic courses based on the students’ starting point;
work closely with production schools before and after the start of the basic course;
make a targeted effort to strengthen the practical approach to learning by inte-grating teaching of general subjects with workshop training. Focus on learning by doing;
adopt several approaches to prevent students from dropping out;
rely on mentors on a day-to-day basis, and coaches in the event of serious problems, often also as the point of contact with local authorities;
ensure good student-teacher relations. Teachers provide personal feedback, foster dialogue and support students;
work to promote inclusion through social/vocational communities in the classroom. This is where student-student networks are built up, on which purely social activities are based;
attach importance to stable classroom affinities with few changes and well-defined classrooms in terms of both participants and content.

Management and cooperation

have established direct contacts/relations between the administrative/political leadership at local government level, the college and other places of educa-tion/training;
have formulated a strategy to reduce the dropout rate, and all relevant employees are familiar with this strategy. Work extensively on the action plan to increase the completion rate, drawing on their experience in preventing dropouts;
are aware of and open about the risk that narrow financial considerations can be an obstacle to cooperation;
work with other relevant parties because there is no single solution to the dropout issue;
have clear priorities, while ensuring that the college works closely with other rele-vant parties: the UU, various local government services — including job centres — and other places of education/training;
have defined clear roles/responsibilities in relation to reducing dropout rates, in-cluding who is to address specific issues;
include the local authorities in their daily effort to support students who are at risk of dropping out;
know why students drop out and where they go afterwards. Are quick to follow up when students drop out – in close cooperation with other relevant parties;
employ and regularly assess the strategy for reducing the dropout rate.