CAREER GUIDANCE FOR SKILLED TRADES IN GENERAL SECONDARY EDUCATION: EUROPEAN EXPERIENCE AND UKRAINIAN PROSPECTS
Abstract
Relevance: The relevance of the study is determined by ongoing transformations in the labour market, rapid technological development, and increasing demand for highly qualified skilled workers. Despite this, the attractiveness of skilled trades among young people continues to decline, leading to a mismatch between labour market needs and students’ career aspirations. This highlights the need to modernise career guidance in general secondary education through effective international experience.
Aim: The article aims to analyse the methodological foundations of career guidance for general secondary education students towards skilled trades based on the experience of Germany and Austria, and to identify possibilities for adapting these approaches within the Ukrainian educational context.
Methods: The study employs a qualitative research design, including theoretical analysis of scientific literature, comparative analysis of German and Austrian vocational orientation systems, synthesis of pedagogical approaches, systematisation of dual education principles, and interpretative analysis of implications for Ukraine.
Results: The findings demonstrate that effective career guidance in Germany and Austria is characterised by early vocational orientation, continuous practice-based learning, structured workplace exposure, and strong cooperation between schools and employers. Key mechanisms include dual education systems, compulsory internships, career counselling centres, and enterprise involvement in training processes. The analysis shows that these integrated models support informed professional decision-making and strengthen the attractiveness of skilled trades.
Conclusions: The study concludes that Ukraine should move towards a more integrated, practice-oriented model of career guidance by adopting key elements of European experience. Priority directions include strengthening early and continuous vocational orientation, expanding students’ workplace exposure, developing school–employer partnerships, gradually introducing dual education elements, modernising career counselling systems, and enhancing the social prestige of skilled trades, including through digital tools and public awareness initiative.
Keywords
career guidance, skilled trades, vocational education, dual education system, Germany, Austria, Ukraine, school-to-work transition, vocational orientation, labour market.
Author Biography
Evelina Tsarova
PhD in Pedagogy, Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Education and Professional Career, Director of Public Educational Institution “Khmelnytskyi Centre for Vocational Education in the Field of Services”, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9929-6670, e-mail: evelina76@ukr.net
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Translated & Transliterated
Shen, P., Wu, Y., Liu, Y., & Lian, R. (2024). Linking undergraduates’ future orientation and their employability confidence: The role of vocational identity clarity and internship effectiveness. Acta Psychologica, 248, Article 104360. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104360
Stanimirović, P., Borozan, T., Petrović, K., Bjelica, D., Mitrović, Z., Mihić, M., Petrović, D., & Đorđević Tomić, A. (2025). School-to-work transition: The role of life satisfaction, risk perception, and resilience in youth career decision-making. PloS One, 20(12), Article e0339485. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0339485
Rashid, N. A., Mahmud, M. I., & Johari, K. S. K. (2025). Conceptual framework of a career module to address career thinking dysfunction, enhance career maturity, and career adaptability among pre-university students. The Open Psychology Journal, 18, Article e18743501422268. https://doi.org/10.2174/0118743501422268251118104352
Zuo, H., Zhang, M., & Huang, W. (2025). Lifelong learning in vocational education: A game-theoretical exploration of innovation, entrepreneurial spirit, and strategic challenges. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 10(3), Article 100694. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik.2025.100694
Wang, D., Li, Y., & Wang, G. (2024). A systematic review on career interventions for high school students. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, Article 1461503. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1461503
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Alnajjar, H. A., & Abou Hashish, E. A. (2024). Exploring the effectiveness of the Career Guidance and Counseling Program on the perceived readiness for the job market: A lived experience among nursing students. Frontiers in Public Health, 12, Article 1403730. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1403730
Cedefop. (2022). The future of vocational education and training in Europe: Volume 3. The influence of assessments on vocational learning (Cedefop research paper No. 90). Publications Office of the European Union. https://doi.org/10.2801/067378
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Graf, L. (2016). The rise of work-based academic education in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Journal of Vocational Education & Training, 68(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/13636820.2015.1107749
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Coman, C., Coman, E., Dalban, M. C., Șerbănescu, R. M., Iordache, M., Roman, C. M., & Cioca, V. R. (2026). Vocational counseling and career guidance: Premises for a sustainable educational path – A cross-sectional study in Brașov County, Romania. Sustainability, 18(5), Article 2412. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18052412
Haasler, S. R. (2020). The German system of vocational education and training: Challenges of gender, academisation and the integration of low-achieving youth. Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, 26(1), 57–71. https://doi.org/10.1177/1024258919898115
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Hryshchenko, M., Derdi, E., Kuznietsov, Y., Paska, T., & Tsybulnyk, Z. (2025). Assessment of the impact of changes in Ukraine’s vocational education system on graduate employment and professional development. Futurity Education, 5(1), 223–248. https://doi.org/10.57125/FED.2025.03.25.13
Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung (BIBB) [Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training]. (2020). Young people study in the company and at school. https://www.bibb.de/en/77203.php
Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). (2020). The new Vocational Training Act (Berufsbildungsgesetz – BBiG). https://www.bibb.de/dokumente/pdf/bmbf_berufsbildungsreformgesetz_en.pdf
Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung (BIBB) [Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training]. (2026). Register of recognised training occupations. https://www.bibb.de/en/index.php
Bundesagentur für Arbeit [Federal Employment Agency]. (2025). Studienfachbezogene Praktika für ausländische Studierende: Zulassungsvoraussetzungen und Verfahren [Study-related internships for international students: Admission requirements and procedures]. https://www.arbeitsagentur.de/datei/dok_ba036105.pdf
Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft, Energie und Tourismus (BMWET) [The Federal Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism]. (2026). Dual vocational training and skills in Austria. https://www.bmwet.gv.at/en/Topics/Vocational-Training-and-Skills.html
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