Markmið rannsóknarinnar var að skoða hvernig nám í tvískiptu kerfi löggiltra iðngreina fer fram á Íslandi, nánar tiltekið hvort samfella sé í skipulagi námsins og samhengi milli námsins í skóla og á vinnustað. Tekin voru viðtöl við sveina, kennara og
meistara (átta í hverjum hóp) í fjórum iðngreinum. Niðurstöður benda til þess að
tvískipta kerfið sé að miklu leyti rekið eins og tvö samhliða námskerfi og ekki sé
nægilega hugað að því að námið myndi samfellda heild. Samskipti eru óformleg og
ábyrgð á samræmingu virðist hvergi vera skilgreind. Einnig sýndu niðurstöður að
styrkleikar námsins í skólanum eru veikleikar námsins á vinnustað og öfugt, og því
getur verið erfitt að tryggja gæði námsins í heild. Tvískipta kerfið í löggiltum iðngreinum ætti að geta boðið upp á góða heildstæða þjálfun en víða þarf að lagfæra
fyrirkomulag til að tryggja gæði og samfellu náms.
Rannsóknarverkefnið var styrkt af Mennta- og menningarmálaráðuneytinu í
gegnum verkefnið Nám er vinnandi vegur og af Rannsóknarsjóði Háskóla Íslands.
In Iceland the vocational education and training (VET) system is generally organized as a
dual system, where some of the training takes place at school and some at the workplace.
Research has shown that learning at these different sites provides a complementary
experience, in terms of, for example, different opportunities for learning and development of competencies (see Aarkrog, 2005; Billett 2009; Bjurulf, 2013; Eraut, 2004; Fuller
& Unwin, 2004b; Griffiths & Guile, 2003; INAP Commission ‘Architecture Apprenticeship’,
2013; Lindberg, 2003; Schaap, Baartman, & de Bruijn, 2012). Research has, however, also
shown that the effectiveness of the dual system is in part based on the coherence of
the learning that takes place at each site. Transfer of learning from the school to the
workplace and vice versa is often elusive, and students have difficulty making sense of
how what they learn at school is relevant to work and how experiences at the workplace
relate to what is discussed at school (Billett, 2013, 2014; Guile & Young, 2004; Mulder,
et al., 2015; Schaap, et al., 2012; Sloane, 2014; Tynjälä, 2008; Wahlgren, 2009). The goal
of the research was to investigate how the dual system in the certified trades (where
a journeyman’s examination is required for working in the trade) is implemented in
Iceland and, specifically, to look at whether the system provides a coherent educational
experience in terms of how educational pathways are organized. This involves the characteristics of learning experiences at school and at the workplace, and connections and
relationships among relevant parties at each site.
Recent graduates, teachers, and workplace trainers in four trades, selected as representatives of different dual system variations in the Icelandic VET system, were interviewed (8 participants in each group; N = 24). The semi-structured interviews focused
on how the school- and work-based learning parts were integrated in practice, and the
perceived benefits and faults of the current implementation. The interviews were recorded and transcribed for analysis. The analysis was both based on the interviews’ topical
structure as well as thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006).
The results showed that the dual system in certified trades in Iceland is organized in
the form of parallel courses rather than being integrated in a single educational track.
It seems unclear who is responsible for the students and the program as a whole. The
students themselves are responsible for securing a work-based contract and organizing
the integration of work-based and school-based periods. This can provide flexibility for
students but can also result in delays, or in worst cases, dropout, if contracts are hard to
come by or if it is difficult to complete the school-based part of the program. Relations
between teachers and workplace trainers were informal and dependent on whether the
individuals knew each other personally. As a result, it varied whether discussions on the students’ progress took place and to what degree. In many cases the students themselves seemed to provide the information. However, it was clear that both the teachers
and the workplace trainers were very much interested in having both more formal and
frequent communication, mostly as a strategy to ensure the quality of education provided. The results on the characteristics of the learning experiences at school and work
are in accordance with prior research, and show that these experiences are different but
complementary. The strengths of the school-based part of the program (well defined
objectives, tasks targeting specific skills, and emphasis on quality and accuracy) were
also the challenges for the work-based part. And vice versa: The strength of the workbased part (emphasis on efficiency and speed, realistic on-site tasks, and keeping up with
developments in the field) were all challenges for the school-based part. Overall, the
results, therefore, indicate that through studying both at school and at the workplace,
students in certified trades in Iceland have opportunities for comprehensive and relevant
education in their chosen vocation – but also that more could be done to ensure that
the program forms a coherent whole, ensuring transfer of knowledge and skills between
school and work.
