How firms' participation in apprenticeship training fosters knowledge diffusion and innovation

Christian Rupietta and Uschi Backes-Gellner

No 74, Economics of Education Working Paper Series from University of Zurich, Department of Business Administration (IBW)

Abstract: Previous studies typically relate apprenticeship training or more generally Vocational Education and Training (VET) to training that is highly specific and that uses well-established technologies. Accordingly, apprenticeship training is typically not expected to have positive effects on innovation. In contrast, we argue in this paper that the type of dual apprenticeship training seen in Switzerland (or Germany) does create positive innovation effects due to these VET-systems' built-in and institutionalized curriculum development and updating processes. These processes ensure that firms participating in apprenticeship training gain access to knowledge that is close to the innovation frontier and that ultimately fosters innovation. We provide theoretical explanations of how this knowledge diffusion works and how it can help to generate innovation in participating firms. We use the Swiss VET system as one example and derive hypotheses about the relationship between firms' participation in apprenticeship training and their innovation outcomes. Empirical analyses support our hypotheses. In a VET system with a built-in curriculum-updating process like the one in Switzerland (or Germany), firms participating in apprenticeship training have higher innovation outcomes than do non-participating firms.

Keywords: Vocational education; knowledge diffusion; education systems; innovation; empirical analysis; innovation policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I20 O31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 30 pages
Date: 2012-03, Revised 2018-05
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cse, nep-hrm, nep-ino, nep-knm and nep-sbm
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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Related works:
Journal Article: How firms’ participation in apprenticeship training fosters knowledge diffusion and innovation (2019)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:iso:educat:0074

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