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Vocational Pathways to Higher Education: Real or False Chances?

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  • Claudia Schuchart

    (School of Education, University of Wuppertal, Germany)

  • Benjamin Schimke

    (School of Education, University of Wuppertal, Germany)

Abstract

In this study, we examine whether vocational pathways to a higher education entrance certificate (HEEC) via upper secondary vocational schools lead to wages in the first five years of the occupational career that are comparable to the wages achieved after following the “royal roads” in general education, which lead directly to HEEC. We derive hypotheses on wage differences and the reasons for these differences from classical labour market theories such as human capital theory and labour queue theory, which we test using the German NEPS‐SC6‐ADIAB study with 1,256 male and 1,197 female employees. Applying multilevel regression analyses and Kitagawa‐Blinder‐Oaxaca decomposition analyses, we find that graduates from direct pathways earn between 12% (men) and 18% (women) higher wages than graduates from vocational pathways to HEEC. For both men and women, these lower wage levels for the members of the latter group are first of all due to the lower level of their further educational attainments (vocational training/university [of applied science] degree) and school‐related competencies. Furthermore, female graduates from vocational pathways are more likely to be overqualified for their jobs and have less access to better‐paying “closed” occupations than graduates from direct pathways. We conclude that vocational pathways to HEEC cannot fully compensate for disadvantages in labour market opportunities that arise due to an early stratified educational system, and the extent to which they can be compensated is not the same for men and women.

Suggested Citation

  • Claudia Schuchart & Benjamin Schimke, 2025. "Vocational Pathways to Higher Education: Real or False Chances?," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 13.
    • Handle: RePEc:cog:socinc:v13:y:2025:a:9783
    DOI: 10.17645/si.9783
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Abdulaziz Abrar Reshid, 2019. "The Gender Gap in Early Career Wage Growth: The Role of Children, Job Mobility, and Occupational Mobility," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 33(3), pages 278-305, September.
    2. Nadine Dörffer & Nadine Bernhard, 2025. "Overcoming Obstacles? Institutional Support for the Pathways to Higher Education at German Vocational Schools," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 13.
    3. Leuven, Edwin & Oosterbeek, Hessel, 2011. "Overeducation and Mismatch in the Labor Market," Handbook of the Economics of Education, in: Erik Hanushek & Stephen Machin & Ludger Woessmann (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Education, edition 1, volume 4, chapter 0, pages 283-326, Elsevier.
    4. John T. Addison & Liwen Chen & Orgul D. Ozturk, 2020. "Occupational Skill Mismatch: Differences by Gender and Cohort," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 73(3), pages 730-767, May.
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