Duale Ausbildung, betriebliche Lernumgebung und Innovationsfähigkeit von Kleinstunternehmen

In this article the contribution of dual vocational education and training (VET) to the innovative capacity of smaller firms with less than ten employees is examined. Results show that dual VET in micro enterprises promotes direct interaction between dual apprenticeships and the presence of a work environment conducive to learning which facilitates technological innovation. In addition, there is a further effect – qualitative studies suggest a chain of effects that goes beyond simple interaction: participation in dual VET provides incentives to implement organisational changes, which in the next step are a relevant driver of technological innovation in micro enterprises. According to this view, dual VET also promotes firm-level innovativeness indirectly by first strengthening the learning capacity of the micro enterprise. The authors analyse this chain of effects quantitatively based on mediation analysis using German panel data with a focus on micro enterprises and discuss their findings against the backdrop of the persistent decline in dual VET participation in the German micro enterprise ­sector.