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Recognition of prior learning (RPL) is often said to facilitate lifelong learning and takes place when already acquired learning outcomes are officially valued. The education system is a central arena of RPL, allowing facilitated access to or shortening of study programmes. This paper explores RPL practices in Switzerland. We ask the following research question: How do professional education institutions regulate, practice, and justify RPL? We start from the premise that RPL practices in higher education institutions are shaped by national RPL policies, professional bodies, and the nature of the respective labour markets. However, within these framework conditions, higher education institutions also create their own organisational policies, thereby promoting or hindering RPL. In addition, the study programme’s knowledge domain and the responsible persons’ pedagogic agency, shaped by their pedagogic concepts and individual attitudes, are also guiding factors. To answer our research question, we conducted qualitative comparative case studies and compared RPL practices of professional education institutions that offer study programmes for hospitality management and social education. Our results show that organisations offering the same professional study programmes regulate, practice, and justify RPL differently, indicating the importance of the organisational gatekeepers’ pedagogic agency.

Workforce shortages in the health and social care sectors are a relevant issue worldwide. One measure to mitigate workforce shortages is to improve working conditions and workers’ future prospects in order to encourage worker retention. Although studies have examined factors related to organizational turnover, less is known about the factors that lead to occupational turnover intentions. Drawing upon social cognitive career theory, this study examines the reasons behind health and social care workers’ occupational turnover intentions considering emotional exhaustion as an explanatory variable. The participants were 403 health and social care workers who responded to a questionnaire about 4years after completing their vocational education and training at the upper-secondary level. Structural equation analyses revealed that affective occupational commitment showed the highest negative correlation with occupational turnover intentions. Furthermore, the results suggest that career-related outcome expectations, wellbeing, and supportive working conditions are crucial for designing effective interventions.

Dieser Beitrag diskutiert Qualität im Unterricht unter der Zielsetzung Handlungssituationen und Standards für Lehrpersonen zu definieren, zu entwickeln und zu diagnostizieren. In erster Linie wird auf die Generierung notwendiger Kompetenzprofile eingegangen, die bottom-up in einem Quasi-Delphi-Verfahren entwickelt wurden. Den theoretischen Hintergrund bildet die Annahme vorhandener, aber nicht gewusster und ausgeschöpfter Handlungsressourcen. Die resultierenden 45 Kompetenzprofile treffen die situativen Bedingungen professionellen Lehrerhandelns und machen ganzheitliche, komplexe Sachverhalte sichtbar. Validiert an einer repräsentativen Stichprobe von 789 Berufsfachschullehrpersonen und Berufsbildungsspezialisten zeigte sich, dass die Profile eine breite Akzeptanz und Relevanz haben. Mit dieser Studie wird nicht nur eine Grundlage für die Bearbeitung weiterer Forschungsfragen wie der Qualitätsmessung von Kompetenzen geschaffen, sondern es wird auch ein wichtiger Beitrag zur Diskussion über die Gestaltung künftiger Lehreraus- und Weiterbildung geleistet. (DIPF/Orig.), This contribution discusses quality within vocational education and training with the purpose of developing, defining and measuring acting situations and standards for teachers in the field of vocational education and training (VET teachers). The focus is on the development of competency profiles that have been carried out by means of a Quasi-Delphi-Procedure. The theoretical background is based on the assumption of available but not known and not utilized action resources. 45 competency profiles have been found. They cover the whole range of everyday situations in professional teaching and serve to illustrate complex issues. The profiles have been validated on a representative sample of 789 vocational teachers and specialists of vocational education. This confirms that the profiles gained a broad acceptance and are considered relevant for teacher training and education. The study not only provides a basis for further research but particularly contributes to the discussion about the organization of future teachers' training curriculum. (DIPF/Orig.)