Motivations and barriers to formal upskilling among unemployed and employed individuals with low qualifications in Vorarlberg
Total project duration:
12 Monate
Credit: pexels-Thirdman
The project
The project examines the conditions, motives, and barriers to formal upskilling among adults with low formal educational attainment in the context of the Vorarlberg labour market. It focuses on why individuals with low qualifications participate comparatively rarely in formal education and training measures despite the availability of relevant programmes, and under which conditions upskilling is perceived as meaningful and feasible. The aim is to derive differentiated, target-group-specific approaches for education and labour market policy based on quantitative and qualitative analyses.
Our activities in the project
Within the framework of the project, a team from JOANNEUM RESEARCH POLICIES is responsible for the conceptual preparatory work, the implementation and analysis of the empirical surveys, as well as the integration of the findings into an overall assessment and the development of corresponding policy options.
Research groups
Downloads
Contracting Authority
AMS Vorarlberg und AK Vorarlberg
Project partners
with the participation of Caroline Manahl (Büro für Sozialforschung und gesellschaftliches Gestalten)
Details of the project
The study examines the prerequisites, barriers, and labour market conditions for formal upskilling among adults with low formal educational attainment in the context of the Vorarlberg labour market. It focuses on the conditions under which formal educational qualifications are perceived by individuals as meaningful, realistic, and relevant for labour market participation. In particular, it analyses challenges such as rising skill requirements, technological change, as well as financial, temporal, and biographical constraints that hinder participation in formal education and training.
The findings show that individuals with low qualifications do not constitute a homogeneous group and are often stably integrated into the labour market. Consequently, formal upskilling is less understood as a classic form of social mobility and more as a strategy for long-term employment security and the reduction of labour market-related risks. Educational decisions are largely rational and strongly shaped by concrete employment and life circumstances. As a result, low-risk, flexible, and labour-market-relevant qualification pathways are identified as central for effective education and labour market policy.
