Permeability: Transparency and Transfer Opportunities in the Education System

Vocational education play an important role in ensuring a smooth transition to work and in promoting entrepreneurship and innovation. Promoting permeability in dual education is part of ensuring excellence and increasing attractiveness of dual education in the Alpine Space. Due to the fast change in the modern labour markets and a constantly growing number of people striving for higher education, more permeability is urgently needed.

However, countries in the Alpine Space are in very different starting positions. Even long-established dual education systems face challenges such as attracting employers, inclusion of marginalised groups, demographic change and digitalisation.

Permeability can be understood in two ways - on the one hand, in terms of admission to educational programs: can a graduate of a dual education program enrol at an university without a formal university entrance qualification?

On the other hand, in terms of recognition of knowledge and competencies acquired in previous education / previous professional practice: Can a dual education graduate have previous knowledge (e.g. in accounting) credited in a university course and thus shorten the duration of the course?

The concept of permeability is further divided into three facets: vertical, horizontal and international. Are there possibilities to switch between VET and HE (horizontal permeability)? Does the educational system offer the possibility to change between the educational levels in both directions (vertical permeability)? And do the educational systems of the different countries offer the possibility to switch between them (international permeability)?

https://www.dualeducationfinder.eu/sites/default/files/downloads/report-permeability.pdf