Pregledni rad

https://doi.org/10.38190/ope.16.1.1

Vocational and general education models in Europe: comparative outcomes and normative implications for education for entrepreneurship

Krešimir Buntak orcid.org/0000-0002-2209-690X *
Viktorija Adamić Ciglar orcid.org/0009-0007-6466-3099
Branimir Buntak orcid.org/0000-0003-4676-8384

* Dopisni autor.

Sažetak

This paper compares different models of vocational
education and training (VET; hereafter VET) and general/university
education in Europe, with a focus on their labour-market outcomes
and implications for education for entrepreneurship. We analyse
dual systems in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, mixed models
in the Netherlands and Nordic countries, and the specific position
of Croatia, which has one of the highest shares of students in VET
programmes in the European Union and one of the lowest early
school-leaving rates. Drawing on comparative empirical studies, we
show that VET programmes are highly effective in ensuring a fast and
smooth school-to-work transition and lower youth unemployment,
while general and university education is associated with higher
earnings and greater adaptability later in the life-course. The paper
integrates these findings with Croatian strategic and legal documents,
including the Strategy for Education, Science and Technology, the
National Plan for the Development of the Education System and the
Croatian Qualifications Framework (CROQF; hereafter CROQF), and
offers a critical assessment of the current tendency to promote dual
and professional study programmes as functionally equivalent to
university programmes. We argue that for a small open economy,
sustainable development of education for entrepreneurship requires
a balanced architecture: strong VET for short-term operational needs
and equally strong university and interdisciplinary programmes for
long-term innovation, strategic decision-making and systemic change.
The paper concludes with concrete normative recommendations for
Croatian policymakers, higher-education institutions and stakeholders
in entrepreneurship education.

Ključne riječi

vocational education and training, general education, dual system, entrepreneurship education, labour-market outcomes, Croatian Qualifications Framework

Hrčak ID:

347798

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/347798

Datum izdavanja:

12.6.2026.

Posjeta: 0 *