PROFILE: Professionally qualified
Imke Buß; Jutta Rump; Janina Kaiser; Melanie Schiedhelm; Petra Schorat-Waly
Definition and starting point
Vocationally qualified students (BQ) generally refers to all students who have started their studies without a school-based university entrance qualification. Since March 2009, the possibility to do so has been defined by a resolution of the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (Resolution of the Conference of Ministers of Culture of March 6, 2009) and is legally structured differently by the federal states. In Rhineland-Palatinate, for example, university access is granted without a high school diploma if the prospective student has a vocational qualification with a grade of at least 2.5 and has at least two years of professional experience. The master craftsman's examination or equivalent qualifications are also accepted. In Rhineland-Palatinate, these students must attend mandatory counseling at the university before enrolling. In Ludwigshafen, this can be done either by contacting the Counseling Center for Professionally Qualified Students in the Department of Studies and Teaching (general counseling on study orientation, financing, etc.) or the responsible persons in the departments (specialized counseling).
Currently, 2.9% of first-year students in Rhineland-Palatinate have a vocational university entrance qualification. At the Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences in summer 2015, 6.6% of students were eligible for higher education on the basis of their professional qualification. The majority of these qualified for university studies through vocational training followed by a minimum of two years of professional experience (71%). One fifth of the vocationally qualified students were technicians or specialists (19.4%) and 6.5% were admitted on the basis of their master craftsman's certificate (Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft Ludwigshafen 2015). Vocationally qualified students are particularly frequently enrolled in degree programs in the social and health care sectors.
Effects on study situation and success
Challenges in studying arise for those with vocational qualifications, especially in the first semesters. Typical here are catching up on knowledge (e.g., math or English skills) and getting to grips with scientific work. However, students with other approaches to studying also cite the latter as a particular difficulty in the "Studierendenbarometer" survey (Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft Ludwigshafen 2015). In addition to these challenges, those with vocational qualifications can draw on numerous resources from their professional experience. On the one hand, the BQ have very consciously decided to study and thus usually give up a current job. They are therefore determined in their studies; about 70% of those surveyed in a model project in Rhineland-Palatinate say they want to graduate quickly and with good grades. Reasons for studying include acquiring specialized expertise (Berg et al. 2014) or subject interest, career advancement, or financial improvement (Wolter et al. 2015). At the same time, BQs can bring skills in self-organization and time management, as well as practical experience from their careers, to their studies. If BQ have to assess which advantages and disadvantages the professional qualification (HZB) has, in the first semester 14% still see predominantly disadvantages. In the third semester, this proportion is reduced to about 2%, whereas 39% see advantages and 58% see no differences. This self-report indicates that after the introductory study phase, BQs no longer have any disadvantages compared to students with other HZB. Grade analyses confirm this, as no differences can be discerned here after a few semesters (Berg et al. 2014).
With regard to dropout, Schmidtmann and Preusse (2015) use data from the Distance Learning University of Hagen to show that BQs are no more likely to leave university without a degree than students with a school-based university entrance qualification.
Literature
Berg, H.; Grendel, T.; Haußmann, I.; Lübbe, H.; Marx, A. (2014): The transition of vocationally qualified students into higher education - Results of a model project in Rhineland-Palatinate. In: Mainzer Beiträge zur Hochschulentwicklung (20). Available online at www.studieren-ohne-abitur.de,last checked 03.02.2016.
Resolution of the Conference of Ministers of Culture of 06.03.2009 (2009): Hochschulzugang für beruflich qualifizierte Bewerber ohne schulische Hochschulzugangsberechtigung. Available online at www.kmk.org/fileadmin/veroeffentlichungen_beschluesse/2009/2009_03_06-Hochschulzugang-erful-qualifizierte-Bewerber.pdf, last checked on 06/17/2020.
Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences (2015): Student barometer. University-wide student survey. Winter semester 2014/2015. unpublished document. With the collaboration of Keller, A. Evaluation Officer of the University. Ludwigshafen am Rhein.
Schmidtmann, H.; Preusse, J. (2015): Sociodemographics, study motives and study success of professionally qualified students: findings at the FernUniversität in Hagen. In: U. Elsholz (Ed.): Beruflich Qualifizierte im Studium. Analysen und Konzepte zum Dritten Bildungsweg. 1st ed. Bielefeld: Bertelsmann.
Wolter, A.; Dahm, G.; Kamm, C.; Christian Kerst, C.; Alexander Otto, A. (2015): Non-traditional students in Germany: career paths and motivation to study. In: U. Elsholz (Ed.): Beruflich Qualifizierte im Studium. Analyses and concepts on the third educational pathway. 1st ed. Bielefeld: Bertelsmann.
Citation
Buß, Imke; Rump, Jutta; Kaiser, Janina; Schiedhelm, Melanie; Schorat-Waly, Petra (2017): PROFILE: Professionally qualified students. In: Rump, Jutta; Buß, Imke; Kaiser, Janina; Schiedhelm, Melanie; Schorat-Waly, Petra: Toolbox for good teaching in a diverse student body. Working Papers of the Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences, No. 6. www.hwg-lu.de/arbeitspapiere
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