Restrictive and expansive participation in companies’ activities: A case study of bricklaying and automation technology apprentices in Switzerland

ABSTRACT

Based on qualitative research on bricklaying and automation technology apprentices in Switzerland, this paper examines apprentices’ experiences of participating in their company’s production activities and becoming members of their community of practice, and the influence of these experiences on the development of their occupational identity. Participation in activity and training is organised in various ways in different training companies, and expansive–restrictive participation models help in understanding the importance of workplace learning for apprentices’ training experience and the development of their occupational identity. The results show that in learning situations characterised by expansive participation, apprentices have substantial responsibility and autonomy throughout their apprenticeship, together with guidance adapted to their needs. Apprentices are highly self-confident and adopt agentic actions aimed at increasing the variety and complexity of tasks and their own autonomy. In restrictive participation, in contrast, apprentices are often poorly integrated into the community of practice and feel devalued as aspiring professionals. These apprentices primarily develop agentic actions to improve their participation in company activities and their apprenticeship, but they are largely unable to develop their skills or become independent in performing complex tasks, and they are limited in their ability to construct a vocational identity.

KEYWORDS:

• Occupational identity
• participation
• community of practice
• bricklaying
• automation

Acknowledgments

We wish to thank all participants in this research and in particular, directors and teachers who accepted to conduct this project in theirs schools. Special thanks should be given to Daniel Moure for his valuable editing work. Many thanks also to the journal editors and the anonymous reviewers.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Dual-VET programme in Switzerland involves theoretical education in a VET school and workplace learning at a company

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation under Grant 10001A_172858.

Notes on contributors

Alexandra Felder

Alexandra Felder is a senior researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training. Her publications focus on psychosocial transitions in life trajectories, education and training of young and adult migrants and development of vocational identity during VET.

Kerstin Duemmler

Kerstin Duemmler is a senior researcher and lecturer at the Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training. She has published on the construction of ethnic and gender identities and related boundaries. Her current studies in vocational education and training are interested in the development of apprentices’ occupational identities.

Isabelle Caprani

Isabelle Caprani is professor and head of a research field at the Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training. Her recent publications are interested in apprentices’ working conditions and how cultural and gender heterogeneity are managed within VET schools.