Die Erneuerung beruflicher Lern- und Karrierewege am Beispiel der Industriekaufleute

Over the past years, the basic working conditions of commercial clerical workers in industrial enterprises have changed fundamentally. Using the example of employees qualified for working in the manufacturing sector, we examine how these changes influence their professional qualifications, and opportunities for development. We consider three dimensions: the significance of vocational education, the changes in the way learning is organized and competence development as well as career paths in companies. On the basis of quantitative and qualitative analyses we show that the importance of vocational education is still high. While further training is increasingly organized in-house, informal and close to working and business processes, vocational education remains an important pillar for career advancements. However, it is increasingly complemented by academic qualification and affected by decreasing career prospects due to flat hierarchies.