ISSN: 2226-6348
Open access
This systematic review investigates the implementation, adaptability and challenges of apprenticeship systems in vocational education with a particular interest in their use in underdeveloped regions. From the Scopus database, fifteen empirical studies published between 2018 and 2024 were selected by using the PRISMA framework for analysis. The review identifies key themes: The role of public-private partnerships, integration of technology, the cultural and regional adaptability of apprenticeship models, and dual training systems as a core framework. Results show that dual training systems enhance employability and education meets industry requirements, and Germany and Malaysia are excellent examples. Resource sharing and curricula alignment with labor market demands, it was argued, required public-private partnerships. Innovative technologies such as virtual reality fill infrastructure gaps in resource limited areas. Nevertheless, there are still major challenges, including policy misalignments, funding deficits, and socio-cultural barriers. The implications of these findings for policymakers and educators interested in improving apprenticeship models in vocational education are actionable. The review suggests localized, context sensitive strategies and more integration of emerging technologies to scale and increase the effectiveness of these systems.
Kaprawi, N., Rasi, R. Z., Spöttl, G., Ismail, A., & Razzaly, W. (2021). Malaysian apprenticeship implementation: Issues and challenges towards effective employers engagement. Journal of Technical Education and Training. https://penerbit.uthm.edu.my/ojs/index.php/JTET/article/view/9549
Ji, Y. (2014). Resources allocation situation of higher vocational education in China and its optimization strategies. Vocational and Technical Education.
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Resources-Allocation-Situation-of-Higher-Vocational-Ji/0c3f2d7b8ce86d2a83f2ab10dcd88fc76c6a264a
Smith, E., & Kemmis, R. B. (2013). Good practice principles in apprenticeship systems: An international study. TVET@Asia, 2, 1–13.
https://consensus.app/papers/good-practice-principles-in-apprenticeship-systems-an-smith-kemmis/0ff4bbfca81358e6b782cd331b623f09/
Fuller, A., & Unwin, L. (2011). Apprenticeship as an evolving model of learning. Journal of Vocational Education & Training, 63(3), 261–276.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13636820.2011.602220
Bonoli, G., & Wilson, A. (2019). Bringing firms on board: Inclusiveness of the dual apprenticeship systems in Germany, Switzerland, and Denmark. International Journal of Social Welfare, 28(4), 369–379.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ijsw.12371
Hummelsheim, S., & Baur, M. (2014). The German dual system of initial vocational education and training and its potential for transfer to Asia. Prospects, 44(3), 279–296.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11125-014-9311-4
Ferns, S., & Zegwaard, K. E. (2014). Critical assessment issues in work-integrated learning. Asia-Pacific Journal of Cooperative Education, 15(3), 179–188.
Muehlemann, S., & Wolter, S. C. (2014). Return on investment of apprenticeship systems for enterprises: Evidence from cost-benefit analyses. IZA Journal of Labor Policy, 3(1), 1–22.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/2193-9004-3-25#Sec24
Dennen, V. P., & Burner, K. J. (2008). The cognitive apprenticeship model in educational practice. In Handbook of research on educational communications and technology (pp. 425–439).
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780203880869-38/cognitive-apprenticeship-model-educational-practice-vanessa-dennen-kerry-burner
Europe. The Journal of Economic History, 58(3), 684–713.
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-economic-history/article/abs/craft-guilds-apprenticeship-and-technological-change-in-preindustrial-europe/4B18A7808BACBFA40D76475FBCB665E0
Eichhorst, W., & Marx, P. (2011). Reforming German labour market institutions: A dual path to flexibility. Journal of European Social Policy, 21(1), 73–87.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0958928710385731
Clarke, L., Westerhuis, A., & Winch, C. (2020). Comparative VET European research since the 1980s: accommodating changes in VET systems and labour markets. Journal of Vocational Education & Training, 73(3), 295–315.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13636820.2020.1858938
Yang, Z., & Dong, F. (2024). Integration of education and industry in China: Lessons from Germany applied universities. International Journal of Management Science Research.
https://www.adwenpub.com/index.php/ijomsr/article/view/259
Song, J. (2023). The impact of economic development on inadequate education resources in rural China. Journal of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences.
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/6452/720259201023cf6bc0d22ed64c0c0d5f33ff.pdf
Labrique, A., Wadhwani, C., Williams, K. A., Lamptey, P., Hesp, C., Luk, R., & Aerts, A. (2018). Best practices in scaling digital health in low and middle-income countries. Globalization and Health, 14, 42.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12992-018-0424-z
Singh, K., Singh, P., Kaur, G., Khullar, V., & Tripathi, V. (2023). Education 4.0: Exploring the potential of disruptive technologies in transforming learning. 2023 International Conference on Computational Intelligence and Sustainable Engineering Solutions (CISES). https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/10183547
Kovalchuk, V., Maslich, S., & Movchan, L. (2023). Digitalization of vocational education under crisis conditions. Educational Technology Quarterly.
https://acnsci.org/journal/index.php/etq/article/view/49
Ragolane, M., & Patel, S. (2024). Transforming Educ-AI-tion in South Africa: Can AI-driven grading transform the future of higher education? Journal of Education and Teaching Methods. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/383196109_Transforming_Educ-AI-tion_in_South_Africa_Can_AI Driven_Grading_Transform_the_Future_of_Higher_Education
Chen, W., & Dai, F. (2021). Evaluation of talent cultivation quality of modern apprenticeship based on Context-Input-Process-Product model. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 16(14). DOI: https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v16i14.24053
https://online-journals.org/index.php/i-jet/article/view/24053
Yahaya, N., Sulaiman, M., Majid, S. A., Rasul, M. S., & Yasin, R. M. (2020). Authentic teaching and learning in Malaysian National Dual Training System (NDTS) apprenticeship program. Journal of Technical Education and Training, 12(1), 91–99. DOI: https://doi.org/10.30880/jtet.2020.12.01.010
https://publisher.uthm.edu.my/ojs/index.php/JTET/article/view/4085
Momanyi, C., Riechi, A. R., & Khatete, I. (2024). Digital skills and the use of digital platforms in the informal sector: A case study among Jua Kali artisans in Nairobi in Kenya. International Journal for Research in Vocational Education and Training (IJRVET, 11)(1), 96–118. DOI: https://doi.org/10.13152/IJRVET.11.1.5
https://journals.sub.uni-hamburg.de/hup2/ijrvet/article/view/1166
Zhaksylykovna, P. P., Abdrazahovna, Z. S., Oralbaykyzy, N. Z., Baidullayevich, S. A., Zhiyentayevna, Z. B., & Zhazira, K. (2022). Dual education conditions for pedagogical bases of specialists inclusive training. Cypriot Journal of Educational Science, 17(3), 765–771. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18844/cjes.v17i3.6937
https://un-pub.eu/ojs/index.php/cjes/article/view/6937
Dudyrev, F. F., Romanova, O. A., & Shabalin, A. I. (2018). Dual education in regions of Russia: Models, best practices, growth prospects. Educational Studies Moscow, 2, 117–138. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17323/1814-9545-2018-2-117-138 https://vo.hse.ru/
Luo, M., Xie, Y., & Xie, P. (2024). An experimental study on knowledge transfer of higher vocational accounting majors by teacher-apprentice system: Taking Shanwei Institute of Technology as an example. Applied Mathematics and Nonlinear Sciences, 9(1), 1–16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/amns-2024-2804
https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/amns-2024-2804
Nunyonameh, C. R., Obinnim, E., & Adzivor, E. K. (2024). Apprenticeship reforms in West Africa: An outcome-process evaluation of a pilot dual training model-based apprenticeship reform scheme in Ghana. International Journal for Research in Vocational Education and Training (IJRVET, 11)(2), 223–249. DOI: https://doi.org/10.13152/IJRVET.11.2.4
https://journals.sub.uni-hamburg.de/hup2/ijrvet/article/view/1188
Afutu-Kotey, R. L., Agyekum, B., & Arthur, I. K. (2024). Investigating the declining apprenticeship trends in Ghana: A human capital perspective. International Journal of Training Research. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14480220.2024.2416420
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14480220.2024.2416420
Khan, N., Syzdykbayeva, A., Kinzhibaeva, F., Demesheva, G., & Abilova, O. (2017). Organization of teaching practice of future primary school teachers in the context of dual training system: Kazakhstani experience. International Journal of Educational Management. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-07-2017-0183
https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/ijem-07-2017-0183/full/html
Remington, T. F. (2018). Public-private partnerships in TVET: Adapting the dual system in the United States. Journal of Vocational Education and Training. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13636820.2018.1450776
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13636820.2018.1450776
Pilz, M., Fuchs, M., Li, J., Finken, L., & Westermeyer, J. (2023). Similar or different training cultures? German and Chinese companies in their home and host countries. Societies, 13(5), 116. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13050116
https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/13/5/116
Yamauchi, F., Kim, T., Lee, K. W., & Tiongco, M. (2018). Can German vocational training combat skill shortages in developing countries? Evidence from dual training system in the Philippines. IFPRI Discussion Paper. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3240208
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/rode.13047
Rohiat, M. A., Sern, L. C., Yunos, J. M., Ibrahim, B., Salleh, K. M., Rahim, M. B., & Rozali, Z. (2023). The best practices of McDonald’s Malaysia: A case study of the national dual training system. Journal of Technical Education and Training, 15(1), 204–214.
DOI:https://doi.org/10.30880/jtet.2023.15.01.018
https://publisher.uthm.edu.my/ojs/index.php/JTET/article/view/13505/5646
Mulders, M., Buchner, J., & Kerres, M. (2024). Virtual reality in vocational training: A study demonstrating the potential of a VR-based vehicle painting simulator for skills acquisition in apprenticeship training. Technology, Knowledge and Learning, 29, 697–712.DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-022-09630-w
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10758-022-09630-w
Igarashi, T., & Acosta, P. (2022). Who benefits from dual training systems? Evidence from the Philippines. Philippine Review of Economics, 59(1).
DOI:https://doi.org/10.37907/2ERP2202J https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3173411
Han, Y., & Jamaludin, K. A. Bin. (2025). The Implementation of Apprenticeship in Vocational Education: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 14(3), 793–813.
Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s)
Published by HRMARS (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode