The unmet potential of higher education graduates as boundary crossers to vocational education and training

This article delves into a unique form of potential academic drift in Estonian vocational education and training (VET) institutions, where many VET entrants already hold higher education degrees. While there is extensive research on transitions from vocational education to higher education, the reverse transition from higher education to VET needs to be explored. The study aimed to identify the life transitions that bring higher education graduates to VET, the boundaries they experience during their transition and how they manage these in terms of boundary crossing. Findings from 12 semi-structured in-depth interviews with VET students holding university diplomas revealed that these students enter VET driven by career-related life-transitions. However, their trans-formative potential as boundary crossers still needs to be met, as there was evidence of a predominant trend of unilateral adaptation to the norms and practices of the vocational context, sidelining the potential for negotiation and hybridisation of practices.