Workplace Social Support for Apprentices During the COVID-19 Pandemic – A Mixed-Methods Study on the Perceptions of Vocational Trainers and Apprentices in Switzerland

Abstract Apprentices in dual vocational education and training (VET) rely strongly on workplace social support (WSS), including guidance, feedback, recognition, and social integration. During the COVID-19 pandemic, training firms had to reorganise work and learning processes, which may have affected how such support was provided and experienced. This study investigates how WSS for apprentices changed during the pandemic in Swiss dual VET and how these changes were linked to different firm-level crisis conditions. It also examines how trainers’ and apprentices’ perspectives complement each other. The study applies a convergent mixed-methods design, combining survey data from 1,380 vocational trainers with 16 focus group interviews involving 119 apprentices. The analysis compares four pandemic-related conditions: short-time work, working from home, increased workload, and marginal impact. Trainers tended to report that WSS was largely maintained, with particularly positive assessments in firms affected by short-time work and working from home. Apprentices presented a more differentiated picture. They described support as less spontaneous, less consistently accessible, and more dependent on specific work and training arrangements. In short-time work and remote settings, support often became more formalised and was accompanied by fewer task opportunities. In increased workload settings, apprentices more often reported limited guidance, feedback, and emotional support. The findings suggest that crises do not merely reduce or preserve WSS; they reshape its accessibility and meaning. Combining provider and recipient perspectives is therefore essential for understanding support in disrupted training contexts.