[Prediction and Prevention of Dropouts in Vocational Retraining]

Principal objective: To verify if a psychological intervention targeting individuals with high resignation tendency prevents dropouts in vocational retraining. For individuals with high resignation tendency a high risk of dropping out was assumed under regular conditions.

Data was collected at 2 adult education institutes. At the beginning of vocational training the occupational inventory Work-related Behaviour and Experience Patterns (AVEM) was used. The questionnaire allows to classify 4 types of coping behaviour. G: healthy-ambitious, S: unambitious, A: excessively ambitious, B: resigned. Using a quasi-experimental design, the effect of resilience building was verified by comparing a treatment group with a control group. Control group was offered the usual treatment of the education institute. The treatment group was additionally offered two individual meetings and a work-related group treatment focussing on coping behaviour.

Given a very high resignation tendency in both groups, dropping out of rehabilitation was less frequent in the treatment group. Other individuals tended to drop out more frequently, but this is not statistically significant.

The study shows that work-related resilience building helps to minimize risk of dropping out of vocational rehabilitation in the case of extremely resigned coping behaviour.