Institutskolloquium mit Steffen Schindler am 27.05.2026, 12:00 Uhr, F21/03.81

Prof. Steffen Schindler (Universit?t Bamberg)

Titel: Social Inequality in Educational Upgrading and Labor Market Outcomes in Germany – Findings from the HQUAL-Project

Zeit: 27. Mai 2026, 12h00 – 13h30

Ort: F21/03.81

Abstract: The German education system is known for its very early differentiation into hierarchical school tracks, which is also characterized by high levels of inequality by social origins. Due to the particular importance of formal educational qualifications for labor market returns, education is therefore considered the most important mediator of the relationship between social origins and labor market outcomes. But the German education system also comprises an institutionally embedded system of formal educational upgrading opportunities. Through further education, both school-leaving degrees and vocational degrees can be upgraded to higher levels. The talk will present the results of the HQUAL project, which investigated the extent to which formal educational upgrading influences the relationship between social origins and labor market outcomes above and beyond initial education. Theoretical arguments are presented on the extent to which formal educational upgrading has a compensatory or reinforcing effect on this relationship. The empirical analyses are based on the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS). The findings show that – although educational upgrading is associated with individual labor market premiums – it does not have a substantive influence on the relationship between social origins and labor market outcomes.