Start-ups in occupational practice
Sub-project of the “Polarisation 4.0” project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
Start-ups are seen as a phenomenon and a driver of further economic development. They create new products and services, most of which are digital in nature, and demonstrate ways of commercialising such products and services. The innovative business models pursued by start-ups challenge established companies to try to revolutionise or recreate markets. Innovative young companies thus contribute to new competitive economic situations, break up fossilised business and company structures, create the jobs of the future and thus set the direction for vocational education and training.
The project "Start-ups in occupational practice" examines the specific skills and competence requirements and new working or employment conditions associated with the development of new business models, (technological) innovations and alternative working methods promoted by start-ups. It also examines the relevance of company-based vocational education and training (VET) in the start-up scene as a means of securing the supply of skilled workers.
The project is integrated into the Polarisation 4.0 project in terms of both form and content. The research is based on a quantitative online survey of start-ups, qualitative interviews with start-ups and inter-firm experts, and analyses of start-ups' job advertisements.
The following thematic areas are being considered:
Thematic area 1: HR structure and the qualified skilled worker requirements of start-ups
In order to gain a better understanding of the human resource structure and the demand for skilled workers in start-ups, the aim is to identify this structure and demand in a differentiated way according to occupations, qualification levels and competences. It will also examine whether start-ups report human resource shortages and, if so, how these are manifested according to the criteria mentioned. Based on the assumption that 'start-up' as a specific type of enterprise status has an impact on the need for qualified skilled workers, on recruitment behaviour and on the attractiveness of the enterprise from the point of view of applicants, the identified HR structure and demand will be discussed in the context of this type of enterprise.
Key issues in the first thematic area
- Which occupations, qualifications levels and competencies are currently represented in start-ups, and which will be in demand in the future?
- Is it possible to identify company characteristics of start-ups which correlate with the dissemination of and requirement for certain occupations, qualifications levels and competencies?
- Is recruitment a challenge for start-ups? If so, for which occupations, skill levels and competences is recruitment difficult and what are the reasons for this?
Thematic area 2: Participation in vocational education and training by start-ups
As well as carrying out a differentiated consideration of HR structure and skilled workforce needs, the project is also analysing participation in VET by start-ups. Because companies involved in VET exert an influence on the structure of training occupations by aligning these towards their own operational requirements, significance must also be attached to participation in training by start-ups, since these companies are innovative and important in terms of the future direction of the economy. For start-ups seeking staff, offering their own VET provides an opportunity to acquire the services of the workers they need, deliver precisely tailored training and create a sense of employee loyalty at an early stage. Notwithstanding this, previous findings indicate that start-ups are highly unlikely to provide their own VET. Dual Vocational education and training is thus very rarely deployed as a skilled worker acquisition strategy in the start-up scene. In the absence thus far of any robust data regarding training behaviour of start-ups, the sub-project is collecting its own information on participation and interest in VET by start-ups. The particular aims here are to identify reasons for the expected non-involvement in VET and to gain knowledge of which measures could help achieve a greater commitment to training amongst start-ups.
Key issues in the second thematic area
- What kind of VET behaviour do start-ups show?
- What are the reasons for the VET behavious of start-ups?
- Is it possible to identify company characteristics of start-ups that correlate with their VET behaviour?
- What measures can be taken to increase the participation of start-ups in VET?
Exploration: Alternative forms of workforce representation
Against the backdrop of repeated calls for new forms of workforce representation in the context of the digitalisation and Work 4.0 debates, the project will also collect initial data on alternative forms of worker participation. Start-ups are said to be innovative in terms of business structures and organisational methods. Another aspect that makes them a suitable object of study in this thematic area is their primary presence in economic sectors that traditionally tend to have a lower degree of diffusion of formalised employee representation structures (such as the smallest category of enterprises and the 'new' service sectors). The aim is to use the findings to develop further research questions in order to learn more about the (presumably) novel forms of participation in innovative young enterprises, their stability and possible transferability to other forms of enterprise.