Explaining Ethnic Differences in Access to VET in German-Speaking Switzerland: the Effects of Application Behavior and Resources

Abstract The aim of this paper is to explain ethnic differences in the transition from school to vocational education and training (VET) in German-speaking Switzerland. I examine the impact of application behavior and resource endowment on access to VET and the number of applications submitted. Even after controlling for differences in resource endowment, I find clear ethnic penalties in success rates and the number of applications submitted between natives and minority students. Once I introduce different application behavior in my models, ethnic differences in success rates either diminish sharply or even vanish. However, substantial ethnic penalties remain in the number of applications submitted. There are therefore indications of discrimination in the application process on the Swiss–German VET market.