@TechReport{iza:izadps:dp18134,
            	author={McGuinness, Seamus and Kelly, Lorcan and Devlin, Anne and Whelan, Adele},
            	title={Vocational Education, Earnings and Job Satisfaction in Europe},
            	year={2025},
	month={Sep},
            	institution={Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)},
            	address={Bonn},
            	type={IZA Discussion Paper},
            	number={18134},
            	url={https://www.iza.org/publications/dp18134},
	abstract={This paper examines the earnings and job satisfaction of Vocational Education and Training (VET) graduates in the European Union (EU) using two definitions of vocational education: a self-reported definition and a more specific definition that incorporates work-based learning. The incidence of third-level VET falls from 74% to 29% under the stricter definition. Across the EU, the returns to vocational and academic qualifications are comparable for upper secondary, post-secondary and tertiary qualifications. Earnings premia vary between countries, with VET generating higher returns in just under one-third of all EU-28 members. Additionally, third level VET graduates enjoy higher levels of job satisfaction.},
	keywords={work-based learning;european countries;job satisfaction;earnings;vocational education;on-the-job training},
            }