Summary

This article revolves around whether and how a dual higher vocation education training (HVET) program strengthens work-related capabilities of refugees, how former students look back on the program and look ahead to employment opportunities. Although it is assumed that further education promotes integration of refugees, not much research has been done on refugees' access and experiences in higher education. Refugees are often treated as a homogeneous (target) group, which does not do justice to differences in educational level, work experience, language skills, age, and gender. There are refugees who are illiterate, have no further education and those who have completed higher education, and have work experience at a higher level. This article is about the latter group. Highly-skilled refugees are generally seen as a promising group when it comes to connecting to the labor market. However, based on our research, we will argue that employment that matches qualifications and aspirations is a major challenge precisely for this group. Our article provides insights into innovations in HVET that benefit refugees and contributes to a better understanding of valuable employment opportunities of highly skilled refugees.