In this article, we examine how students’ practice in the subject vocational specialisation is assessed, with a particular focus on the cooperation between teachers and supervisors. The subject was introduced in 2006 to give students in vocational programmes the opportunity for vocational specialisation already during the school-based part of their education, and to provide them with a good basis for choosing a trade for apprenticeship. Particularly in the second year of vocational education and training (VET), vocational specialisation is mainly carried out in working life, and the regulations state that assessment in the subject must be based on cooperation between teacher and supervisor in the company. The study was conducted in the sales and tourism field and is based on qualitative interviews with both vocational teachers and supervisors. Our analysis indicates that teachers’ presence at the workplace and supervisors’ assessment skills are of particular importance for the cooperation between schools and working life on the assessment of students’ practice. We conclude that there is potential to further develop cooperation between school and working life on assessment in vocational specialisation and discusses possible measures and suggestions for further research. ©2025 Ida Kristine Larsen & Evi Schmid.
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