The doctorate thesis gives a systematic and comprehensive overview and an analysis of the existing understandings concerning quality of vocational education and its impact upon employment of young adults. The theoretical contribution of the dissertation reflects in the development of scientific thought and a differentiation of concepts studied within the framework of set research goals. After vocational education and qualification had been defined, a comparative analysis of vocational education of member countries of European Union was conducted. It has been confirmed that education system and labour market cooperation model, with an emphasis on continuing monitoring and qualification development through work-based education, enables young adults to enter world of labour faster and easier. The most significant approaches to quality management in education have been introduced and the existing quality attainment systems in vocational education of member countries of European Union have been analyzed. In contrast to quality attainment which is subject to monitoring and is enforced by legal frameworks, quality management implies quality culture which includes improvement demand through loyalty of all employees, with the purpose of satisfying the necessities of all partakers. It can be concluded that there is a great interest in the field of vocational education quality, which derives from the immediate connection of educational system and the economic interests of the society. The importance of the improvement of educational service quality in order to enable faster and easier taking part in the world of labour to students after finishing their formal vocational education is pointed out. Applicative contribution of the dissertation can be seen in its contribution to economic science by means of empirical research of perceived vocational education quality, thus confirming a significant bond between education service quality and efficacy of employment of young adults in the European labour market. The impact of vocational education quality upon employment of young adults was researched in the first part of the study, and the research was performed after the model of unemployed individuals, residents of the Republic of Croatia, who had a secondary school qualification and weren’t older than 25. The result shows that the quality of vocational education is statistically significant positive predictor for employment of young adults in the job market. The examinees who performed traineeship and got employed by the same employer, as well as those who perceived their education as a high-quality one, were faster in finding the first employment. The goal of the second empirical research was to study the efficacy of introduction of quality assurance system in vocational education in the Republic of Croatia. A longitudinal research was carried out suggesting the presence of changes in vocational school students’ attitude towards the quality of vocational education in the 6-year-long period (from 2008 until 2014). Two opinion polls were carried out in the monitored period, the results of which pointed out the decline in students’ contentment with the educational service in 2014 in comparison to 2008, although the school had been conducting all legally regulated procedures of quality attainment. The compliance of vocational education outcomes and the demands of job market were researched in the third part of the empirical study, by means of the method of a semi-structured interview with the employer from the Republic of Croatia. The employer confirms that, no matter what model of vocational education which dominates in the national area, supply and demand in the job market can be adjusted through close cooperation of educational and economic sector. With this doctorate thesis we wish to encourage partakers of vocational education and qualification system to activities for improvement of educational service quality. Therefore, a model of quality management in vocational education is proposed, the one based on the principles of comprehensive quality management, where the need to create a direct link between education system and job market through involvement of all stakeholders is of the biggest prominence.