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Flexibilisation of vocational education and training
The main target groups for vocational education and training are becoming ever more heterogeneous. Trainees’ curricula vitae and their expectations of professional life are growing increasingly diverse, whilst the demands of work and employment are changing at an accelerated rate. Will the VET system be able to take account of these shifting dynamics? This issue of BWP directs its attention to the system to ask how much flexibility a highly standardised area such as VET is able to tolerate and what degree of flexibility it must facilitate. It looks closely at points of access in initial and continuing VET as well as focusing on the content and curricular level and the time factors involved. The main emphases are on structural considerations and on presenting examples and experiences from practice.
The Austrian Vocational Training Act provides for the possible extension of apprenticeships with the aim of providing disadvantaged young people with a better chance of achieving a regular training qualification. This article presents figures relating to the take-up of this offer and to later outcomes on the labour market. These show that this option has proved to be a success and has become an established part of the dual system in Austria.
Special Focus
Alexandra Bläsche; Detlef Buschfeld; Elke Hannack; Hans Jürgen Metternich
The Berufsbildungsgesetz (BBiG) [Vocational Training Act] entered into force on 1 September 1969. Its enactment was preceded by long and detailed debates on the necessity for such a law and the regulatory areas that should be covered. Uniform national provisions for dual and advanced VET have applied since the BBiG came into effect. The high degree of standardisation and the statutorily regulated cooperation that takes place between the social partners, the Federal Government and the federal states exert a major impact on raising the profile of this particular area of education and enjoy a considerable amount of esteem internationally. But does this legal framework offer enough flexibility for it to react to changes in trade and industry and within society? Members of the BIBB Board and Research Council have provided brief statements which shed light on this issue, both retrospectively and in looking to the future.
Although the flexibilisation and permeability of vocational education and training have long been permanent objectives of the educational policy agenda, endeavours in this regard have thus far been mainly directed at dual VET. An identical need has, however, also been identified in the area of vocational and training preparation, particularly for young people who are not (yet) able to manage the transition to dual VET. This article presents findings from the QBi project, during which training modules for dualised training preparation were piloted and adjusted at various school locations in North Rhine-Westphalia. The main question which arises is how greater curricular, pedagogical and didactic flexibilisation can be achieved in order to allow scope for individualisation and subject orientation.
Switzerland was one of the countries which saw a sharp increase in asylum migration in 2015 as many people fled regions affected by war and crisis. In December 2015, the Federal Council adopted a pilot programme with the aims of making better use of the areas of potential offered by young and adult refugees and of integrating such persons into VET and onto the labour market in a more sustainable way. After a preparatory phase, these so-called preliminary integration apprenticeships were launched in August 2018. This article explains the objectives behind the programme and the general conditions under which it operates. Initial insights are also provided into how models have been developed and implemented within the cantons and for certain occupations.
Two-year basic vocational training programmes leading to acquisition of the Federal VET Certificate (EBA) are a type of provision that was added to the VET system in Switzerland with the goal of improving occupational integration whilst also offering a low threshold point of entry. However, a survey has revealed that most EBA learners, especially those from a special school or migration background, subsequently go on to bridging programmes rather than entering training directly. This article describes these transitional phases and investigates which groups of young people suffer a delay before commencing training and how this affects their experiences at the start of training.
Pilot projects which use progressive modules and enable various target groups to achieve a vocational qualification via the second-chance route have existed in Germany for many years. The Cologne Education and Training Model (KöBi) is one such model. KöBi is aimed at young adults without a vocational qualification who usually experience multiple problematic situations and are often permanently dependent on state support. This article shows how the model has succeeded in enabling the majority of participants to achieve a qualification by offering a combination of low threshold entry, accompanying coaching and time flexibility.
As the shortage of skilled workers intensifies, there is a growing challenge to train target groups for whom dual training is no longer a feasible option. Such persons are usually adults aged over 25 who are likely to be low skilled. A training programme which involves the acquisition of partial qualifications is often a good way forward in such cases. This article gives insights into the certification provision offered by the chambers of commerce and industry and emphasises the importance of quality-assured development and of the standardised implementation of partial qualifications.
The Swiss telecommunications company Swisscom radically altered its training structure 15 years ago. Learners complete their training in the form of changing projects which take place in various departments and work contexts. The Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (EHB) has carried out a case study to investigate this concept. One of the focuses was to identify which factors characterise this new type of learning and how learners come to terms with this training culture.
Switzerland is aiming to make dual VET more attractive to companies providing training and to trainees by making it more flexible and more modular. The gibb Vocational School in Bern has addressed these requirements, which are included in the national “Vocational Education and Training 2030” mission statement, by launching a pilot project entitled “Information technology training 4.0”. This article presents the main approaches adopted by the project and the initial evaluation results.
The highly dynamic nature of the changing world of work also leads to new requirements in initial vocational training. Training regulations already offer considerable leeway due to their technologically neutral design. Nevertheless, the need for short-term adaptation and differentiation arises in training occupations – reinforced by digitalisation. What options are available in this regard? This article presents the most important of these possibilities and provides examples of how they have been used in recent years.
In light of the increasing difficulties in filling training places, endeavours to tempt young people dropping out of higher education to enter VET have increased over recent years. Reductions in the duration of training have been one particular focus of the type of provision developed. However, credit transfer of higher education learning outcomes to training has not been legally possible thus far. Against such a background, this article investigates the question of which reduction options are currently being offered in practice to higher education drop-outs who are interested in pursuing VET and how these offerings tie in with the existing regulations. A related issue is whether it would be necessary or useful to amend previous provisions in order to make VET a stronger alternative to higher education.
In the period following 2015, both the Federal Government and the federal states created numerous programmes for vocational orientation and preparation of young refugees. Language acquisition is of central importance in this regard. BIBB has conducted an expert survey to investigate how language and professional competence are imparted in an integrated manner in these programmes and to see which recommendations can be derived for the development of programmes and the occupational integration of refugees.
The shortage of skilled workers in the housekeeping sector has motivated the Social Welfare Organisation of the Protestant Churches in Württemberg to make a targeted attempt to acquire migrants and refugees for the training occupation of housekeeper. A model called “Training plus language”, which forms part of a JOBSTARTERplus project, addresses lack of language knowledge via mechanisms such as expanded teaching provision at vocational school and individual extensions of dual training programmes. This article describes the objectives behind and implementation of the measure.
Although upgrading training is a popular and effective route for those who have completed VET, it can also open up professional development opportunities for bachelor’s graduates. Nevertheless, this is an option which has thus far been rarely pursued by those in possession of a first degree. The admission prerequisites for this particular target group may be one of the reasons. The present article illustrates this on the basis of a document analysis of advanced training regulations which apply nationwide.
Two updated advanced training regulations will enter into force in the media sector in 2020. The contents and structure of regulations for the qualifications of certified industrial foreman in digital and print media and certified media specialist have been revised in order to reflect the new requirements being faced by middle managers. The present article provides a description of the structure and examination requirements and also explains why two separate regulations continue to exist despite considerable content overlaps.