The theme of inclusion prompts contentious discussion across all sectors of education. How can access be provided to high-quality education for all people in accordance with their learning needs and their individual backgrounds and abilities? The latest issue of BWP (Vocational Training in Research and Practice) looks into what requirements the inclusion concept imposes upon vocational education and training, what opportunities it harbours, and what changes are needed so as to bring about equality of participation in, and by means of, vocational education and training.
For most trainees, employment in the occupation in which they have trained is a goal worth striving for. Yet not everyone succeeds in achieving this. The 2011/2012 Youth Employee Survey conducted by BIBB and the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) reveals the proportion of young employees not working in the occupation in which they have trained and highlights the factors determining a change of occupation.
The aspiration to make participation in high-quality education possible for all, irrespective of individual backgrounds and abilities, is generally greeted with broad approval. However, opinions differ on how this guiding principle, which is central to an inclusive education system, should be put into practice. For many, such a far-reaching concept which entails a reform of fundamental structures in the education system seems virtually impossible to implement. In this interview KLAUS HEBBORN spells out that the way to an inclusive education system should be seen as a process which demands a well-coordinated joint approach by state stakeholders on all levels and with the involvement of civil society.
The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was ratified by Germany in 2009, has focused attention on the topic of inclusion both in educational policy and academic research terms. The aim of inclusion is to secure the societal participation of everyone regardless of individual disposition. This article examines the background to the concept of inclusion and presents implications for vocational education and training. Taking risks of exclusion as its starting point, it goes on to outline possible approaches towards the development of inclusion strategies at various action levels.
Marlise Kammermann; Ursula Scharnhorst; Lars Balzer
Switzerland pursues the education policy target that 95 per cent of all young people acquire a qualification at Secondary Level II. The two-year basic vocational education programmes leading to the Swiss Federal Vocational Certificate (eidgenössisches Berufsattest, EBA) were introduced to enable disadvantaged young people to gain an initial qualifying certificate which equips them to integrate into the primary labour market, on the one hand, and to embark on higher-level vocational training, on the other. The article describes the EBA occupations, making reference to general statistical indicators. It goes on to take differentiated look at short-term and medium-term inclusion effects, and reflects on what inclusion potential this type of initial vocational training offers.
The theme of inclusion is rising in prominence in vocational education and training since different groups of individuals continue to be disadvantaged in their search for training places. In its Guidelines for Inclusion, UNESCO calls for access to high quality education to be possible for all, and for individual development to be fostered. This article takes a look at the approach of the initial vocational training guarantee as a means of putting this aspiration into practice. Drawing on experience with this model in Austria, it considers opportunities for better integration into initial vocational training and outlines one possible form of implementation for Germany from the viewpoint of the Confederation of German Trade Unions (Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund, DGB).
In “Assisted initial vocational training” (Assistierte Ausbildung), a regular in-company initial vocational training programme is flanked with comprehensive preparatory and support provision offered by the young people’s careers advisory service (Jugendberufshilfe). As a result, even underprivileged young people can be enabled to complete a normal in-company initial vocational training programme. The article introduces the opportunities of “Assisted initial vocational training” and outlines the experience of implementing the scheme in Baden-Württemberg.
This article presents selected principles of an inclusive approach to didactics, which teachers may find helpful in reflecting on existing teaching practice. This approach is guided by taking stock of the heterogeneity of the given group of learners and making it the starting point for didactic planning. The cooperative learning approach is considered particularly suitable for teaching in heterogeneous groups of learners. Its basic features are outlined in relation to the didactic principles.
The question as to which institutional settings are more conducive to learning for children with special educational needs is currently a highly controversial discussion topic both in the scientific community and in the public sphere. Although these children are increasingly taught inclusively or integratively at schools of general education, so far there are barely any empirical findings on the differential effects of schooling in special schools or the other schools of general education within the German school system. The scientific analyses underlying this article tackle this gap in research on the basis of data from the 2011 IQB (Institute for Educational Quality Improvement) country comparison for primary education. Clear differences can be shown favouring the learning attainment of pupils with special educational needs in inclusive or integrative settings at primary schools.
Young people seeking a programme of initial vocational training come with a variety of backgrounds and abilities. This diversity needs to be borne in mind in fostering individual development. Mastering written language is an important prerequisite for a successful transition into initial vocational training. In the framework of BIBB’s “New Ways/Heterogeneity” model programme, instruments have been developed for literacy support, which are introduced in this article.
The Federal Vocational Training Act (BBiG) and the Crafts and Trades Regulation Code (HwO) contain a commitment to “disadvantage compensation”, which enables disabled people to embark on a state-recognised, standard occupational training programme and to acquire a relevant skilled vocational certificate. The following discussions demonstrate what underlies the concept of “disadvantage compensation” and how the inclusion of disabled people can succeed as a result.
The promotion of equal opportunities and inclusion is a priority goal within the Erasmus+ European programme for education, training, youth and sport. The Strategic Partnership Projects in particular provide a variety of opportunities to attain this goal. The article clarifies the understanding of equal opportunities and inclusion in the Erasmus+ programme and the creative potential that the theme provides for programme activities in vocational and adult education.
The labour market situation has seen positive development in recent years. Demand for skilled workers has risen and the number of unemployed has fallen. However, not all groups of people benefit equally from the upturn in the labour market. For the unemployed who qualify for benefits under the jurisdiction of the Second Book of the Social Code (SGB II), the entrenchment of exclusion is a fatal trend. This is especially problematic when young people’s exclusion from the labour market occurs at the beginning of their employment biography. The article introduces the pilot project “ZIEL – Zielgerichtete Integration junger Langzeitarbeitsloser” [Goal – goal-directed integration of the young long-term unemployed] in Saxony and investigates how it can help to break the vicious cycle of unemployment, diminishing employability and erosion of qualifications.
Lack of a vocational certificate heightens the risk of becoming unemployed and remaining so in the long term. The goal of the Bremen pilot project “Nachqualifizierung als Vorbereitung auf die Externenprüfung (NQVorE)” [Second-chance qualification as preparation for the external candidates’ examination] is to provide training leading to a recognised vocational certificate for unemployed people without adequate formal qualifications. The article presents and discusses the experience with competence reviews and second-chance qualification measures tailored individually to the needs of the target group.
The pilot project "FAB - Flüchtlinge und Asylbewerber im Bauhandwerk” [Refugees and asylum seekers in the building trade] teaches basic building trade skills on the Bebra training building site. As an ideal outcome, this hands-on support and coaching can lead to a firm initial vocational training contract. The article describes the development, implementation and goals of the measure.
As part of the ongoing assignment of training programmes to the German Qualifications Framework (DQR), discussion is currently taking place about the level-assignment of the theory-reduced three-year skilled practitioner qualification pursuant to Section 66 of the Vocational Training Act (BBiG) and Section 42m of the Crafts and Trades Regulation Code (HwO). The article highlights the present situation of these special initial vocational training courses for people with disabilities and looks into what should be done in order to facilitate a valid assignment of the skilled practitioner arrangements to a DQR level.