Practice-oriented examining - challenges for vocational schools in the People's Republic of China

China is currently one of the largest growth markets in the automobile sector and an important sales market for German automobile manufacturers. This is producing an increasing need for qualified skilled workers. The project SGAVE uses the dual model as a basis for drawing up training and examination standards in order to further develop the initial training of motor vehicle mechatronics technicians in China in an employment-oriented manner. The present article outlines the approach adopted and initial experiences gained.

Starting situation and project goal

German automobile manufacturers assess that the requirement for skilled workers can only be met in the short and medium term if trainees in the Chinese vocational education and training system are able to undergo training that is more strongly employment-oriented. Alongside the development of uniform training standards with nationwide validity, this will also require a significant increase in the practical components of training and the establishment of an examination system that is employment oriented rather than merely aligned to knowledge.

For this purpose, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) has joined forces with five German automobile manufacturers to set up the Sino-German Automotive Vocational Education Projekt (SGAVE), an initiative that has been running since 2010 (see box).
The curriculum developed within the scope of SGAVE is directed towards the acquisition of employability skills and work process knowledge and exhibits a significantly increased practical component both in the school and at the company.

The Chinese teaching staff at vocational schools are receiving continuing training in Germany and in the People's Republic of China on the application of the curriculum and on the development of modern teaching and learning materials. In addition to this, cooperation between the vocational schools and local workshop operations run by the manufacturers is being intensified. The focus below is on the development and implementation of standards in the examination system.

Challenges in task setting and in the execution of examinations

Curricula at Chinese vocational schools are mostly content oriented. Teaching is dominated by a theory-heavy form of teaching from the front that is aligned purely to the imparting of knowledge. In this way, trainees learn material such as the electrical circuit diagrams of vehicles by rote. This information is then tested in the examination. Such a form of examination cannot ascertain whether they are able to repair an electrical defect. Although examination approaches focusing on competence assessment have been developed and piloted in China over recent years, this has not taken place in the comprehensive manner familiar from the German dual system. The Chinese Ministry of Transport has, for example, developed an examination in which errors are simulated in computer-aided fashion at a test station. The diagnostic process is filmed, and candidates enter their results into a database application for evaluation. This enables a large number of examinations to be conducted at the same time. Nevertheless, work processes and employment orientation are only tested to a limited extent, and no specialist oral examination takes place.

In order to be able to ascertain employability skills within the sense of the autonomous planning, execution and checking of tasks, in the SGAVE project the form of examination and nature of examination tasks is adapted on the basis of the examination regulations for motor vehicle mechatronics technicians of the Foreign Chamber of Industry and Commerce. The German Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Shanghai is advising on the establishment of and compliance with standards (e. g. confidentiality, separation of the teaching and examining function) and on the definition of requirements for examination staff.

Development of examination tasks and execution of the examination

For reasons of resources availability, development of examination tasks is carried out by German and Chinese experts. Examination tasks are drawn up on the basis of the customer orders defined in the curriculum. This means that there is no need for the formation of a task setting board for the first staging of the examination. Nevertheless, the implementation of the target calls for the establishment of such a board by a Chinese body.

Within the scope of SGAVE, examinations will take place for the first time at 15 of the 25 project schools in June 2014. A total of 150 trainees from the first cohort and 450 trainees from the second cohort will take Part 1 and Part 2 respectively of the examination leading to the qualification of motor vehicle mechatronics technician. For the implementation of the examinations, examination boards will be formed comprising teachers and staff from the workshop companies and manufacturers. An examination system comparable to that in Germany which enjoys the support of the chambers exists in only rudimentary form in China. This means that an adapted concept is required. The implementation of a rotation system will, for example, ensure that trainees are not examined by teaching staff from their own vocational school.

Preparation of the examiners

The plan is for the examinations to be conducted within a maximum period of two weeks. A total of 110 examiners will need to be available for this purpose. The prerequisites for acting as an examiner are as follows:

• specialist knowledge of the SGAVE curriculum, experience of work and/or teaching within the motor vehicle sector and knowledge of the legal foundations,
• personal competences such as a sense of responsibility and the ability to display judgement,
• social competences such as a positive attitude towards the examination candidates and the situation, openness, a critical faculty and a solutions-oriented approach and actions. It is important that examination staff possess a uniform understanding of the employability skills that are expected and that assessment criteria are agreed in binding form. To this end, the examiners will undergo comprehensive training to prepare them for their role.

The schools perceive that the identification of cross-sectional competences (communication skills, analytical ability, planning competence etc.) on the part of the candidates and examination staff will pose a major challenge given the absence of any wide-ranging experiences in this area. The same applies to the testing of work process knowledge due to the fact that such knowledge is only acquired via a long-term improvement in cooperation between schools and companies.

Initial pilot examinations and further steps

In November 2013, a pilot examination was conducted with trainees in the second year of training at one of the pilot vocational schools on the basis of two sample examination tasks drawn up for the purpose. Trainees performed well in resolving these tasks relative to their training status.

The school gained a feeling for the kind of organisational arrangements that need to be put in place in terms of preparation. The main aims of this trial run were to obtain an insight into how the examination staff deals with the change to the examination situation and to identify whether the employability skills required were recognised and correctly evaluated. The lack of support and leadership meant that the examiners were too reticent in providing assistance to candidates. The aim in future is to impart such an understanding more strongly in the training given to examiners.

An analysis of the processes, of the results of the examinations and of the project objectives achieved thus far will take place after the examinations. The findings obtained will be use to inform both the reform consultancy process of the Chinese institutions and further German-Chinese vocational education and training cooperation.

DENNIS HORCH
Senior Project Manager, German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ ) GmbH, Beijing / PRC

GOU QINGWEI
Teacher at Beijing Vocational College of Transportation , Beijing / PRC

TORSTEN KLAVS
Sales Aftersales Market Services, Dr. Ing . Hc F. Porsche AG , Stuttgart

Translation from the German original (published in BWP 3/2014): Martin Stuart Kelsey, Global Sprachteam Berlin