The model describes a way of education of VET trainers that seems particularly promising when various institutions of learning and learning places exist and
when the qualification paths and existing qualifications are heterogeneous. If one wishes to transmit such a model in other countries, it might be helpful to take the following experience note:
In particular, the implementation of such a model requires the willingness of all actors to work together. For example, the universities need the will to establish systems for the recognition of prior learning in non-academic fields (including workplace learning) and quality-assured systems for competence assessment and the certification of competencies. The exact design requires an overall intensive communication on the forms, tasks and roles of and in cooperation and the oppor- tunities and restrictions of the involved institutions and actors. Therefore, the testing of these and similar models in Germany was done in regional networks, thus intensive communication and co-working was possible. For the idea of how to establish such networks in Sub-Sahara Africa, see the article of Haseloff in this anthology.
Other lessons learnt of the testing of the model at the Alanus University were that • the educational outcomes of the own Vocational Education of the participants were high enough to complete an ambitious scientific study courses and to acquire the Master degree
• many regulations and bureaucracy made and make it difficult to link the three branches
• different interests lead to difficulties (university: rather orientation on gradu- ation, regional institutions: rather orientation on economic aspects)
• the practical projects are highly dependent on the policy and strategy in the company
• the Further Education training at the regional institutions must be as innov- ative and practice-based like provided in the model
• the linking of the learning places can be made possible in the free cooperation of the partners curricular ⫺but it has to be completed it is in the mind of the participants
• different political responsibilities must find a matching.
A difficulty therefore arose from the federal structure of education in Germany. In some federal states of Germany, educational laws allow to access Master Co- urses, in other federal states this is not possible without acquiring a Bachelor degree first⫺ like it is the case in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). First, a gap has been used to allow the access also without a Bachelor degree: with a Bachelor equivalent abroad at the Danube University Krems, it was still possible to access the Master Course. But this gap was filled by amending the law on Higher Edu- cation in NRW however. So the continuous path in NRW now requires a Bachelor degree (in a project, the Alanus University is now working on a relevant Bachelor programmes). So while the project was supported and welcomed by the federal government (Bundesregierung), the political action at the federal state (Bundes- land) led to problems. Such experiences show the difficulty to implement such models in a complex situation with many stakeholders.
Summary
VET trainers today need different forms of knowledge and skills that could be acquired at different learning places. So they could highly benefit from their sys- tematical integration. Linking models in Further Education, like the one described here, offer systems that allow participants to organize their training activities very flexible and in personalized fit. Participants of such forms of Further Education can acquire professional competence including competence of self-directed (but supported!) learning.
The three-branch-model described here is to give inspirations on how such models can look like and how the strengths and advantages of the different places of learning can be used effectively.
The brief sketch of conditions of success and lessons learnt wants to raise aware- ness of the complex co-interrelationships and to identify challenges that are not initially in view. The challenges are different in any country, but may occur on similar levels. It appears crucial to involve all stakeholders in ‘networked’ cooper- ation.
VET trainers have a major influence on the vocational competence and the for- ming of personalities of the youth. That is why economy, policy and science have to cooperate on an equal footing to overcome existing obstacles and to ensure a high-class qualification.
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