International dialogue between research and practice

The purpose of vocational education and training is to prepare young people for the demands of the labour market. How are these requirements identified and how will they develop in future? These are questions which are occupying VET experts in many countries. Although research can provide important indications, dialogue between research, policy and practice is at least as significant.

At the conference, which was staged under the motto of “Skills for Sustainable Development Post-2015”, Professor Reinhold Weiß, Deputy President and Director of Research of the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), pointed out that academic research was able to provide explanations, describe developments and identify causes. However, he stated, if the focus was on the development of curricula and the shaping of educational measures, then the expertise of specialists from within professional practice, i.e. teachers, training and HR managers in the companies and employee representatives, was indispensable.

The post-2015 agenda

The subsequent panel discussion centred on topics such as trends in vocational training and innovative models and initiatives. It completely reflected the “Post-2015 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, which is scheduled to be adopted in September 2015 at the UNO Sustainability Summit in New York to be attended by heads of state and government. The Post-2015 Agenda is to be based on the Millennium Development Goals and on the results of the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20 Conference). The intention is for the new target system to apply to developing, emerging and industrialised countries in equal measure and to encompass all aspects of sustainable development, i.e. its ecological, economic and social dimension.

Vocational education and training under the banner of the sustainability debate

Against this background, on 12 August 2015 five panel members discussed the question of the significance of qualification and entrepreneurship, the relationship between competences and SDG’s (Sustainable Development Goals) in the sustainability strategy of the UNO Open Working Group and the development strategies and programmes that are most promising in terms of focusing on economic, social, environmental policy and political priorities in the new development agenda.

The debate was begun by Borhene Chakroun, Chief of Section of Youth, Literacy and Skills Development at UNESCO. In the light of the worldwide shortage of resources and the high level of unemployment in many countries, he described the necessity of a turnaround in economic policy and the need for sustainable development. This also had to be a guiding principle for vocational education and training.

This was followed by a debate on the issue of the significance of competences and entrepreneurship in the Post-2015 Agenda between Deborah Roseveare, Head of the “Skills beyond Schools” Section of the OECD in Paris, Norbert Schöbel from the European Commission in Brussels with responsibility for the “Skills for the Young” Programme and the European Training Alliance, Shyamal Majumdar, Director of UNESCO-UNEVOC in Bonn, George Blankenship, President of the Lincoln Electric Company in Cleveland (Ohio) and Reinhold Weiß from BIBB.

The participants agreed that the role of companies in vocational education and training needed to be strengthened and that there was a necessity for enhanced cooperation between vocational schools, educational institutions, youth organisations, companies and trade and industry associations. The aim had to be to increase the attractiveness of vocational training for young people.

Roseveare emphasised the need to impart basic competences for further professional development. It was alarming that the proportion of people with poor or no literacy skills in their native language remained high, even in developed countries.

Schöbel explained the role of the EU in such matters as the promotion of occupational mobility or within the scope of the “Youth Guarantee” or “European Alliance for Apprenticeships” initiatives. The EU had both the ability and the intention to use these initiatives to support reforms in the member states and to make a contribution towards opening up prospects for young people in countries with high unemployment.

Blankenship emphasised the growing significance of vocational learning in virtual communities. Flexibility of educational provision was needed in order to be able to react rapidly to changing requirements, whilst standardisation and quality development were also vital.

Majumdar pointed out that informal learning plays a dominant role in the acquisition of professional and vocational competences in many countries. Learning took place in the family, in village communities or in the workplace. This needed to be taken into consideration when reforms took place, and informal learning had to be more closely integrated into organised learning processes.

Weiß concluded by underlining the importance of “work-based learning” for the qualitative further development of vocational training. He also made it clear that this needed to constitute more than merely organising brief practical phases in workplaces. The focus needed to be on structuring learning by putting relevant stipulations in place and on supporting this process via qualified training staff. There was only potential for learning if challenging and proper work was possible.

Talks with BIBB’s partner institute SENAI

Reinhold Weiß travelled to the conference at the invitation of BIBB’s partner institute SENAI (National Service for Industrial Training), which was also the organiser of the WorldSkills in São Paulo. He took the opportunity to discuss future cooperation between BIBB and SENAI with Frederico Lamego, Head of International Relations at SENAI and CEO of the 2015 WorldSkills, and Felipe Morgado, Chief Director of Education at SENAI. The main interest from the Brazilian side is in cooperation in the establishment of dual structures. SENAI has worked in conjunction with companies to develop a new training model with a high proportion of practical phases. There is also a specific wish for support in the development of occupational profiles, for example in the field of printing and media.

Delegations from more than 74 countries and regions all over the world took part in the 43rd WorldSkills Competition in São Paulo from 11 to 16 August 2015. Over 1,200 skilled workers competed for the Champion’s Title in 50 occupational disciplines. The WorldSkills takes place every two years, the previous event having been staged in Leipzig in 2013. As part of the programme, BIBB organised a partner meeting, which was attended by 30 partner institutes from 24 countries.