Vocational education and training staff
Vocational education and training staff have a key role in vocational education and training and for the quality of education and training processes. Challenges exist due to demographic changes, demands exist due to heterogeneous target groups, the organisation of transitions and the integration of work and learning processes. Tasks arise from this for which these staff must be prepared, and then supported when carrying out their duties.
Vocational education and training staff are an extremely heterogeneous group of people. The area of training includes company-based trainers and skilled workers involved in training, training personnel in cross-company training facilities, teaching staff in vocational schools and staff involved in so-called transition system activities such as social education specialists, support teachers or career start mentors. Training personnel also frequently take on the role of examiner on boards of examiners for the relevant positions. In the areas of continuing education and training, staff may be working as trainers, coaches, lecturers, supervisors, staff developers or training managers, depending on the task involved. The qualification routes are equally varied. These may extend from a pedagogical qualification based on occupational experience through to a university degree.
Data relating to education and training staff
Only limited empirical data is available on vocational education and training staff. However, the numbers of training and teaching staff are regularly collected. In 2012, approx. 672,000 trainers were registered with the chambers (see BIBB data report in the Report on Vocational Education and Training at http://datenreport.bibb.de). In addition, there were over 117,000 teaching staff in the vocational schools sector in the same year (see http://www.kmk.org/statistik/schule/statistische-veroeffentlichungen/schueler-klassen-lehrer-und-absolventen-der-schulen.html). However, only vague estimates exist for the remaining groups of vocational education and training staff.