Vocational education and training standard for the Mekong region
On 13 and 14 February 2014 , the BIBB and its partner institute in Thailand Office of the Vocational Education Commission (OVEC) carried out a workshop for the development of a dual system vocational education and training standard in the field of mechatronics.
The workshop is a contribution to the project "Promotion of in-company vocational training and continuing education in the Mekong region" (Mekong project) of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
The workshop attendants learned how to independently develop a vocational education and training standard for the field of mechatronics. In addition to the workshop, they visited the company Lucas Nülle GmbH. There, they gathered information about training systems for specialist vocational training in the industrial sector. The conclusive evaluation of the event revealed that the attendants now feel well equipped to independently further develop the mechatronics standard. The event thus constitutes an important first step in developing a training standard for mechatronics fitters for the Mekong region.
The Mekong project supplements the activities of other German stakeholders in the field of vocational education and training in South-East Asia. It is organised by the German Society for International Co-operation (GIZ). The GIZ has been on site with its own personnel since 1995 and has been supervising the Mekong project since its inception. The aim is to develop a vocational education and training standard for the field of mechatronics. This is why the workshop was transnational and was attended also by Vietnamese education experts in addition to representatives from the OVEC and the Thailand Professional Qualification Institute (TPQI).
The workshop was organised in co-ordination with the VETNET project of the German Chamber of Commerce Abroad (AHK) in Bangkok, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The VETNET project likewise focuses on vocational education and training in the field of mechatronics. The main aim of this project is to win over businesses to provide vocational education and training. The project supports the businesses in the implementation of dual system vocational education and training structures.
The workshop is an example of co-ordinated co-operation between German vocational education and training stakeholders in the field of international collaboration for vocational education and training. A follow-up workshop is scheduled to take place in Thailand in the first half of 2014. The intended attendants include representatives from other vocational education and training stakeholders and social partners in Thailand and the German industry.
The co-operation between the BIBB and the OVEC in the field of vocational education and training is based on an agreement that was concluded between the Thai education ministry (OVEC) and the BIBB in 2003. The co-operation activities currently target the development of vocational education and training standards.