BIBB President Esser: “Permeability is the key to an educational system that is fit for the future”

Increasing permeability between educational areas is currently the leading issue in educational policy debate in Germany. The President of the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), Friedrich Hubert Esser, believes that improved permeability across the educational system as a whole is an important lever for structuring vocational training in an even more attractive way in future. “The goal of all stakeholders in education and VET needs to be to correct the current trend towards academisation in favour of increased esteem for the dual system and for the employment segments that lie behind it. There is an urgent requirement for skilled workers in these segments”, he stresses. “This year’s BIBB Congress puts the topic of ‘permeability’ firmly at centre stage. The Congress is a unique platform for dialogue, and I warmly invite all those involved in vocational education and training to attend. I also extend a particular invitation to representatives of school-based training and higher education.”

The motto of this year’s BIBB Congress, which will be staged on 18 and 19 September at the bcc in Berlin, is “Structuring vocational education and training in a more attractive way – facilitating greater permeability”. Five forums addressing current developments and challenges in vocational training and two special forums on the topics of “Internationalisation” and “Vocational education and training research” will provide participants with a wide range of cross-cutting opportunities to exchange experiences and views across both days of the event.

In order to make the educational system more permeable in overall terms, Professor Esser is of the opinion that, from a vocational education and training perspective, systematic vocational orientation at upper secondary school needs to become part of standard provision alongside higher education study guidance. He also sees an urgent necessity for better interlinking of training with upgrading training within the scope of occupational progression concepts in order to create career prospects. “Students who end their studies without achieving a qualification should be offered mandatory opportunities for connectivity to vocational education and training and, last but not least, the general conditions governing the recognition of educational achievements should be improved”.

For this reason, Professor Esser believes that the BIBB Congress must send out a signal that the major challenges facing vocational education and training can no longer be overcome from the point of view of a single area of education. “What we need are cross-cutting perspectives, interlinked approaches and the broadest possible networking between all responsible stakeholders and partners. The BIBB Congress makes a unique contribution in this regard and creates an opportunity for dialogue between the Federal Government, the federal states, the higher education system, the academic research community, trade and industry and VET practice.”

The Congress Programme is available for download in English in PDF format at http://www.bibb.de/en/66101.htm . Online registrations may be made on the same site. The deadline for registrations is 25 August. A conference fee of €390 will be charged.

Media representatives are exempt from the fee. Please obtain accreditation by providing your full contact details to the BIBB Press Office at pr@bibb.de .

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