"To spent a part of the apprenticeship training abroad - how do I imagine it? How did you make contact to companies in other countries? And then? It can not be left to chance, what kind of activities you perform in the company. After all, there is a training order. How was it organized? What about the salary? Has the sending company to cover it?". This and others are difficulties, which a trainer would probably like to resolve before the company decides in favour of joint cross-border vocational education and training. Questions were answered to by apprentices, entrepreneurs, teachers and project partners, who have made a lot of practical experience over the past two years.
On the subsequent "marketplace" in the authentic environment of the joinery’s workshop the visitors were impressed by the personal experiences and work pieces, which were presented by the apprentices in the form of slide shows. At various "stands" the guests surveyed the products from two years of project work as the teaching agreement, the training schedule and the certificate, which should ensure a high quality and structured preparation, implementation and follow-up.
"Qualified youngsters by borderless education,"
The focus of the talks was a particular aspect of meaning and purpose of borderless education – the recruitment of the young generation. Many entrepreneurs and trainers need to be creative and develop new strategies to attract suitable graduates for training in the crafts - in Germany as in France, the Netherlands and Norway. Everyone agrees: "When we offer young people with high potentials the opportunity to go abroad during the apprenticeship, we become more attractive as a business." The fact that the apprentice will return from abroad self-reliant, highly motivated and skilful in foreign languages, makes the offer of "borderless education” for employers to an even more interesting option in staff recruitment.
Many are therefore already looking forward to the new "Controlled supplementary qualification GVA +". It is developed by the Chamber of Crafts and Skilled Trades Münster together with eight partners in five countries, in the frame of an EU-funded project starting in 2009. From 2011, it is even more attractive for companies to offer joint cross-border vocational education and training. In addition to professional skills gained during several months spent abroad, apprentices then have the opportunity to additionally qualify in theory around the topic "Crafts borderless."
Atmospheric impressions of the closing event.
Introduction of the Coordination
Like in any other projects the coordinator (HWK Muenster) has to oversee the activities of all partners. The coordinator looks after the internal and external communication and is responsible to the EU Commission to ensure that the funding is used correctly.
The HWK Muenster is especially responsible for the development of a “script” regarding the implementation of qualitative sophisticated long term stays abroad in the sense of LaWA – learn and work abroad ensuring that a German point of view will be continuously adapted to country specific needs.
A practical orientation of all project products is emphasised and the partners are consulted by different groups of experts who also help during piloting. The work of the experts groups, too, is coordinated by the HWK Muenster.
Experts from vocational schools
Teachers from vocational schools located in the chamber district Muenster, who are experienced in e-learning, linguistic and intercultural preparation and participation in mobility projects belong to this expert group.
They support partners with the adaption of the learning and communication platform and pilot attendant vocational education of apprentices while they are abroad.
Experts from companies
Group members are entrepreneurs and trainers who are experienced with either sending or hosting apprentices who study abroad. Also, members of this group have joined mobility projects and company visits in foreign countries and are interested in the development of GVA.
They counsel partners among other things about the development of the learning- and experiences-diary (the Logbook), with the comparison of professional profiles and with the piloting of long term stays abroad while sending their apprentices abroad.
International Advisory Board
Stakeholders from economy, politics and science have agreed to counsel and guide project partners within their work. The members of the board are also multipliers who will help to spread project results and products into different social structures.
The following organisations agreed to participate:
• Bevollmächtigter der Regierung für deutsch-französische
Bildungszusammenarbeit, Berlin
• Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung, Arbeitsbereich 1.3: Internationales
Monitoring und Benchmarking
• Chambre de Métiers et de l’Artisant du Loiret, Orléans
• EU-Geschäftsstelle der Bezirksregierung Detmold, Bielefeld
• EU-Geschäftsstelle der Bezirksregierung Düsseldorf
• EU-Geschäftsstelle der Bezirksregierung Münster
• Handwerkskammer Krakau
• Heves Megyei Kereskedelmi és Iparkamara (HKIK, Eger
• Institut für berufliche Bildung, Lauchhammer
• Kuratorium der Deutschen Wirtschaft für Berufsbildung, Bonn
• Ministerium für Arbeit, Gesundheit und Soziales des
Landes NRW, Düsseldorf
• Ministerium für Schule und Weiterbildung des Landes NRW, Düsseldorf
• Niedersächsisches Zentrum für internationale Berufsbildung (NieZiB)
bei der Handwerkskammer Lüneburg-Stade
• NRW International, Düsseldorf
• Thüringer Kultusministerium, Erfurt
• Stiftung für wirtschaftliche Entwicklung und berufliche
Qualifizierung (SEQUA), Bonn
• Westdeutscher Handwerkskammertag (WHKT), Düsseldorf
• Zentralverband des Deutschen Handwerks (ZDH), Berlin
• Zentralverband des Deutschen Handwerks – ZDH Consulting, Brüssel
• 3s research laboratory Wien
Transfer of Results Reinforced – May 2009
Next to further development of high quality GVA products coordination and project partners have reinforced the transfer of results.
Transfer to educational policies:
On various events and especially a big mobility conference in the frame of the French Presidency of the EU Council the coordinators reported about GVA and encountered marked interest. Offers of various organisations from different EU countries regarding common mobility actions will be addressed one by one.
A partner meeting was specifically rescheduled to Poland, as to meet a broadly based circle of experts to discuss the Polish educational system, the Polish qualification frame and the use of ECVET. It was reported about first mobility actions. Regarding the experiences gained in Germany and the challenge to record competencies gained abroad, the urgency of a well structured implementation of GVA could be intimated. In cooperation with the Chamber of Crafts and Skilled Trades in Krakow the possibilities of mobility actions are to be checked. A regional VET school will occupy with project results and experiences in the field of E-Learning as to gain models for own activities.
In December 2008 the inter-national advisory board met again in Münster and focused on the experiences of apprentices. Experts from companies, VET schools and educational politics advised, while appreciating the future of GVA, important feedback for further project work and the development of a follow up project.
The next meeting of the inter-national advisory board on May 7, 2009 will be according to the motto “Apprenticeship unlimited – Inter-national competencies in crafts by joint cross-boarder vocational education and training”. The Focus will be on experiences and challenges of companies. In order to increase the dissemination of the project the meeting will be embedded in the 1. European Week of SME.
Further information:
Transfer to target groups:
In March 2009 the new mobility consulting centre of the “Kontaktstelle Ausland” of the Chamber of Crafts and Skilled Trades in Münster was established. The transfer of project results will be supported by specific GVA consultation and as soon as possible acquisition of further GVA companies and apprentices will be taken up. Within a network of approx. 40 mobility consulting centres at Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Chambers of Crafts and Skilled Trades all over Germany the GVA project will be presented.
Practical testing of first results – September 2008
Besides 12 trans-national partner meetings, team-meetings (six of them being online meetings using the DLS) the expert groups have also met several times in Muenster to discuss the practical orientation of the ideas and approaches developed by the partner.
Didactical modules are more use than concrete learning content
Very important for the further proceeding was the finding that teachers do not rely so much on the provision of concrete Internet based learning content to maintain an effective support of apprentices during their stay abroad. It is rather important to elaborate and test didactical modules which have to be concentrated with content by each teacher. In October 2008 this situation will occur for the first time when two apprentices aiming to become metal workers will go abroad for two month each. While they are abroad they will miss 1-3 weeks of school education. In order to help them not to miss the connection a special timetable will be developed for them.
Intercultural competencies are more beneficial than extra professional knowledge
Asked for a rating what would be the greatest benefit of a long term stay abroad, experts from companies agreed on intercultural competencies, personal development and improvement of foreign languages knowledge of their apprentices and future employees, as much as on extra professional competencies. This finding supplied important input in the development of the “Logbook” as well as for the expertise regarding the certification of LaWA surplus.
Kick-off well recognised – January 2008
The project „Practical Approaches to optimize and implement joint cross-border vocational education and training in crafts and skilled trades” started October 24, 2007 and will end October 24, 2009.
The official start was on January 31, 2008 within a kick-off meeting at the vocational education and training centre of the Chamber of Crafts and Skilled Trades Muenster (Handwerkskammer Bildungszentrum Münster, HBZ). Approximately 100 participants from companies, trade associations, vocational schools and public caught up on the project aims and the planned implementation.
This occasion was taken to express positive feedback and to stress the importance of a structural anchored offer of long term stays abroad as part of the apprenticeship.
International Advisory Board established
Besides the first trans-national partner meeting, the first meeting of the international advisory board took place. Helpful hints and questions supported the work of the months to follow.
By the second meeting of the advisory board in the morning of December 04, 2008, many products will have achieved a high level of development. Partners are looking forward to the evaluation of the international experts.
