The "reflective practitioner" has been regarded as an ideal image of a skilled worker in vocational education and training for years - but this concept has rarely been transferred to the field of teachers for vocational education and training (VET). The ERASMUS+ project DT4VET regards DESIGN THINKING (DT) as a key method for triggering reflective practices among VET teachers. DT has the potential to foster transversal skills in particular, such as thinking creatively and critically, taking initiative or working collaboratively. Seven partners from four countries (Turkey, Finland, Italy and Germany) are developing, testing and evaluating a training seminar for vocational school teachers on Design Thinking.

Work-process-oriented learning plays a fundamental role in successful vocational training: it enables trainees to learn the skills and competences needed in real-world workplaces. In addition to trainees, the key players here are skilled workers accompanying training, who are also referred to as mentors, tutors or training officers, depending on the context and sector. In contrast to teachers and full-time or part-time trainers, however, these mentors have no or only marginal pedagogical qualifications. This is where the ERASMUS+ STEP UP project comes in: Based on examples of good practice from the four participating countries Germany, Italy (IT), Lithuania (LT) and Spain (ES), further training units are developed, implemented and evaluated which further develop the teaching competences of the mentors, particularly in the context of new technologies.

Context: The transformative power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) cuts across all economic and social sectors, including education. There are particular implications of AI for vocational education and training and changes within workplaces that require transformation in education and training, both for those in work and those seeking employment. Aim: There is an urgent need for young people to be equipped with knowledge of AI in order to better operate in the future world of work. In order to prepare young people for this task, further training of teachers and trainers is essential to be able to initiate new teaching/learning arrangements.

Das Projekt E-learning Einheit zum Thema „Gute wissenschaftliche Praxis“ wird uni-intern im Rahmen von „Win a Tutor – Didaktische E-Learning Anwendungsszenarien“ gefördert. Da im August 2019 die Neuauflage der Leitlinien zur guten Wissenschaftlichen Praxis der DFG veröffentlicht wurden, soll im Rahmen dieses Projekts eine E-Learning Einheit zur „guten wissenschaftlichen Praxis“ erstellt und erprobt werden. Die Einheit wird aus einem interaktiven Kursteil sowie einem Onlinetest bestehen. Der folienbasierte Kursteil soll Erklärvideos zu aktuellen Fallbeispielen enthalten und durch Lernerfolgskontrollen und Übungsbeispiele ergänzt werden.

In the KoRA project, a teaching-learning concept is designed to develop and promote competencies in field of collaborative robotics and design of human-robot collaboration in vocational education and training. This is implemented with a mixed reality learning software in which complex assembly problems are solved in form of learning and work tasks. In the context of development, necessary haptic feedback for the target groups is being investigated in parallel. Through transfer into virtual reality, work process can be experienced and designed detached from the real operational process. Thus, project-based and action-oriented learning is possible.

Many high school graduates are spoiled for choice after graduating from high school. Hundreds of apprenticeships and thousands of courses are open to them. It may be difficult to make the right decision. School as a central location for the early career orientation of young people faces the challenge of actively helping to shape the individual professional orientation process of students.

Das Projekt ProSoKom zielt darauf ab, Sozialkompetenzen von Auszubildenden des Kfz-Handwerks und von Jugendlichen im Übergangssystem zu fördern, indem aktuelle Problemlagen im Bereich der Sozialkompetenzen aufgegriffen werden und als Grundlage für die Entwicklung und Implementierung eines arbeitsprozessorientierten Konzeptes zur Kompetenzentwicklung zu nutzen, das auch in geeigneter Form und angemessenem Umfang digitale Medien einsetzt. Die Maßnahmen zur Förderung der Sozialkompetenzen beziehen insbesondere die Zielgruppe der Geflüchteten und Jugendlichen mit Migrationshintergrund ein.

The O4YEL project aims at developing, implementing and evaluating innovative strategies and practices to orient and guide young people at risk of leaving the formal (general and vocational) education system before completion, i.e. without leaving certificates. In particular, tutorial measures are developed and implemented which are capable of promoting the inclusive education of young people and contributing to the prevention of dropping out of school and/or training. Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, British and German partners are working together in the project consortium.

Im KofeBS-Nachfolgeprojekt wird die Kompetenzfeststellung von an- und ungelernten SGB II- und SGB III-Leistungsempfängern sowie Beschäftigten ohne Berufsabschluss auf weitere Ausbildungsberufe ausgeweitet und evaluiert. Des Weiteren wird geprüft, ob sich Kompetenzfeststellungen und Weiterbildungsmaßnahmen nachhaltig an berufsbildenden Schulen implementieren lassen. Das Projekt wird vom Europäischen Sozialfonds (ESF) gefördert und unter dem Dach des Landesprogramms „Weiter mit Bildung und Beratung“ der Senatorin für Wirtschaft, Arbeit und Europa durchgeführt.

A major reason for the different quality and appreciation of vocational education and training in the countries of Europe and beyond lies in the teachers. Selection, training and further education as well as the working conditions of vocational school teachers differ considerably. PRO-VET project focuses on the development of respective uniform teacher training objectives in Serbia and Russia and online-supported materials to achieve them. The methodological approach is "policy learning", i.e. the aim cannot be to export European solutions (which do not exist in this form anyway), but to further develop the existing teacher training systems in Serbia and Russia with reference to examples of good practice in selected EU countries.

Im Projekt wird die Entwicklung und Erprobung eines E-Portfolios zur Begleitung des Prozesses der Beruflichen Orientierung von Schüler*innen der Gymnasialen Oberstufen im Land Bremen als Teil eines „Sonderprogrammes zur Berufsorientierung leistungsstarker Schülerinnen und Schüler“ im Rahmen der Bund-Land-Vereinbarung „Bildungsketten“ fokussiert. Basis für diese Entwicklung und Erprobung ist ein bereits am ITB entwickeltes E-Portfolio-Konzept in der Berufsorientierung (Projekt: Berufswahlpass.online)

Das Projekt „WaBeQ – Kompetenzwerkstatt“ beschäftigt sich mit der Frage, inwieweit mit Hilfe digitaler Medien die Ausbildung von Jugendlichen mit besonderem Unterstützungsbedarf angemessen gestaltet werden kann. Hierzu werden in gemeinsamer Entwicklungsarbeit mit dem ausbildenden Personal der Waller Beschäftigungs- und Qualifizierungsgesellschaft (WabeQ) die wesentlichen Elemente des berufswissenschaftlichen Konzepts der Kompetenzwerkstatt für eine arbeitsprozess- und kompetenzorientierte sowie digital gestützte Berufsbildung entwickelt, erprobt und optimiert.

Im Zentrum des Forschungsprojekts stehen Bildungs- und Berufsorientierungsprozesse von Jungen und jungen Männern in Institutionen der ausbildungsvorbereitenden und beruflichen Bildung: Wodurch wird ermöglicht bzw. erschwert, dass junge Männer sich für soziale respektive erziehende, medizinische oder pflegende Berufe entscheiden? Das Projekt leistet einen Beitrag zu der Frage, welche Aspekte in die Bildung und Berufsorientierung von Jungen integriert werden müssten, um a) sie als potentielle Fachkräfte für die genannten Berufsbereiche (besser) erkennen zu können und um b) vorrangig durch Geschlechterstereotype bedingte, berufliche Entscheidungen zu reduzieren.

Problem: The European Research Council has provided a framework (DigCompEdu) (JRC, Redeker, Punie, 2017) including recommendations for actions regarding how to deal with digital media for the classroom of teachers of general education lessons in the European Union. The Joint Research Council Report is missing the perspective how to consider the special features of vocational education in order to make specific recommendations for actions of vocational school teachers and vocational trainers. This project is aiming to close this “gap”.

The project targets to design systematic instruments and measures for the development of teaching competence of VET teachers and trainers. These instruments are aimed to solve existing systemic problems and shortages in this field. The instrument for on-line self-assessment and development of the teaching competence of VET teachers and trainers is expected to make the processes of recruitment, selection and induction of educators in the field of VET more smooth, transparent, and effective. This instrument should also facilitate improvement of work-based learning by making the acquisition and development of pedagogic competence more easy and accessible for the trainers in enterprises.

Problem: Namibia is one of the countries with a very high inequality and a very high youth unemployment of more than 50%. The national development plan (NDP5) mentions the improvement of the vocational education structures as a main instrument in order to reduce inequality, to enable employment and in order to strengthen the regional economy. However, the knowledge regarding strengths and weaknesses as well as development needs of the vocational educational system is very low, because there is no established vocational educational research.

The digitalisation of the working world (e.g. in format of virtual working groups), mixed skills teams, flat hierarchies and decentral decision-making processes emphasise the importance of social competences as a central “Work-Enabler”. In the future working world, especially in the mechanical and plant engineering, interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral cooperation as well as working in mixed skills and heterogeneous teams will be an everyday routine.

During the Learning Layers project (EU FP7) (completed 2017) the Learning Toolbox (LTB) was developed as a digital toolbox for work process-related learning. This tool has been further developed by the LTB-developers for the presentation of ePosters on conferences. In 2017, the application has been tested for the first time during two European conferences (AMEE, ECTEL).

Problem: Germany has an established VET system. Internationally, the "dual system" in particular is held in high esteem and serves as a model for national reform processes, as it supports the achievement of various goals (including low youth unemployment, high productivity, high social integration) in a special way. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research BMBF created the funding guideline "Internationalisation of Vocational Education and Training (IBB)", which aims to combine export marketing and the promotion of international VET cooperation. Objectives: The project wb-ibb intends to record the effects of the funding guideline. Another important target is to understand and explain the challenges and conditions for success of international VET cooperation. The overarching goal is to support the internationalisation of vocational education and training through peer learning processes, among other activities in the scope of network creation and external knowledge management.

Development, testing and consolidation of digitally supported further training in the skilled trades for the work process and competence-oriented design of in-company training with the aid of a training management system.