Felix Rauner Demarcations between Vocational and Academic Education and how to overcome them

1. Felix Rauner Demarcations between Vocational and Academic Education and how to overcome them G.R.E.A.T. ConferenceCologne 29.09.-01.10.2010

2. Internationale Trends: First-Year Students in OECD Countries (OECD, 2007)

3. „Für die Gesellschaft, die sich zunehmend als eine ‘Wissens’-Gesellschaft versteht, bilden die Hochschulen die entscheidende Quelle für die Entwicklung von kulturellen Orientierungen, ökonomisch verwertbarem Wissen (…)“ (Meyer 2003, S. 581; zitiert nach Baethge, Solger und Wieck 2007). tr: For a society that defines itself in an increasing manner as a „Society of Knowledge“, the universities play a key role for the development of cultural orientation and economically exploitable knowledge. In other words: Vocational education […] falls behind higher academic education and […] and looses attractiveness.(see Baethge, Solger, Wieck 2007, S. 75). The Academic drift…

4. Daniel Bell(1973) „The Coming of Post-Industrial Society“ The turning point of the post-industrial society – the new axial ssystem – for all societal spheres: technology, economy, education and culture, is scientific knowledge.

5. 4 resons for the current uncertainty in the domain of VET-Policy • College-for-all(the mainstream programmatic) • Skills shortage • (as an international phenomenon) • 3. Youth unemployment(resulting from a lack of qualifications) • 4. Juvenile delinquency/youth crime(resulting from a lack of social integration)

6. Development of the „demand side“ of vocational education Germany (West) Germany (East)

7. Youth unemployment, selected EU Countries (Quelle: Gangl 2000, 12)

8. Work contracts with a profile for highly skilled (ISCO 1-3) and tertiary educated workers (age group: 25-64) OECD statistics Proportion of 25-64 year olds in work contracts for highly skilled Proportion of 25-64 year olds holding a tertiary degree

9. A way out Permeability and Progress:No Certificate without further Perspectives ! Increasing mobility between the different ecducationals tracks

10. Technical Vocational Education and Training in an International Comparison: The degree of permeability between vocational and academic education determines to a large extent the attractiveness and quality of TVET.

11. Germany: • 17% of the apprentices have optained a higher education entrance qualification (Abitur) • The educational system also offers advanced technical college entrance qualification (Fachabitur). • KMK recommends regulations for vocationally qualified (technicians, masters) to access higher education

12. Barriers : • 0,97 % of the students at German Universities do not have the higher education entrance qualification (Abitur) or an advanced technical college entrance qualification (Fachabitur) • 0, 6 % at Universities; 1,9% at technical colleges (Fachhochschulen) • Low contiousness for (occupational) career development /career guidence at German schools.

13. Proportion of 15-year olds, aspiring to at least some form of tertiary education (selected countries, PISA2003) … … … … … … … …

14. Proportion of schools in which career guidance is compulsory (PISA 2003) … … … … … … … … …

15. BMBF-Initiative (2005): Crediting vocational qualifications as entry qualifications for advanced or postgradual study courses (Project ANKOM) The aim: Screeeing the competences aquired withing the vocational education track as an entry qualification for higher education using credit points (ECTS). (ECTS=European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System )

16. RESULT:The duration of a study course cannot be substancially reduced for Masters and vocationaaly qualified. The argument:(coming from one of the ANKOM-Projects): „The more scientific a study course according to it‘s theoretical and research orientation the lower the chance to connect the study programme to the knowlegde achieved within the vocational track.“

17. On the other hand, we could as well argue, that any sucessfully comleted scientific study course does not qualify for a Masters‘ exam! In other words: „The more scientific and the more theoretically driven the academic qualification, the less these studies qualify for taking over complex work tasks in real work processes.“

18. knowlegde to guide action know that knowledge to explain action know how work process knowledge knowledge to reflect action know why Work process knowledge

19. Criteria of holistic problem solving in vocational tasks functionality clearness/ presentation creativity vocational tasks efficiency/effectiveness social responsability sustainability environmental responsibility orientation on business and work processes

20. Individual test results KOMET 2010 K8 KOMET offers individual feedbacks An example: 15 K7 K1 10 Name: xxx School / City: xxx Class: xxx Vocation: electronic technician wind energy Year of apprenticeship: 3 KF 5 KG K6 K2 KP Your test results relating to test task …. reach a total of ….. points score. K3 K5 K4 K1 clearness / presentation KF functional competence K2 functionallity/operability KP processual competence K3 orientation on use value KG holistic designing competence K4 efficiency/effectiveness K5 orientation on business and work process K6 social responsibility K7 environmental responsibility K8 creativity P∑: 24,3

21. Criteria of holistic problem solving in vocational tasks and the academic view functionality clearness/ presentation creativity vocational tasks efficiency/effectiveness social responsability sustainability environmental responsibility orientation on business and work processes

22. Academic and the vocational education differ to a large extent, with regard to • contents and learning methods, • the systematisation of theirs contents and • their aims

23. The interrelation between academic and vocational education is a dialectical one! Vocational and academic knowledge are two contrarious poles but at the same time constitutive for each other.

24. Consequences: • The conclusion of my analysis is an architecture of education. An educational system that has to have parallel learning and development channels and a high degree on permeability and progress. This architecture contains three main parallel tracks: • The dual track (from apprenticeship to dual Master programms) • The integrated track (getting a Baccelor and a “Meister”degree within an integrated study programme) • The accelerated track (semi academic apprenticeships: getting access to Bacchelor examinations)

25. One continuous dual vocational track Post graduate programs 2-4 Master or advanced studies (extra-occupational for vocationally qualified) 2-3 (dual) Master qualification integrated Bachelor/ techn. college Master School Master courses work practice Bachelor Exam 3-4 ggf. ergänzende Studien Academic track Dual technical vocational education and training (BBIG) With an advanced technical college entrance qualification ‚Abitur‘-vocations 3-3,5

26. Conclusion: The one-dimensional career and qualification classifications are from a scientific point of view wrong and from an educational policy view inefficient and unfair, especially with regard to the tradition of national qualification frameworks and the European Qualification Framework. The theory and reality of multiple intelligence and multiple competence should be transferred into a architecture of parallel career tracks. The attractiveness and the quality of vocational education depends on its vertical and horizontal integration into the educational system, i.e. its permeability and progress as well as the establishment of one continuous educational track beginning with apprenticeship and leading to Masters’ degrees.