Impact of regionalisation, internationalisation and networking on workplace learning partnerships

1. Impact of regionalisation, internationalisation and networkingon workplace learning partnerships This paper was prepared within the framework of Leonardo project on “Workplace Learning Partnerships (WLP: 2004-2006)”http://www.workplace-learning-partners.org/ M’Hamed DIF, BETA/Céreq Alsace, Université Louis Pasteur of Strasbourg, E-mail: mdif@cournot.u-strasbg.fr ECER 2006, 13-16/9/05, Geneva

2. Overall structure of the paper • Introduction • Section I: Contextual Background of the Emerging Regional and Cross-border Interregional WLP Networking • Section II: Insight into the Role of the Emerging Regional and Cross-border Interregional WLP networking: Examples of Effective Practice • Conclusion: Overall tendencies ECER 2006, 13-16/9/05, Geneva

3. Contextual Background • Basic observed characteristics of enterprises (especially SMEs) belonging to the “machine-tool and automotive” sector and effectively involved in regional and emerging Cross-border inter-regional WLP Networking. • Main characteristics of regional and emerging cross-border WLPs and co-operation networks ECER 2006, 13-16/9/05, Geneva

4. Contextual BackgroundBasic observed characteristics of enterprises involved: • Family owned and run organisations with simple organisational structures open to change, to learning and knowledge sharing partnerships; • Involvement in different forms of vocational training, namely CVT, Apprenticeship and alternating vocational training; • Dominance of employer-directed (on and off the job) CVT with the aim of promoting their employees’ productivity, adaptability to new technologies and access to professional development and mobility; • Relatively high attachment of employees to the company’s family-based professional identity and the quality of its products and services; • increasing involvement variety of regional WLP networks of multiplier and professional bodies such as the chambers of commerce, the GEIQ (Grouping of Employers for Inclusion and Qualification) and the regional cross-border inter-company vocational training networks (such the tri-national “Euregio”). ECER 2006, 13-16/9/05, Geneva

5. Contextual BackgroundRegional and emerging cross-border interregional WLP networking: Two basic categories : • Dominant WLP networking between the enterprises (especially SMEs) and the educational and training (E & T) institutions; • Emerging regional and inter-regional cross-border WLPs and co-operation networks • Learning regional community networking; • Inter-company “GEIQ” networking; • Cross-border inter-regional co-operation networking ECER 2006, 13-16/9/05, Geneva

6. Contextual BackgroundDominant WLP networking between SMEs and E&T providers Via an alternation between work-related formal and non-formal learning: • CVT (employer and employee directed learning); • Apprenticeship provision; • Alternating vocational training provision (QC, AC, OC, …); • Individualised access to competence audit and guidance (“bilan de competences”); • Individualised access to the accreditation of experiential learning (“VAE”). • Professional certification: Bac.Pro. and other professional certificates (BTS, Bac+2, Bac+3,…). ECER 2006, 13-16/9/05, Geneva

7. Contextual BackgroundEmerging regional and cross-border interregional WLP networking (1) Developing regional community networking through increasing decentralisations via: • Transfer of direct competence and responsibilities to regional communities in field of CVT, IVT (apprenticeship and all forms of alternating vocational training contracts); • Transfer of appropriate financial means. ECER 2006, 13-16/9/05, Geneva

8. Contextual BackgroundEmerging regional and cross-border interregional WLP networking (2) Developing inter-company “GEIQ” networking : • Recruiting individuals on the basis of various professional integration contracts (such as QC, AC, OC, Apprenticeship contracts); • Placing recruited individuals within the enterprises for an alternating vocational training between recipient enterprises and training centres; • Securing the socio-professional accompaniment of the trainees. ECER 2006, 13-16/9/05, Geneva

9. Contextual BackgroundEmerging regional and cross-border interregional WLP networking (3) Tri-national training scheme networking: • It integrate within the framework of the INTERREG community initiative launched in the 1980s by the European Commission • It aims at promoting cooperation within the “Rhine valley” area between France, Germany and Switzerland in various domains including inter-company cross-border vocational training such as Tri-national training programmes exemplified by the case of Endress & Hauser companies. ECER 2006, 13-16/9/05, Geneva

10. Insight into regional and cross-border WLP networking:Examples of Effective Practice: ATELCO & “Endress+Hauser” cases • The case of ATELCO Company exemplifying the classical form of WLP between the company and its training providers; • The case of “Endress+Hauser” exemplifying simultaneously the developing three forms of WLP networks (Company- training providers WLP network, inter-company WLP network and the regional WLP and cooperation network). It allows for taking into consideration explicitly the “training rotation” of trainees (apprentices, students and employees) within and between companies in different countries with different training cultures and languages. ECER 2006, 13-16/9/05, Geneva

11. Insight into regional and cross-border WLP networking:Examples of Effective Practice: Case of ATELCO (1) • Objectives for the development of core technical and specific qualifications and skills (for mechanical engineering, automotive and machine sector) in: • Production mechanical engineering (computerised mechanical production, mechanical computer-integrated manufacturing-machining, working on metal transformation design of industrial products); • Electrical engineering (electrical engineering, communicating electro-technical energy equipments, electro-techniques); • Automated systems (maintenance of automated mechanical systems, piloting automated production systems, industrial maintenance, industrial control and automatic regulation). • Objectives for the development of core soft qualifications and competences (common to the industry and tertiary sector) in management, strategy, HRD, sales and marketing management, communication, project management, etc. ECER 2006, 13-16/9/05, Geneva

12. Insight into regional and cross-border WLP networking:Examples of Effective Practice: Case of ATELCO (2) Example of learning potential Analysis: Basic results • Higher available learning opportunities on shop-level (as it’s the case of “machine-tool assemblers and welders”) • Relatively lower available learning opportunities on the executive level (as exemplified by the case of the occupational profile of the head of the production department); • Since the learning objectives are effectively linked to the existing components of the dominant occupational profile (within the firm), there is no case for a complete absence of learning opportunities. ECER 2006, 13-16/9/05, Geneva

13. Insight into regional and cross-border WLP networking:Examples of Effective Practice: Case of ATELCO (3) Implementation:Work-based learning through : • On-the-job training: It is usually taken in charge by internal qualified colleagues. The use of external trainers is limited to specific and punctual cases connected with the introduction of new product and process techniques (1-2 weeks of training). • Rotation training between work processes within different departments of the enterprises which allows for about 40% on average of the employees to change their initial speciality assignment within the company. • Training courses, seminars and workshop at the company’s suppliers and sub-contractors. They are usually product and/or process linked forms of training; • Employee-self initiated and directed learning and training usually undertaken by holders of high technician diploma (BTS) (including access to “VAE”). ECER 2006, 13-16/9/05, Geneva

14. Insight into regional and cross-border WLP networking:Examples of Effective Practice: Case of ATELCO (4) Overall outcome: • For employees: • Development of transversal competences, core and technical specific skills; • Access to promotions and wage improvements; • For the company: overall improvements in: • Process, equipment and product design performances; • Employees’ commitment to the company’s culture, identity and the production of high quality standard products; • Project-based team working through interactivity in a collaborative learning partnership with the company’s customers, suppliers and sub-contractors. ECER 2006, 13-16/9/05, Geneva

15. Insight into regional and cross-border WLP networking:Examples of Effective Practice: Case of “Endress+Hauser” (1) It allows for taking into consideration simultaneously of: • The classical form of WLP between the company and its training providers (as represented by ATELCO’s example) where the training is basically provided through an alternation between on-the-job training within the same company and off-the-job training (usually within training centres); • “Work-based training rotation” and exchange of trainees (apprentices, students and employees) within and between companies in different countries with different training cultures and languages. ECER 2006, 13-16/9/05, Geneva

16. Insight into regional and cross-border WLP networking:Examples of Effective Practice: Case of “Endress+Hauser” (2) Tri-national training scheme objectives: • Overall objectives such as the contributing to the promotion of: • Work related learning in different environmental contexts; • Intercultural relational and professional interactivity • Knowledge sharing and development; • Inter-company transnational professional mobility; • Objectives specific to the process-production learning opportunities on each occupational/training profile level. within different departments of the training company such mechanics, electronics, industrial design, commerce and marketing. They are exemplified through two training/occupational profiles: “reparation of measurement instruments” (department of electronics) and “purchasing agent” (commercial department). ECER 2006, 13-16/9/05, Geneva

17. Insight into regional and cross-border WLP networking:Examples of Effective Practice: Case of “Endress+Hauser” (3) Examples of learning potential Analysis:basic results • Sufficient learning opportunities regarding most of the core tasks performed internally within occupational profile (e.g. “reparation of measurement instruments”); • The situation of “partial sufficiency” is limited to only few cases which are more or less peripheral to the internal core components of each occupational profile (e.g. “reparation of measurement instruments”; • However, the dominance of partial insufficiency for certain occupational profiles (such as “purchasing agent”) is basically due to the fact that the skill requirements for performing most of them (as core tasks are relatively high in terms external professional relational interactivity (especially during the early stages of training); • Core and peripheral components of work-based learning opportunities are primarily developed through the usual on-the-job process and product related training and workshops within the company. • All learning opportunities are further developed and enriched (in different cultural and environmental contexts) through training rotation between other “E+H” companies inside and outside the “tri-national training programme region”. ECER 2006, 13-16/9/05, Geneva

18. Insight into regional and cross-border WLP networking:Examples of Effective Practice: Case of “Endress+Hauser” (4) Overall outcome of completed internship for the trainees’ professional development: • Completion of their initial vocational education and training (in accordance with the objectives of their country-specific qualification systems) with in-company work-based informal and non-formal learning; • Development and/or enrichment of their specific technical skills and soft transversal competences in different cultural and economic contexts through a variety of trans-national and inter-company rotation training programmes; • Access to employment and mobility (for most of them) within different “E+H” different companies located within the “tri-national programme” region and outside it. ECER 2006, 13-16/9/05, Geneva

19. Conclusions:Overall tendencies • Traditional co-operation between the enterprises and their educational and training providers remains the dominant form of WLPs. Its performance in terms of its contribution to LLL and HRD and socio-professional promotion of beneficiary employees has improved during the last decades due basically to the introduction of two basic transparency and recognitions measures of informal and non-formal learning, namely the competence audit scheme (“Bilan de Compétences”) and the accreditation of experiential learning regime (“VAE: Validations des Acquis de l’Experience”). • Increasing move towards regionalisation and cross-border inter-regional cooperation since the beginning of the 1980s on both national and European levels has lead to the emergence of more innovative developments, during the last decade, in work-related learning partnership promotion for an effective HRD, namely: • GEIQ (Groupings of Employers for Inclusion and Qualifications) networking WLPs which encompasses today about 108 grouping distributed in 21 French regions, where about 3300 companies (primarily SMEs) are involved; • Cross-border inter-regional and transnational cooperation in terms of a variety of work-related learning projects and networks. The “Euregio tri-national training programme” between France, Germany and Switzerland (as illustrated by the case of Endress+Hauser group) is one of the most innovative practices within the framework of these developments. ECER 2006, 13-16/9/05, Geneva

20. Annex: 1aExamples of learning potential Analysis:Case of ATELCO: e.g. machine-tool assemblers and welders (1) ECER 2006, 13-16/9/05, Geneva

21. Annex: 1bExamples of learning potential Analysis:Case of ATELCO: e.g. Assemblage-welding: Head of prod. dept. (2) ECER 2006, 13-16/9/05, Geneva

22. Annex: 2aExamples of learning potential Analysis:Case of “E+H”: e.g. Reparation of measurement instruments(1) ECER 2006, 13-16/9/05, Geneva

23. Annex: 2bExamples of learning potential Analysis:Case of “E+H”: e.g. Purchasing agents(2) ECER 2006, 13-16/9/05, Geneva