Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung (BIBB)

Quality assurance as a continual task

In view of Germany's very complex and heterogeneous initial and continuing vocational training system, it is of increasing importance not only for training providers but also for learners that quality assurance criteria and methods be fostered and rendered visible. Germany already has a number of initiatives and concepts at various levels of vocational education and training, in addition to formal certification and accreditation procedures (see box).

Quality assurance activities at education policy level

 

• The amending of the Vocational Training Act in 2005
• The amending of the Ordinance on Trainer Aptitude (AEVO) in 2009 (see FALK / ZEDLER in this issue)
• The ongoing development of new occupations and updating of existing occupations that require completion of formal initial vocational training or advanced vocational qualification
• Programmes to facilitate access to vocational education and training (such as JOBSTARTER and Perspektive Berufsabschluss) and to continuing vocational training (such as upgrading training assistance)
• Measures to increase permeability between different areas of the vocational education and training system (such as DECVET; see SCHILLER/MILOLAZLA/MEERTEN 2008) all the way to crediting skills and competences acquired while working in one's occupation toward university studies (for example, ANKOM; see FREITAG 2008)
• The introduction of quality assurance systems for the vocational school field by Germany's state governments (see TENBERG in this issue) 
  The obligation established with the introduction of education vouchers in 2004 that publicly-funded continuing education and training providers and facilities must prove they have a quality assurance system in place (see SAUTER in this issue)
  

Although there are many approaches to and concepts for ensuring and improving quality in vocational education and training (VET), there is no systematic catalogue of existing instruments and methods. A survey of proven methods that could also be of interest to other providers as examples of good practice would be of help here. Corresponding cooperation structures would also need to be developed further in order to foster the exchange of know-how and information on experience.

Stages along the way to a European framework

The Copenhagen Declaration put "promoting cooperation in quality assurance with particular focus on exchange of models and methods, as well as common criteria and principles for quality in vocational education and training" at the centre of European education cooperation back in 2002 already. Quality assurance is considered a key instrument for boosting the effectiveness and attractiveness of vocational education and training. It is about establishing a better balance between supply and demand and improving employability and access to vocational training in Europe.

The European Commission set up a technical working group on Quality in Vocational Education and Training with an eye to developing a systematic approach to quality assurance and quality development in Europe. This technical working group was tasked with developing a proposal for a European Quality Assurance Reference Framework for vocational education and training based on a stocktaking of good practice in Member States. The working paper on the "Fundamentals of a common quality assurance framework (CQAF) for VET in Europe" that the technical working group submitted in 2004 covered a complex, very detailed set of instruments consisting of a methodology for planning and carrying out vocational education and training programmes and offerings plus quality criteria for measuring and monitoring the targeted objectives (see CEDEFOP 2007). The European Network for Quality Assurance in Vocational Education and Training (ENQA-VET) was set up in 2005 to implement the CQAF. The ENQA-VET was created as a voluntary platform for the exchange of experience and know-how and for cooperation between Member States and European social partners. Its primary activities include conducting peer learning activities, conferences and comparative analyses of the quality assurance practices in individual European countries and of the status of efforts to establish Quality Assurance National Reference Points.

It is clear from the exchange between European VET experts from the political sector, trade, industry and day-to-day vocational training practice that the challenges to be mastered - particularly in connection with the development of quality criteria and measurement methods - are very similarly structured, despite the differences that exist between vocational education and training systems across Europe. It is also clear in this connection that European-level cooperation can make a contribution toward the development of joint solutions.

Overarching guidelines for implementing quality assurance instruments and methods are to be developed and illustrated with examples of national practice by the end of 2009 (for the latest information, see www.enqavet.eu).

Focus and aims of the EQARF

The recommendation to establish a European Quality Assurance Reference Framework for Vocational Education and Training (EQARF) is a further development of the CQAF. At content level it is focussed to a greater degree on processes and criteria that can be operationalised and thus is less complex and detailed. Being the subject of a recommendation from the European Parliament and the European Council, quality assurance has, as a result of the European Reference Framework, become politically more important at national level and in the area of European education cooperation.

The aim of the recommendation is to support the Member States in their continuous efforts to improve their vocational education and training systems using a systematic quality assurance process and common reference indicators. The framework encompasses a quality assurance cycle with common quality criteria and descriptors which can be used by government bodies as well as private education providers. Examples of descriptors for the planning phase are the formulation of explicit goals/objectives for the vocational training and the participation of relevant stakeholders in this process. Descriptors for the evaluation and revision phase include the use of internal or external evaluation processes and the publication of evaluation results. Further, the framework also contains a set of ten reference indicators for testing the effectiveness of quality assurance processes (see box on page 7).

Corresponding quantitative and qualitative data are to be collected and used to provide information for political decision-making processes and to help Member States reach their strategic goals. The aim here is, inter alia, to improve

• Employability (for example, Indicators 5 and 6),
• The ability to adapt vocational education and training to the changing demands on the labour market (Indicator 9),
• Access to vocational education and training for vulnerable groups as well (Indicators 3, 4, 8 and 10),
• Learner outcomes and completion rates (Indicators 2 and 4) and
• The attractiveness of vocational training as a whole, including efforts to foster a 'quality improvement culture' (Indicators 1, 2).
  

Reference indicators for the evaluation and qualitative improvement of vocational education and training

1.  Relevance of quality assurance systems used by vocational training providers 
2.  Investment in initial and continuing training for instructors and trainers
3.  Participation rates for VET programmes
4.  Completion rates / Pass rates for VET programmes
5.  Placement rates at a specified point in time following completion of training for trainees who have completed their training
6.  Use of knowledge, skills and qualifications at the workplace 
7.  Unemployment rate
8.  Prevalence of vulnerable groups
9.  Mechanisms for determining vocational training needs on the labour market
10. Programmes to improve access to vocational education and training.

The European Reference Framework is not intended to introduce new standards, stipulate specific quality assurance systems or concepts, or replace national quality assurance systems. Rather, its purpose is to support Member States, when they so desire and in accordance with national law, with the development and implementation of national policies. During consultations on the EQARF, Germany worked actively to give centre stage to the targeted added value that the processes and instruments which are to be implemented would have for national education players. It stresses that the proposed reference indicators must not be viewed as benchmarks or used for transnational comparisons of the quality and efficiency of different systems. These processes and instruments are to be viewed as a 'toolbox' which should be adapted and implemented at system and provider level.

The European Reference Framework has an another important function in connection with the implementation of the European Qualification Framework (EQF) and the European Credit Transfer System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET): Member States render the results of their quality assurance policies and the quality of their vocational training programmes visible in the form of learning outcomes and competences and thus make them comparable.

The recommendation concerning the development of a European Reference Framework called upon the Member States to:

• Devise by the year 2011 an approach aimed at improving quality assurance systems at national level, where appropriate, and making best use of the Framework as well as involving all relevant stakeholders,
• Establish a Quality Assurance National Reference Point and
• Participate actively in the work of the European Quality Assurance Reference Framework network.

The European Commission will support Member States in their performance of these tasks, by fostering European network work and testing and developing guidance material for the implementation of the Reference Framework. It will draft a report every four years on the experience gained and on implications for the future and, if necessary, undertake a revisitation of the recommendation. Flanking scientific studies and evaluations are also planned in this connection.

Implementation of the EQARF in Germany

From the German government's point of view, the Recommendation on the Establishment of a European Quality Assurance Reference Framework for Vocational Education and Training is a welcome development. It particularly offers an opportunity to render visible the many activities and proven procedures that already exist in Germany and to foster cooperation between stakeholders in the education and training field. As previously noted, Germany already has specific programmes and regulations for ensuring and developing quality in initial and continuing vocational training. The annual Report on Vocational Education and Training and the National Education Report (regarding the latest reports, see Autorengruppe Bildungsberichterstattung 2008; BIBB 2009) in particular contain extensive data for use in planning, implementing and reviewing the strategic aims of vocational training. It has to be determined whether the indicators proposed in the EQARF are suited for use as reference variables in the German vocational education and training system.

ENQA-VET activities in Germany

As part of its ENQA-VET activities, Germany has conducted, inter alia, two peer-learning events on quality assurance in dual vocational training (in Koblenz/Bonn/Cologne in 2007, in Fulda in 2009) and a European conference on "Work-based learning - Meeting the demands of the labour market and lifelong learning" in Wiesbaden in December 2008. Practical examples of in-company quality assurance and of learning-venue cooperation in Germany were presented. The discussions also focussed on the importance of quality assurance in connection with the validation of informal learning.

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research sees a particular need for action in the devising of a 'national initiative' for quality assurance and development. Such an initiative should, as a first step, focus on raising the awareness of vocational training players for a 'quality assurance culture' and on fostering structures for information, communication and cooperation. Germany's national reference point DEQA-VET will play a central role in this connection.

Fostering quality assurance in in-company vocational training will be another area of focus. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research is launching a pilot initiative to support this.

GERMAN REFERENCE POINT FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE - DEQA-VET

Fostering a 'quality assurance culture' in vocational education and training requires raising awareness of the advantages of quality assurance instruments and procedures and involving as many relevant players in the vocational education and training field as possible in this process. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research tasked BIBB with setting up a German Reference Point for Quality Assurance in Vocational Education and Training (DEQA-VET) with the aim of putting this process into motion.

Tasks of the German Reference Point include:

• Serving as the central point of contact for information and questions regarding quality assurance in vocational education and training,
• Rendering visible the many initiatives and activities that already exist at various levels of initial and continuing vocational training (see http://www.deqa-vet.de
• Networking the different VET players and
• Participating in a European reference point network.

The federal government, state governments, partners in trade and industry, social partners and BIBB are involved in implementing the tasks of the German Reference Point. A kick-off conference was held in Bonn on 22 September 2009 to present the new reference point and discuss with education experts from the research field, day-to-day VET practice and the political sector current challenges in the quality assurance field and opportunities for collaborative activities.

PILOT QUALITY ASSURANCE INITIATIVE OF THE FEDERAL MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

Even though enterprises - primarily large companies - have set up quality management systems to optimise their in-company vocational training and even though these systems have delivered success - such as the (by international standards) large percentage of school leavers who make the transition to vocational training and the large percentage who make the transition from vocational training to the labour market - it must be said that not all persons and bodies that are responsible for education and training make systematic use of quality assurance methods (see ITB 2009).

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research plans to launch a pilot initiative shortly to foster quality assurance and development in in-company vocational training. This initiative has the aim of supporting companies (particularly small and medium-sized enterprises) and the training facilities that collaborate with them, by developing and testing pilot methods and instruments for ensuring and progressively developing the quality of the training they provide. The initiative also targets the establishment and improvement of communication and cooperation structures such as learning-venue cooperation between enterprises and vocational schools, and the fostering of regional education networks. Its aim is to help improve training processes and thus help increase not only trainee motivation and performance but also the motivation and performance of the enterprises providing in-company vocational training.

Outlook: The development of a national quality assurance culture

In view of the rapidly-changing demands being placed on employee training and thus on vocational education and training as well, it can be said that the aims of vocational education and training and the assessment of its 'quality' are developing dynamically in keeping with current conditions in the labour market and society. This shows that quality is not a static variable and that quality assurance is not an end in itself. Rather, it is an instrument for ongoing control and optimisation. Limited resources, growing competition and efforts to secure and maintain an economic base at national or international level will help boost awareness among players in the education and training field for quality management issues. For this reason, the aim at education policy level is firstly to put available information, data, instruments and methods and education players' existing cooperation structures to systematic use for quality assurance and to render their contribution to ensuring quality visible. The European Reference Framework is a proposal. Its actual potential for practical application and the opportunities it offers for Germany's very heterogeneous vocational training system must be examined and reviewed in the coming years. That said, the Commission's recommendation constitutes the start of a development phase. Vocational training experts from the political sector, trade, industry and day-to-day VET practice are now called upon to help shape this process.

Related literature

• AUTORENGRUPPE BILDUNGSBERICHTERSTATTUNG (Educational Reporting Consortium): Bildung in Deutschland 2008. Ein indikatorengestützter Bericht mit einer Analyse zu Übergängen im Anschluss an den Sekundarbereich I. Bielefeld 2008. - URL: www.bildungsbericht.de (Retrieved on: 11 August 2009)
  English summary: Education in Germany 2008. An indicator-based report including an analysis of transitions subsequent to lower secondary education.
• BIBB (Ed.): Datenreport zur Berufsbildung 2009. Informationen und Analysen zur Entwicklung der beruflichen Bildung. Bonn 2009. - URL: http://datenreport.bibb.de/ (Retrieved on: 11 August 2009)
• CEDEFOP (Ed.): Fundamentals of a common quality assurance framework (CQAF) for VET in Europe. Luxembourg 2007
• EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND EUROPEAN COUNCIL: Recommendation on the establishment of a European Quality Assurance Reference Framework for Vocational Education and Training of 17 June 2009
  (2009/C 155/01). - URL: http://register.consilium.europa.eu/pdf/en/08/st03/st03746-re01.en08.pdf (Retrieved on: 2 November 2009)FREITAG, W. (Ed.): Neue Bildungswege in die Hochschule. Bielefeld 2008
• INSTITUT TECHNIK UND BILDUNG AN DER UNIVERSITÄT BREMEN (ITB - Institute Technology and Education): Gesamtbericht im Rahmen der BMBF-Expertise "Entwicklung einer Konzeption für eine Modellinitiative zur Qualitätsentwicklung und -sicherung in der betrieblichen Berufsausbildung". Bonn 2009
• SCHILLER, ST.; MILOLAZA, A.; MEERTEN, E.: Leistungspunktesystem in der beruflichen Bildung. Zielsetzung und Schwerpunkte der BMBFPilotinitiative DECVET. In: BWP 37 (2007) 4, pp. 50-51
  

Letzte Änderung: 28.10.2010