Print version Recommend this page Press release
24/ 2004
Bonn, 08.07.2004
When two are quarrelling... third parties can arbitrate: Mediation in vocational education and training
Mediation, i.e. the arbitration between two conflict parties by a third party, is a vocational service that is not only being offered in the USA but increasingly in Germany, too. It has been practiced for several years in family and criminal law, it is applied in environmental sector conflicts and business affairs, and at schools students arbitrate as "peer mediators" in cases of disputes between their schoolmates. But the people in charge of vocational education and training in the Chambers, vocational schools and enterprises are also focussing more and more on mediation as an instrument of conflict resolution. One reason for the growing interest is the number of training contracts cancelled prematurely during initial vocational education and training: Conflicts with their trainers are the main reason given by trainees for terminating their course of training*. Another reason are vocational skills required in particular in the personal service professions which make it appear sensible to impart "mediative competence" as an element of social competence already during initial education and training.
Although "mediation" as a field of activity has been expanding for quite some time here in Germany, vocational education and training research has largely ignored the topic. This gap has now been filled with a research project carried out by the Federal Institute for Vocational Training (Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung - BIBB) on the topic "Mediation: Skills developments, skills needs and occupationalisation in a growing and innovative field of activity". The goal of the project was to examine mediation as an innovative field of activity from the viewpoint of vocational education and training, to analyse it and to explore it i.e. with regard to the questions of whether and where mediation can be identified as a supplementary or key qualification with a positive impact on employment and how it can be integrated into vocational education and training.
The following concrete starting points for successfully integrating mediation into vocational education and training can be currently established on the basis of the research results:
- Mediation as a key and/or social competence which can be included in the standard vocational field items of traditional training occupations within the dual system,
- mediation as a special supplementary qualification for those occupations which require information, counselling and supervision as vocation-specific or company-specific special skills (e.g. fields of work like community stations, youth aid and all ambulant services in the health and social sector),
- mediation as a general qualification for school-trained occupations in the health and social sector, similar to the standard items in in-company vocational education and training (e.g. for educators, family and curative education therapists etc.),
- mediation as a supplementary qualification for personal service occupations below the skilled worker level (e.g. social worker, social assistant),
- imparting of mediative competence especially during qualification of trainers and vocational school teachers.
You can request more information on the results of the research project "Mediation: Skills developments, skills needs and occupationalisation in a growing and innovative field of activity" from the BIBB, care of Kirsten Vollmer, via phone: +49-(0)228/107-2326, or e-mail: Vollmer@bibb.de
