Print version Recommend this page Press release
24/ 2006
Bonn, 21.07.2006
Examinations: On the right path with EFEs
The examination system used for 'dual' vocational training (which combines part-time vocational schooling with practical work experience) in Germany is undergoing profound change. New examination concepts and methods are increasingly being used in order to make the examinees' vocational competence more visible and quantifiable. "Final examinations are an indicator for the quality of the training received," noted Dr Reinhold Weiß, Deputy President and Head of Research of the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training ("BIBB") at a recent international conference in Bonn. At the Institute's invitation, some 100 experts from the academic field, research community, political sector, employer associations, labour organizations and day-to-day vocational training practice discussed innovative examination and assessment methods, plus the latest findings, trends and developments in this area.
How can innovations in the examination system be implemented in actual practice so that the vocational skills trainees have acquired during the course of the training can be competently recorded and assessed? One proven model for an innovative new method has existed since 2002 in the form of the extended final examination (EFE) which was discussed in detail at the conference. Part 1 of the extended final examination would replace the currently used interim examination which is not taken into consideration when calculating the results of the final examination. By contrast, Part 1 of the EFE would account for 20 to 40 per cent of the overall grade of the final exam.
Preliminary findings from an evaluation of five production and laboratory occupations in the chemical industry and two metal-working occupations in the skilled trades field show that the extended final examination model has proven its worth. It does however - according to the conclusions of the workshop consultations - need further improvement, such as better coordination between the learning venues "company" and "part-time vocational school".
National education standards, skills models and their testing in the general education field are currently the subject of intense debate. The experts at the conference agreed that this concept - which is geared to learning outcomes (output) - can generally be applied to the vocational training field as well. They also felt however that it will be necessary to determine which standards and structural features are already established in the vocational training field so that the vocational training field and general education field can be linked with one another in suitable ways.
In the area of skills development, attention at the conference focused on the question of how assessment methods have to be designed so that they also cover skills and qualifications acquired in informal learning contexts. Germany is strongly geared to formal education pathways and currently lacks uniform procedures and a corresponding "recognition culture". An integrative concept from Switzerland was presented at the conference. This concept uses a "skills and competences management system" for the respective individual's skills and competences and thus establishes the prerequisites for recognizing learning achievements in all areas of life. In the process, this best-practice model makes a concrete contribution to establishing the equivalence of informally and formally acquired skills. This look across the border at other countries was completed by further reports on experience gained and innovative approaches from France and The Netherlands.
Working against the backdrop of the discussion about skills and competences and their evaluation in the initial and continuing vocational training sector, a number of European countries have already gathered practical experience with the recognition of skills and competences. According to the conclusions of the consultations at the conference, Germany now has the important research and development task of putting this experience to systematic use for the German initial and contininug vocational training system - and of initiating and actively shaping a 'mutual learning process' in which it shares its experience in this field with these countries.
German-language documentation from the Innovative Examination and Assessment Procedures in the Vocational Training Sector conference is available at the BIBB homepage at www.bibb.de/de/26305.htm
Points of contact at BIBB for further information regarding this subject:
Daniel Schreiber, Tel.: +49 (0) 228 / 107-1622; schreiber@bibb.de
Barbara Lorig, Tel.: +49 (0) 228 / 1720; lorig@bibb.de
