Print version Recommend this page Press release
10/ 2010
Bonn, 18.03.2010
Minister Sommer and BIBB President Kremer award the "WIP 2010" to six winners
Continuing training prize award ceremony at the "didacta" in Cologne:
Minister for Schools and Continuing Training for the State of North Rhine-Westphalia Barbara Sommer and President of the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training Manfred Kremer have awarded the 2010 "Prize for Innovation in Continuing Education and Training" (WIP) to six winners. This year sees the tenth conferment of the WIP (www.bibb.de/wip ), instigated by the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) to recognise innovative and forward looking projects and initiatives in continuing vocational training/in-company continuing training. The award carries a cash prize of €2,500 for each winner. The prize ceremony will take place today, Thursday, as part of the "Training/Qualification" forum at the "didacta" education fair in Cologne.
Barbara Sommer, Minister for Schools and Continuing Training for the State of North Rhine-Westphalia: "Expanding the competences of skilled workers and management staff is and remains an important task within our continuing training system. This also leads to improved work satisfaction, and people who are satisfied are better performing, more creative and ultimately more successful. For this reason, I am delighted that the WIP motivates a large number of people to make the best possible use of the opportunities of continuing training."
Manfred Kremer, President of the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB): "Lifelong learning is the central educational policy requirement which emerges against the background of demographic change. Continuing training has a key role to play in this regard. The WIP prize winners and their innovative concepts are trailblazers for the future-oriented structuring of vocational education and training. Their projects and initiatives assist in training skilled workers, securing jobs and retaining the competitiveness of the economy. The WIP typically attracts just under 200 entries per year and provides BIBB with valuable impetuses for further VET development by delivering important indications for the development of skills requirements. The WIP has established itself as a brand name within the continuing training branch over the past ten years and makes a major contribution towards quality assurance."
Brief descriptions of the six WIP prize winners for 2010 are provided in the annex.
Press photographs are available at on the BIBB website at www.bibb.de/pressefotos
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Brief descriptions of the six prize winners of the 2010 "Prize for Innovation in Continuing Education and Training" (WIP)
"Frankfurt route to vocational qualification"
Werkstatt Frankfurt e.V.
The main focus of this prize winning project is on the fostering of autonomous work and self-organised learning, both crucial prerequisites for achieving success in working life. The aim of the "Frankfurt route" is to provide unemployed semi-skilled and unskilled workers with new employability skills via the acquisition of the necessary occupational experience within a practice-oriented work context. The concept features a number of levels of training modules and is structured in such a way so as to enable the acquisition of a recognised vocational qualification in accordance with § 45 of the Vocational Training Act (external examination). The success rate is demonstrably high, around 85% achieving a vocational qualification. The jury recognises the successful way in which this lifelong learning concept has been imple-mented and praises the "Frankfurt route" as a prime example of a second chance qualifica-tion measure, especially for the low skilled, the long-term unemployed and persons from a migrant background.
Contact: Conrad Skerutsch, Werkstatt Frankfurt, Mainzer Landstr. 405, 60326 Frankfurt am Main, Tel.: 069 / 68097-500,
e-mail: conrad.skerutsch@werkstatt-frankfurt.de; Web: www.werkstatt-frankfurt.de
"Micro-macro system for lifelong learning in metalworking companies"
Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering (IAO), Stuttgart, and Transfer Centre for Neu-rosciences and Learning (ZNL), Ulm
This prize winning project adopts an interdisciplinary and branch specific approach with the aim of firmly and sustainably establishing lifelong learning and ongoing employee development within metalworking companies. The project operates at three levels. Management staff are trained to develop the necessary learning motivation amongst staff and to act as advisors in facilitating and supporting learning processes. The workers themselves expand their learning competences and learning motivation. The third level is the daily work environment. Recommendations for the targeted use of the working environment as a learning environment are drawn up in conjunction with those responsible for the whole of the production system. The professional interaction of all levels ensures that the overall concept for the improvement of learning and learning support competences can be successfully deployed within the company. The jury particularly praises the project for its requirements oriented and holistic approach which makes use of innovative organisational and continuing training forms.
Contact: Dr. Josephine Hofmann (IAO), Nobelstraße 12, 70569 Stuttgart, Tel.: 0711 / 970-2095,
e-mail: josephine.hofmann@iao.fraunhofer.de, Web: www.laengerlernen.iao.fhg.de
Dorothee Reiners (ZNL), Beim Alten Fritz 2, 89075 Ulm, Tel.: 0731 / 500 62039,
E-Mail: Dorothee.reiners(ad)znl-ulm.de, Web: www.znl-ulm.de
"Language training for the police"
Federal Ministry of the Interior, Security Academy, Vienna (Austria)
Ziel des prämierten Projekts ist es, Polizeibeamten und Beschäftigten im öffentlichen Dienst in Österreich zusätzlich zu sprachlichen und interkulturellen Kompetenzen auch die berufliche Handlungskompetenz zu vermitteln, die den Ansprüchen eines modernen Staates und einer modernen Verwaltung in einer multikulturellen Gesellschaft gerecht wird. In Lerntandems, Exkursionen, Schulungen und unter Einsatz vielfältiger Medien werden Toleranz, Solidarität und das gemeinsame Miteinander gefördert und mögliche Konflikte bereits im Vorfeld verhindert. Die Jury überzeugte vor allem, dass hier ein umfassendes Gesamtkonzept für ein kontinuierliches berufsbegleitendes und berufsspezifisches Sprachenlernen entwickelt wurde, das sprachdidaktisch bestens durchdacht ist und an die Richtlinien des EU-Referenzrahmens für Sprachen anknüpft. Eine Erweiterung der bisherigen Sprachpalette auf demnächst 14 Zielsprachen ist vorgesehen. Erstmals in der Geschichte des WIP wird ein Preisträger aus dem deutschsprachigen Ausland ausgezeichnet.
Kontakt: Thomas Greis, Bundesministerium für Inneres, Sicherheitsakademie, Herrengasse 7, A-1014 Wien, Tel.: 0043 153 126 4868,
E-Mail: thomas.greis@bmi.gv.at
Austria with language and intercultural competences and the kind of employability skills which meet the requirements of a modern state and administration operating within a multicultural society. A series of learning tandems, field trips and training courses use a wide range of media to foster tolerance, solidarity and team spirit and avoid possible conflicts before they start. The jury was particularly impressed by the development of a comprehensive overall concept for ongoing, in-service and occupationally specific language learning which has been extremely well thought out in linguistic and didactic terms and which links in with the guidelines of the EU Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Plans are in place to expand the existing range of languages to 14 target languages. This is the first time in the history of the WIP that a prize winner has come from a German speaking country abroad.
Contact: Michael Brücken, HWK Köln, Köhlstraße 8, 50827 Köln, Tel.: 0221 / 20 22 749,
e-mail: bruecken@hwk-koeln.de, Web: www.hwk-koeln.de
"Three-way course of study: 'Training - master craftsman qualification - higher education study'"
Cologne Chamber of Crafts and Trades
This high-quality project links in-company skilled worker training, master craftsman training at the Cologne Chamber of Crafts and Trades and a course of higher education study at a University of Applied Sciences specialising in SME occupations. This "three-way course of study" will be offered from the autumn of 2010 and creates an attractive career pathway, the aim being to motivate high-ability potential trainees and women in particular to take up training in craft trades. The route begins with vocational education and training within the dual system and proceeds via continuing training to a master craftsman qualification. Competences acquired are then credited towards a Bachelor degree in "Craft trade management" with the further option of going on to complete a subsequent Masters course of study. The jury praised the project, which is unique in Germany, for combining already established and recognised VET and higher education qualifications to form a new and compact course. This is enabling the project to contribute towards increasing the number of training places available in the craft trades and covering the growing requirement for workers with advanced skills and up-and-coming managerial talent.
Contact: Michael Brücken, Cologne Chamber of Crafts and Trades, Köhlstraße 8, 50827 Cologne, Tel.: 0221 / 20 22 749, e-mail: bruecken@hwk-koeln.de, Web: www.hwk-koeln.de
"Company-specific coaching within the scope of occupational rehabilitation"
Chemnitz Chamber of Crafts and Trades
The aim of this prize winning project is to facilitate a new employment opportunity within their existing company for long-term sick workers who are unable to cope with the demands of their "old" job even following a period of occupational rehabilitation. Staff at the Chemnitz Chamber of Crafts and Trades act as advisors and guides for the optimum matching of health, individual and company interests between the employer and employee and provide support for the parallel processes of reintegration and training. These basic training courses are conducted by an external coach within the company, the more detailed training elements then being secured via internal company processes. In times of increasing shortages of skilled workers, this supports companies in retaining motivated workers and their know-how within the company despite the restrictions occasioned by ill health. The jury praises this innovative and successful concept and particularly emphasises the classic "win-win situation" for all those involved.
Contact: Kathrin Rudolph, Chemnitz Chamber of Crafts and Trades, Limbacher Str. 195, 09116 Chemnitz, Tel.: 0371 / 53 64 184, e-mail: k.rudolph@hwk-chemnitz.de, Web: www.hwk-chemnitz.de
Special prize on the topic of "Permeability between vocational education and training and higher education": "Masters course of study in Social Banking and Social Finance"
Institute for Social Banking - Training and Research, Bochum
This prize winning project is an in-service, modular, six-semester international Masters course of study which focuses on a socially and ecologically oriented banking system and promotes an ethical approach towards dealing with money. The course is open to employees in the banking, finance and insurance sectors who have many years of occupational experience without being in possession of the school or academic qualifications usually required for entrance to higher education. A prerequisite for entry is that participants must have completed an academic study preparation course. The Institute for Social Banking is a partner for the Masters course of study, which is offered by the University of Plymouth. The jury praises this excellent and innovative concept inter alia because it approaches occupational practice as an object of academic training and enables highly qualified, motivated and experienced practitioners to reflect upon and further develop their working lives and career in a comprehensive manner.
Contact: Anja Hauser, Institute for Social Banking, Christstraße 9, 44798 Bochum, Tel.: 0234 / 579 7185,
e-mail: anja.hauser@social-banking.org, Web: www.social-banking.org
