One the trail of dual vocational education and training - Latin America in Berlin
Over two days, the BIBB led their cooperation partners from Paraguay and Colombia on a tour through Berlin to various stakeholders involved in dual vocational education and training. This study visit enabled the BIBB to support both countries in the introduction of country-specific dual training.
The key themes for the Latin American delegation during their two-day study visit to Berlin were training in affiliated groups, practical training in companies, “theoretical” training at the vocational school and the role of the Chamber of Crafts and Trades in dual vocational education and training.
The BIBB held this visit for their Latin American partners from Paraguay and Colombia ahead of the BIBB Congress 2018 taking place in Berlin.
The delegation visited the ABB training centre, based in Pankow, Berlin, which has been providing training services for 65 years. There participants learned about the organisation of training in affiliated groups in 24 training occupations (in Berlin) and about public relations work for dual vocational education and training.
This was followed by a visit to Stadler Pankow GmbH which is part of the corporate network of the ABB training centre and, in affiliation with the ABB training centre, provides training in electrical and mechanical engineering.
Next stop was the Berlin Chamber of Crafts and Trades. Chamber organisations do not exist in Colombia and Paraguay. This visit provided participants with ideas for possibilities relating to the organisation of examinations, providing support and advice to companies and trainees, and the quality assurance of training implementation.
At the Siemens AG training centre participants learned about a company which has been delivering dual training for more than 120 years. During a tour, trainees responded to questions from delegation participants and demonstrated their current training tasks and projects on machines.
At the Max-Taut-Schule College of Further Education, participants gained an insight into the vocational school element of dual training. Following the tour through the school’s specialist classrooms, delegation participants found out how learning field-oriented teaching based on a customer order can be implemented as well as learning location cooperation with 640 Berlin companies.
“This visit has helped us to understand the various aspects of dual vocational education and training and has given us many constructive ideas for the ongoing implementation of dual training in our countries.” This was the unanimous assessment of the participants.
The guests from Paraguay, including Maria Victoria Diesel de Coscia — head of the BIBB project partner Sistema Nacional de Formación y Capacitación Laboral (SINAFOCAL), Ing. Victor Romero Solis — President of ANDE, the state electrical company and Paraguay’s largest employer, three ANDE directors, and Ing. Walter Bogarín Cibils (WAL) and Ing. Carlos Oses Barrios (CIME) — presidents of private sector companies from the metalworking sector, were accompanied by the Paraguayan Ambassador S.E. Fernando Ojeda and Deputy Chief of Mission Roberto Maidana accompanied them.
The Colombian partner institute Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje (SENA) was represented by the directors Gabriel Giraldo Castaño and Linda de Jesús Tromp Villareal and coordinator Edgar Adrián Zambrano Tamayo.
BIBB is supporting the development of dual vocational education and training in Paraguay and Colombia
BIBB consultation is enabling both countries to develop a dual vocational education and training system and to further develop the dual training provision. This study visit formed an element of the co-operative arrangement with Paraguay and Colombia and its purpose was to illustrate the practical implementation of dual vocational education and training.
In December 2016, Paraguay launched the third-party funded project “Paraguayan model of dual training” (MoPaDual) for a two year duration. The BIBB is advising Paraguay on establishing the institutional and structural foundations of a training system and on the development of company based standards. Two pilot projects in which dual training is being implemented have been running since April 2018 in the sectors of electronic and metal mechanics.
In October 2016, the cooperation agreement between the BIBB and the SENA was extended for a further 4 years. In addition to the support in establishing a legal framework for dual training in Columbia, the collaboration is also focusing on the development of a monitoring system for VET reporting and for vocational education training research.