National and international TVET experts as guests in Magdeburg
On the occasion of the 50thanniversary of the department of vocational education and human resources development the UNESCO UNEVOC Centre “TVET for Sustainable Development” hosted an international experts´ meeting on October 10th- 11th 2014. More than 30 experts from TVET research and practice came together at the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation under the overall theme of “„International Requirements, Developments & Tendencies in the Professionalization of TVET Personnel”.
In many countries all over the world, there is a growing awareness that modern, labor market-oriented TVET plays a key role for economic development. Amongst other factors, the quality of education and training programs depends on the abilities and competences of vocational school teachers and in-company trainers. It was against this background that the experts from Germany, Laos, Myanmar, Korea, England, Ireland, Russia and Norway seized the opportunity to present current developments and challenges in the qualification of TVET personnel in their countries and discuss strategies for the future. The international symposium was another joint event by the three member institutions of the UNESCO UNEVOC Centre in Magdeburg. Since 2010, the Otto-von-Guericke University, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Magdeburg and the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation have been cooperating in the development of concepts for TVET for Sustainable Development.
The professional program of the conference was complemented by an excursion to the Virtual Development and Training Centre and an evening reception at the city hall.
At the end of the symposium, all the participants agreed that particularly such international meetings offered an excellent opportunity for professional exchange, mutual learning and for the preparation of future cooperation. The contributions and results of the event will soon also be published to share them with a wider audience.