Startoff conference Leonardo Project Workplace Learning Partnerships

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Start-off conference Leonardo ProjectWorkplace
Learning Partnerships
RA Klaus Stöckmann, VDMA NRW, Mörsenbroicher Weg
200, D-40470 Düsseldorf
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VDMA Northrhine-Westphaliaand the GAPA-project
- a project of VDMA and
ITB - sponsored by the Ministry of
Economics and Labour of Northrhine-Westphali
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- carried out from 01.01.1999 to 31.07.2004
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VDMA - German Engineering Federation

• Who is VDMA
• the largest industry branch association in Europe
• nearly 3,000 member companies
• active in all fields of the machinery and plant
  manufacturing sector
• The Mechanical Engineering Industry
• more than 6,000 companies and 880,000 employees
• the biggest industry of Germany
• Industrial Mittelstand
• more than 86 of the companies employ less than
  250 more than two thirds of all companies employ
  even less than 100 employees
• export orientated 70 of machinery turnover is
  earned with sales to foreign customers
• Committed to innovation
• More than two thirds of the ME enterprises have
  introduced at least one new or significantly
  improved product in the years 2000 to 2002

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Mechanical Engineering IndustryHighly Skilled
Personnel - Our Strength

• Highly Skilled Personnel
• Well educated and highly motivated employees are
  the major asset.
• The innovating mechanical engineering sector can
  maintain its international competitive position
  only as long as the future supply of excellent
  and skilled personnel is safeguarded.
• Most of the staff members have undergone at least
  a qualified initial vocational training.
• The quota of apprentices is about 7 of the
  employees.
• In regard of qualification as well as
  flexibility the staffs of German mechanical
  engineering companies have been meeting
  increasing requirements for years.

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VDMA and the GAPA project. . . highly skilled
personnel

• The reason why VDMA and ITB took the initiative
  and developed the conception of GAPA
• to modernise the vocational education and
  training system by integrating work process
  knowledge
• learning and working tasks
• co-operation between the vocational school and
  the companies
• analysis of the strong pointsand the needs for
  vocationaltraining of the participating
  companies

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The GAPA projectAims of GAPA

• The aims of GAPA
• to modernize the vocational education and
  training system by integrating work process
  knowledge in respect of the changes of the
  conditions of work,
• to support of the further development of
  Germanys dual vocational training system,
• to improve the image and attractiveness of the
  dual qualified initial vocational training,
• to benefit the future of the Mechanical
  Engineering Industry by ensuring a highly skilled
  young workforce.

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The GAPA projectGuiding principles

• The guiding principles of GAPA
• learning and working tasks combine producing
  value and training
• the cooperation between the teachers and the
  trainers intensify the quality of vocational
  education and trainig
• dual-cooperative VET supports the collaboration
  of the partners at regional level

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The GAPA projectGuiding principles

• The guiding principles of GAPA

strengthening of the collaboration
to bring in occupational and work process
knowledge in the VET
through commonly developed learning and working
tasks
by a
local working group of teachers and trainers
learning and working tasks
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The GAPA projectLearning and working tasks

• The learning and working tasks
• combine working and education
• are linking the curricula of the vocational
  school and the binding rules for the workshop
  training
• are gained from the work processes or commercial
  orders
• are aimed to encourage the apprentices to
  influence and organize the work processes

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The GAPA project Learning and working tasks

• The learning and working tasks results
• structure and work processes of the companies
  became elements of the vocational education and
  training,
• learning and working tasks demand of the
  apprentices to make decisions like in everyday
  life,
• besides professional and technical knowledge the
  capability of e.g. overlapping communication,
  liability, precision in work or how to present
  solutions is trained.

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The GAPA projectCo-operative vocational education

• The cooperative vocational education
• is useful for the increasing collaboration of the
  partners of the dual vocational training system
  in Germany

commercial order as a learning and working task
in the company
fundamental principles, backgrounds, theory
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The GAPA projectCo-operative vocational education

• Co-operative vocational education is increasing
  the quality of VET
• because it generates new ideas through the
  cooperation and the combined approach of the
  partners,
• by solving tasks, orders and problems through the
  team,
• the trainers become acquainted with other
  companies,
• all participants take pleasure in the work and
  have fun.

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The GAPA projectLocal working groups

• Local working groups
• develop learning and working tasks and organizes
  to carry them through,
• project the presentation of the results of
  learning and working tasks,
• take care for the entire organization (e.g. time,
  subjects),
• continuously exchange of information and
  experience,
• build up and take care of the regional
  VET-network.

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The GAPA projectResults in brief

• 7 locations with local working groups
• 450 involved apprentices
• 92 involved vocational teachers and
  instructors
• 70 involved companies
• 7 involved vocational schools

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The GAPA projectSuccess

• GAPA-Success
• Teachers say
• working with GAPA-methods and in cooperation with
  the trainers brings up a lot of good examples und
  stimulation for the lessons,
• a real commercial order shows the students the
  good earnest of their work,
• GAPA-methods encourages the competence
  development of the apprentices (e.g. ability to
  create solutions, to work within a team, to
  communicate with colleagues, to present).

success
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The GAPA projectSuccess

• GAPA-Success
• Apprentices say
• to meet other young persons / to see other
  companies shows the width of skilled working in
  the mechanical engineering industry,
• they have the opportunity to bring in own ideas
  and proposals,
• Team-working is successful and makes a lot of fun
• Trainers say
• the collaboration with teachers and other
  trainers creates new impulses for the everyday
  work,
• working with GAPA-methods is a continuing
  competence development.

success