In this partnership project the main objective is the development of a model/concept of an European Trainer/Teacher-Tandem (ETT-Tandem), which will allow the participants to exchange and implement best practice experiences of teachers and trainers in a real training environment. This means that two trainers/teachers from different European countries conduct together selected parts of the practical training either in the company or in any other practical learning environment for a certain period of time. The important context of this project is that some of the partners have the dual System implemented in their countries - like Germany, Austria and Denmark- and other countries not or they are on the way of implementing it in the next future, like Spain, Greece and Italy. On the other hand, it is clear that we are living in a changing world in which the new economies (China, Brasil, etc.) have an impact on the European productive system. So in this project, all the participant institutions will learn one from the others in order to think about the changes they can apply in their real contexts. The final ETT-model will give the possibility to improve and integrate special elements into professional practice by learning and teaching together. It focuses on the practical side of VET and thus forms a practical counterpart to the current political debate about the strengths of the Dual System and the Work Based Learning and Apprenticeship. In order to achieve this goal, the partnership will realize six international meetings, one in each participating partner country, with the aim of identifying all needs, conditions and methods which are necessary to develop the concept or which could have an influence on the realization of the model. Subjects of the meetings will be the answering of the following questions: • What demands are made on an "optimal" training in particular with regard to the integration of theory and practice, as well as cooperation between enterprises and schools (and other institutions involved like chambers and Unions?) (Target: Gathering of Good Practice experiences; identification of a transnational "maximum claim") • Which of these claims can be realized in the legal / institutional conditions of the partner countries? (Target: "stress test" to find the above mentioned maximum claim and the lowest common denominator, which is so actually implementable) • How can the viable claims of the daily training practices be implemented in practice? Which experiences already exist? What understanding problems / dislikes, etc. must be considered in the implementation? (Target: Derivation of concrete measures aiming at the praxis – and not at the politics, law or science – and which can counter upcoming prejudices etc.) In six coss-boarder meetings the partnership will also integrate representatives of companies and other relevant stakeholders of each host country to work with them on specific questions concerning the development of the ETT-Model from the perspective of enterprises. The clarification of these aspects is essential so that the ETT-Tandem model leads to the intended result, which means to the improvement of teaching/training contents and in this sense to the improvement of the VET-systems in the different participating countries. European cooperation can be an extremely effective medium to learn more about the methods, strategies and practices of the other partner countries and institutions, and to improve in this way VET in different countries of Europe. The realized ETT-model will allow that young VET students have access to methods and practices used in other countries improving their employability in a global economy: work-based learning is critical for employability at all education levels, especially in the current context of high youth unemployment, which is extremely high in countries like Spain, Greece and Italy. At the end of the Partnership the developed ETT-Model will be tested in a Pilot-Phase by one tandem build by the partners of the project.
When the European Trainer Teacher Tandem project (ETT Tandem) was set up in 2014, Europe was undergoing a deep financial crisis which had a devastating impact on youth unemployment, especially in Greece, Spain and Italy amongst other countries. Germany, on the other hand, managed the crisis quite well and did not suffer higher unemployment among the youth. As a consequence, the interest in the German dual training system massively increased in Europe. It was this situation that brought about the idea of a tandem for teachers and trainers of different European vocational education systems. Partners of the European InnMain Network developed the idea to learn from each other through allowing the opportunity to participate in typical learning environments of the relevant partner organisations in order to improve the teachers' and trainers' professional, pedagogical and personal knowledge and skills. From its early beginnings, the idea to "think out of the box" and gain experience from European partners has been a fundament of the European Union as well as the Erasmus+ programme whose validity remains unchanged until today's date. Some of the ETT Tandem partners, who had been organising exchange programmes for their students over a longer time, came up with the idea not only to exchange students, but give their professional staff equal opportunity to enjoy international teaching and learning experiences. Hence, the objective of the ETT Tandem project was to develop a guideline for such Trainer Teacher Tandems among European partners in vocational education, the so-called "ETT Tandem Model". The model allows collaborative learning, exchange and transfer of good practice experiences made by trainers and teachers in a real training environment such as vocational schools or training centres (or by e.g. companies, chambers, schools) with focus on the practical parts of the vocational education and training. Partners from six European countries were actively involved in the ETT Tandem project. These included: BFI OOE - BFI-Institute for Vocational Advancement, an Upper Austrian vocational training institution. BFI Upper Austria provides vocational education and training in a wide context of areas. Part of its educational activities focuses on training schemes aimed at the (re-)integration of unemployed persons or persons disadvantaged in the labour market. Those pertinent educational and occupational schemes are designed and organised in close co-operation with the Austrian Public Employment Service (AMS) and companies. The vocational school Istituto Tecnico “Attilio Deffenu” of Olbia in Italy which provides research and experimentation in education, aiming at innovative teaching and methodology. The Οργανισμού Απασχόλησης Εργατικού Δυναμικού (ΟΑΕΔ) or Organismou Apascholisis Ergatikou Dynamikou (OAED), also known as the Manpower Employment Organization of Greece, is a public authority that handles vocational training, job search assistance, labour and policy development, as well as unemployment and maternity benefits. Teknisk Erhvervsskole Center (TEC) is a large vocational college, situated on 5 campuses in Greater Copenhagen, attending 25,000 students during a year. TEC has a history of more than 135 years – the institution as it looks today is a dynamic merger of six institutions, the first merger starting out in 1999. TEC has a staff of 750 and offers around 25 different VET programmes and 3 Higher Technical Examination Programmes and several Adult Vocational Programmes. XABEC is a vocational training centre operating since 2008 and is promoted by the EIFOR Foundation of the Region of Valencia. The EIFOR Foundation of the Region of Valencia aims at promoting, fostering and supporting social, welfare, cultural, research and development initiatives. The Central Agency for Continuing Vocational Education and Training in the Skilled Crafts (ZWH e. V.) is a service provider for all educational institutions in the skilled crafts sector and operates nationwide. It is supported by the 53 chambers of skilled crafts, the regional associations and the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts (ZDH). In the course of the European Trainer Teacher Tandem pilot project, six transnational meetings took place in six different countries, five times with simultaneous tandem activities. The meetings took place at the partner organisations' places. The places chosen were very diverse ranging from vocational schools with only small practical workshops to public-private partnership training centres and work-based learning in companies. This variety had a deep impact on the development of the ETT Tandem Model. It proved that the Model has to be an open, flexible and inspiring model rather than a limiting one. It may provide recommendations, advice and ideas while simultaneously providing space for adjusting and widening the idea of European Trainer Teacher Tandems in relation to the local conditions and environment.