Due to the globalization, the exponential growth of knowledge and a fast technical development the challenges for skilled workers constantly increase on all levels and in all fields of work. In VET, despite the buildup of expert professional knowledge, the development social competences as well as competences in decision making and responsibility are tasks of the future. It is expected that skilled workers possess a high command concerning reflexive competences in there job routine to be able to master there work processes efficiently and independently. Many EU countries face a high number of breakups during VET or during the transition from VET onto a respective professional occupation. Often employers complain about a lack of competences among young professionals. It is also obvious that all players in the process of VET have to improve their own competences. There is an urgent need for a much tighter cooperation between all the players in VET. The target of an altered structure in VET is to take trainees from “dependency to independency”. Learning is understood as a self controlled and self organized process that changes the understanding of role in the processes of learning and teaching in a way that the learner takes on responsibility for his own success in learning. Teachers and trainers act as tutors or coaches. The project “Lifelong Outcome orientated Vocational education and Training through new teaching and learning culture (LOVE VET)“ starts exactly there: - To achieve a change of perspective in the learning process of trainees it first takes the development and testing of a training program for teachers/trainers in a sense of an altered teaching and learning culture (cooperative and self-directed learning). Vocational schools and companies act cooperatively aiming at a “change of perspective” in the learning process of trainees. - The development and testing of an easy-to-handle instrument for the visualization and recording of training competences (= outcome orientation) gives all players a quick overview of which competences are achieved already and which are still needed to successfully finish the VET. The project participants use there large knowledge and experience from their current activities: - Oskar-von-Miller Schule Kassel (longtime experience in the field of of dual VET as partner of many companies and in the field of self-directed learning) - IHK Kassel-Marburg - IZ Cool as a friends`association of the Impulszentrum für co-operatives offenes Lernen, Austria, (long time experience in the field of cooperative learning and the introduction of respective learning concepts at schools). - GTN GmbH / Andreas Riepl, Austria, (long time experiences in the field of the development of web-based technologies and e-learning materials), - Quarter Mediation, Netherlands, (provider of adult education programmes with long time experience in the field of LLP in general education and VET) - Lapland Vocational College, Finland, (long-time experience in the field of VET, Learner-centred teaching methods), - Effective Webdesign, Netherlands (long-time experience in the development and operation of websites and communication platforms in connection with EU projects) To achieve the set project the project partners develop and test the following products: - modules for the training of teachers/trainers (LOVE train) - a competence grid (LOVE grid) for selected professions with given jobs/tasks - Smart-phone application for the visualisation of competence grid (eLOVE) - Website/communication platform for internal and external communication respectively the distribution of project results (LOVE com) - European Transfer Concept (LOVE trans) for the demonstration of the possibilities to transfer project results to VET systems of other EC-countries The project participants predict that the realisation of the project in their networks change the attitudes and roles of all players in a considerable way. Thus companies and schools cooperate much closer and estimation and quality of the education increase. For trainees the transition to the job market will be much easier; the results of VET meet the needs of the economic sector more precisely. The close cooperation between vocational schools and companies is strengthened on a regional and national level by chambers, employers associations and unions and embedded in national education systems with the help of political responsible bodies. On the EU level the concept will be adapted and embedded in the respective national frameworks by several organisations using the existing European Transfer Concept (LOVE trans). In the long term the project can be successful in the reduction of youth unemployment and the number of those that break up their vocational education; the project becomes an element to secure the economic and social future of the EU. Because of the complexity of the processes within the project a duration of at least three years is sensible.
Due to the globalization, the exponential growth of knowledge and a fast technical development the challenges for skilled workers constantly increase on all levels and in all fields of work. In VET, despite the buildup of expert professional knowledge, the development social competences as well as competences in decision-making and responsibility are tasks of the future. It is expected that skilled workers possess a high command concerning reflexive competences in there job routine to be able to master there work processes efficiently and independently. Many EU countries face a high number of breakups during VET or during the transition from VET onto a respective professional occupation. Often employers complain about a lack of competences among young professionals. It is also obvious that all players in the process of VET have to improve their own competences. There is an urgent need for a much tighter cooperation between all the players in VET. The target of an altered structure in VET is to take trainees from “dependency to independency”. Learning is understood as a self controlled and self-organized process that changes the understanding of role in the processes of learning and teaching in a way that the learner takes on responsibility for his own success in learning. Teachers and trainers act as tutors or coaches. The project “Lifelong Outcome orientated Vocational education and Training through new teaching and learning culture (LOVE VET)“ starts exactly there: -To achieve a change of perspective in the learning process of trainees it first takes the development and testing of a trainingprogram for teachers/trainers in a sense of an altered teaching and learning culture (cooperative and self-directed learning). Vocational schools and companies act cooperatively aiming at a “change of perspective” in the learning process of trainees. - The development and testing of an easy-to-handle instrument for the visualization and recording of training competences (= outcome orientation) gives all players a quick overview of which competences are achieved already and which are still needed to successfully finish the VET. The project participants - Oskar-von-Miller Schule Kassel (D) - IHK Kassel-Marburg (D) - IZ Cool as a friends`association of the Impulszentrum für co-operatives offenes Lernen (A) - GTN GmbH / Andreas Riepl (A) - Quarter Mediation (NL) - Lapland Vocational College (FI) - Effective Webdesign (NL) used their large knowledge and experience from their current activities in the LOVE VET project. They partners developed and tested the following products to realize a new teaching and learning cultur: - modules for the training of teachers/trainers (LOVE train) - Competence grid (LOVE-Grid) for selected training programs / courses with associated learning tasks - eTools for the visualization of competence rasters and tasks(eLOVE) - European Transfer Concept (LOVE trans) for the demonstration of the possibilities to transfer project results to VET systems of other EC-countries Project results show, that partner, due to the implementation of project outcomes, achieved a considerable change in attitudes and roles of all players within their networks and that a new learning and teaching culture is made possible. Learners participating directly in the program are closely guided through that process by their trainers and teachers and take on responsibility for their learning and their personal development. It is expected that, in the long run, this will lead to an improvement of training results as well to a better satisfaction of the needs of companies. It takes a close cooperation of all players within the educational process and in a while, this will be achieved. A key role-plays the self- organisation of companies (chambers) on a regional as well as on a national level, since within one single company there are often not enough (staff) resources to cope with the respective tasks. The project results will be made available for many players in vocational training Via the "Bildungsserver" (or similar platforms); the project partners plan to develop further vocational training courses within national and international frameworks. Via the already developed and tested transfer concept (LoveTrans) project results can be adopted to national needs of partners and serve as a start into a new learning and teaching culture within national systems on a European level. Project results gathered so far lead to the cnclusion that this will be achieved in a longer process of organizational development.