The Network of Researchers in VET in Austria

The Network of Researchers in VET in Austria – Structure, Research Priorities, Co-operation with Policy Makers and Practitioners – Challenges and Lessons Learned Regional Workshop: Quality Development in VET – from Check to Act öibf Austrian Institute for Research on Vocational Training November 6 th, 2012 Roland Löffler, BA

Contents • VET-Research in Austria – Main institutions – Research topics – Network activities • VET-Research and Policy Makers: Examples for Co-operations – Standing Committee on New Skills – Support for the development of guidelines, priorities and educational programs of schools and other educational institutions – Development of Curricula and Evaluation of Qualification Measures • VET-Research and Practitioners – Networking and Quality Insurance Activities

VET-Research in Austria: Institutions and Topics 1 • • • No public institution for Research on VET in Austria, no university institute on VET Research ! Two research institutes which are (slightly) connected to social partners: • Ibw Institut für Bildungsforschung der Wirtschaft (associated to the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKO) and the Federation of Austrian Industry (IV)): Focus on the perspective of enterprises on VET • öibf (in the past connected to the Chamber of Labour and the Trade Union Federation, now independent): Focus on the perspective of the individuals; certification of educational institutions in Vienna Two research institutes with substantial basic funding: • IHS Institute for Advanced Studies: focus on educational system, dropouts, evaluation of educational measures • WIFO Austrian Institute for Economic Research: educational development in regard to the labour market

VET-Research in Austria: Institutions and Topics 2 • Several private research institutes, e. g. : • 3 s Unternehmensberatung (focus on information on qualification and professions, international projects) • L&R Sozialforschung (empirical analysis of labour market and qualification systems) • IBE Linz (Focus on adult education and further education, regional research, certification of educational institutions in Upper Austria) • Prospect (Focus on labour market programmes, social disadvantaged, evaluation, mentoring) • Synthesis Forschung (labour market research, forecasts on employment, unemployment and apprenticeships, evaluation of labour market measures)

VET-Research in Austria: Institutions and Topics 3 Main topics of VET-Research in Austria: • Labour market and skill forecasts • Outcome-oriented and competency-based development of curricula for both VET schools and the dual system • Quality standards for VET in Austria • Standardization of accreditation and certification of educational institutions and VET courses • VET and basic education for specific target groups (migrants, early school leavers, NEET) • Classification and assignment of formal VET in NQF and EQF • Classification and assignment of non-formal VET and adult education in NQF and EQF

VET-Research in Austria: Network activities - Refer. Net • Refer. Net Austria (www. refernet. at): project of the Austrian Working Group on VET Research (www. abf-austria. at). This is the umbrella organization for cooperation of the institutes ibw, 3 s, IHS and öibf, which act as national reference points of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop). Co-financed by the European Community and the Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, Arts and Culture. Provides national reports, newsletters, discussion forums and reports on current research activities

VET-Research in Austria: Network activities – ÖFEB 1 • • ÖFEB (Austrian Association of Research and Development in Education): nonpartisan, nationwide, nonprofit organization that appeals to all persons engaged in the research, development and teaching in the educational sciences. Aims at : • promoting of educational science research, development and teaching in Austria • developing a human and democratic education through high quality research and teaching • Discussion and cooperation between the employed in Austria in educational research and development people about different disciplines, methodological approaches and research institutions across • Increasing the quantity and quality of training of scientific research and development

VET-Research in Austria: Network activities – ÖFEB 2 • Aims at : • Advancement of Women and promotion of young researchers in the educational sciences • Promoting cooperation between educational research, educational practice, educational administration and educational policy and public relations with instances of science policy and research funding • Representing the interests of the educational researcher / inside againstances of educational policy, educational administration and research funding • Dissemination of the results of educational research and raising the level of information to the public about working methods and results of educational research • Excitation of international exchange

VET-Research in Austria: Network activities – BBFK Berufsbildungsforschungskonferenz (Austrian Conference on Vocational Education and Training Research): • The biennial conference offers a retrospective and discussion of vocational education and training research in Austria. • Already three conferences (2008, 2010, 2012): Main discussion topics were “Openness of labor markets and educational systems - migration, mobility, integration” (2008), “Turbulence in labor markets and education systems interfaces, transitions, permeabilities” (2010) and “New Worlds of Learning for All” (2012) • The conference brings together researchers and experts from the fields of vocational education and training research, occupational training research, qualification research and labour market research as well as research into adult and continuing education.

VET-Research in Austria: Web Sources http: //www. amsforschungsnetzwerk. at/deutsch/willkommen. asp? sid=260668055 &lng=1

VET-Research and Policy: Examples for Co-operation 1 Standing Committee on New Skills: • set up in October 2009 by the Administrative Board of Public Employment Service Austria (AMS) • Aims: to further develop the qualifications, knowledge and competences of the potential labour force with foresight to ensure that companies and the economic location of Austria overall remain competitive • Members: social partner organizations (Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, Federation of Austrian Industry, Chamber of Labour, Federal Trade Unions), AMS, research institutes (ibw, öibf), training institutes (bfi, WIFI) • Proceedings: - working groups of economic clusters (e. g. Electrical engineering, electronics, telecommunications or Energy and environmental engineering) to identify future qualification needs - Focus groups with employees and unemployed to qualification needs and organizational framework of further education

VET-Research and Policy: Examples for Co-operation 2 Standing Committee on New Skills (continued): • Proceedings: - Summarizing reports on qualification needs for 9 economic clusters - Development of curricula for upgrading and updating skills and competences of employees and unemployed - Providing special courses (new skills courses) for unemployed by the AMS • Outcome: - Already more than 6. 000 participants in new skill courses, reemployment rate of participants: about 35% three months after having attended the course - Continuous discussion process between enterprises, PES, social partner organisations, research institutes and VET institutions on skill needs - Establishment of a co-operation platform for Vocational Education System and Standing Committee on New Skills

VET-Research and Policy: Examples for Co-operation 3 Outcome-oriented and competency-based development of curricula for both VET schools and the dual system): • Joint project for re-designing the development of curricula for vocational education and training in the dual system financed by the Federal Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth (BMWFJ) • Members or the project group: representatives of the BMWFJ, research institutes (ibw, öibf), representatives of vocational schools and enterprises • Aim: Simultaneous development of curricula for vocational schools and training regulations for companies with research facilities in consultation with representatives of enterprises and vocational schools (Currently: bargaining process between social partnership organizations)

VET-Research and Practitioners: Examples for Cooperation BIB-Network (Project group educational counseling - educational guidance) • Objective of the consortium: to promote the development of an efficient, comprehensive and vendor independent educational consulting service in Austria, the development of a nationwide usable cross-institutional knowledge management system for educational counselors and the development and implementation of a nationwide usable quality system for "advice, information and guidance on learning and work“ • Members: 10 adult education institutions

Challenges and lessons learned 1 • Research organized as contract research, no or very little basic funding for research institutes mostly event-driven research on current topics of educational policy, (too) little basic research • relatively short processing times and rather low budgets for research projects medium term research perspectives and strategies can be difficult to pursue in the context of contract research requires significant capital commitment of the research institutes • Rather low daily or hourly rates for researches accepted by clients of the public sector (e. g. maximum daily rate for senior researchers: EUR 650, including overheads; for comparison: management consultancy in the private sector: EUR 1. 200, -) carries the risk that the quality of research is being reduced for cost reasons

Challenges and lessons learned 2 • Only few accompanying monitoring or evaluation projects on new measures, mostly retrospective evaluation (current exception: accompanying evaluation of “Lehrlingscoaching” – a measure to support both enterprises and apprentices in cases of conflict or the danger of dropouts) no changes in the ongoing implementation process possible leads to sometimes costly revisions of measures • Responsibilities for individual areas of education divided between several ministries (BMUKK, BMWFJ, BMASK) no uniform strategy in regard to educational policies and education-related research challenge for the human resource planning, the education and training planning and the tracking of medium-term research strategies by the research institutes

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