Steinbeis experts provide advice as part of GIZ project
For the past three years, the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) has been involved in a policy dialog project revolving around vocational training in Asia. The project is called the “Regional cooperation programme to improve the training of TVET personnel in ASEAN countries.” Abbreviated to RECOTVET, it involves ten countries in the ASEAN region. The Steinbeis Transfer Center InnoVET has been providing advice on a subproject.
The subproject required 17 members of the Regional Cooperation Platform (RCP, an alliance of university and training establishments in ASEAN countries) to design concepts for public private partnership (PPP) in vocational training. Wherever possible, these are being introduced as pilot projects. A multinational research and development project has also been launched to identify the structures and opportunities for such an initiative.
The Steinbeis experts took the concept and the implementation ideas as the starting point and compared it to the German dual education system, since the PPP method should also place emphasis on practical aspects of vocational training. The task proved to be extremely long-winded because drafting the model involved discussing ideas with 17 partners. The output of the project was a report that highlighted how PPP methods are being approached in the different countries involved in the project, which models could provide an ideal foundation for implementation, and how difficult it is to motivate companies to play an active role in such initiatives. It has not yet been possible to implement specific actions. This will, however, be necessary in order to make a practical and tangible contribution to quality improvements in vocational training.
The current plan is to start introducing the new methods in the fall of 2017 in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and China. This should provide flagship projects for the region.