Research support for the BMBF funding programme “Internationalisation of VET”

Background and problem statement

Germany has an established VET system. Internationally, its dual system in particular is highly regarded and serves as a model for national reform processes, as it supports the achievement of various objectives, including low youth unemployment, high productivity and strong social inclusion. On 3 May 2017, the “Guidelines for funding the internationalisation of VET” were published in the Federal Gazette. Through these guidelines, BMBF supported companies and education providers in developing and testing sustainable qualification programmes for the international education market. Building on the results of projects funded under the VET export guidelines, which ran from 2011 to 2014, German education service providers and companies were subsequently supported in responding to growing interest abroad in Germany’s VET system and building on existing BMBF VET cooperation. The accompanying research project wb-ibb, “Research support for the BMBF funding initiative ‘Internationalisation of VET’”, supported the implementation and strategic development of BMBF funding activities under the Internationalisation of VET guidelines (IBB; 2018–2022) through evaluation, research and networking with the following objectives:

• Recording and assessing the effects of the funding guidelines to provide a basis for decisions on continuing and developing funding activities;

• Describing, understanding and explaining the challenges and conditions for success in international VET cooperation, supporting strategic decisions and advancing the state of research in this field;

• Identifying good practice and connecting projects and external stakeholders to support mutual learning within Germany’s VET sector.

Research questions

• Which innovations, conditions and factors enable a sustainable strengthening of the internationalisation of Germany’s VET sector?

• How can the conditions for success and challenges in international VET cooperation, and reform developments in VET systems, be systematically recorded and explained?

• What lessons have key stakeholders in the BMBF funding programmes BEX and IBB learned about business model development, service development and service transfer?

Approach

BMBF funding to support the internationalisation of VET was divided into four priority areas:

• Bilateral exploratory projects on the prerequisites and topics of VET cooperation;

• Measures supporting and piloting the implementation of bilateral VET cooperation;

• Demand-led development and pilot implementation of initial and continuing training services for international markets;

• An accompanying research project providing research support and evaluation of the funding guidelines.

As at May 2022, a total of 26 collaborative projects were funded in 29 countries. Of these, three were funded under priority area a, “exploratory projects”; six under priority area b, “pilot projects”, including an exploratory phase that did not lead to a pilot project; and 17 under priority area c, “VET services”. Target countries included Korea, Mexico, Iran, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, Russia, Spain, South Africa, Brazil and Greece. At various points in data collection, project stakeholders and other VET stakeholders in Germany and abroad are surveyed, for example through expert interviews and online surveys.

Results

The results of the accompanying research in wb-ibb can be grouped into impact evaluation of the funding guidelines, research on VET-related reform activities and services, and promotion of transfer and networking. An important outcome of the programme evaluation and research on the IBB funding guidelines is the deepening of funded VET service providers’ expertise in international markets concerning knowledge management, networks and staffing needs. In the partner countries, the funded projects stimulated local developments and provided impetus for VET policy. Involving key local partners and stakeholders from diverse areas played a central role. Events accompanying the process also supported professional exchange between the funded projects, attracting strong participation, including in formats devoted to business model development. Experiences and findings were further communicated to the specialist community through publications and presentations at academic conferences, specialist forums and BMBF status conferences. A particular highlight was a final workshop series in cooperation with iMOVE,

Publications

The following publications represent a selection of wb-ibb outputs. Further publications are available on the website listed above:

Baumann, F.-A., Frommberger, D., Gessler, M., Holle, L., Krichewsky-Wegener, L., Peters, S., & Vossiek, J. (eds) (2020). Berufliche Bildung in Lateinamerika und Subsahara-Afrika – Entwicklungsstand und Herausforderungen dualer Strukturansätze. Springer VS. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-31752-2

Gessler, M. (2019). Concepts of apprenticeship: Strengths, weaknesses and pitfalls. In S. McGrath, M. Mulder, J. Papier & R. Suart (eds), Handbook of Vocational Education and Training: Developments in the Changing World of Work (pp. 677–709). Springer.

Gessler, M., & Holle, L. (2020). Namibia: Competency-based Education and Training als Lösung und Problem. In F.-A. Baumann, D. Frommberger, M. Gessler, L. Holle, L. Krichewsky-Wegener, S. Peters & J. Vossiek (eds), Berufliche Bildung in Lateinamerika und Subsahara-Afrika – Entwicklungsstand und Herausforderungen dualer Strukturansätze (pp. 290–357). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-31752-2

Gessler, M., & Kühn, I. K. (2019). Geschäftsmodellentwicklung und/oder Internationale Berufsbildungszusammenarbeit? In DLR Projektträger (eds), Geschäftsmodellentwicklung. Berufsbildung International (pp. 35–37). https://www.berufsbildung-international.de/files/IBB_Publikation_01-19_Geschaeftsmodellentwicklung_web.pdf

Kühn, I. K. (2021). Geschäftsmodellentwicklung, Dienstleistungsentwicklung und Dienstleistungstransfer: Lessons learned für die Internationalisierung der Berufsbildung. In D. Frommberger & M. Gessler (eds), wb-ibb Working Papers 2/2021. Universität Osnabrück & Universität Bremen. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4943476

Kühn, I. K. (2020). Duale Berufsausbildung – ein attraktives Angebot aus Deutschland? berufsbildung. Zeitschrift für Theorie-Praxis-Dialog, 74, Issue 183, pp. 8–10.

Meyne, L., & Kühn, I. K. (2023). Business model innovation of German VET service providers in international contexts – a longitudinal survey. Journal of Vocational Education & Training, 1–28. http://doi.org/10.1080/13636820.2023.2280954

Meyne, L., & Peters, S. (2022). Transfer in International VET Cooperation: Development of a Typology. International Journal of Training and Development, 26(4), 725–746. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijtd.12289

Peters, S. (2021). Market conditions of international VET providers: A comparative analysis of Australia, UK, USA, and Germany. Empirical Research in Vocational Education and Training, 13(23), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40461-021-00128-w

Peters, S., & Bauer, W. (2020). Kolumbien: Berufsbildung zur Überwindung des Postkonflikts? In F.-A. Baumann, D. Frommberger, M. Gessler, L. Holle, L. Krichewsky-Wegener, S. Peters & J. Vossiek (eds), Berufliche Bildung in Lateinamerika und Subsahara-Afrika – Entwicklungsstand und Herausforderungen dualer Strukturansätze (pp. 113–149). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-31752-2

Peters, S., & Gessler, M. (2019). Die Bedeutung von Promotoren im Berufsbildungstransfer. In DLR Projektträger (eds), Geschäftsmodellentwicklung. Berufsbildung International (pp. 26–28). https://www.berufsbildung-international.de/files/IBB_Publikation_01-19_Geschaeftsmodellentwicklung_web.pdf

Siemer, C., & Gessler, M. (2020). Studienpartner als Promotoren: Funktion und Rollenklarheit im Projektverbund. In DLR Projektträger (eds), Rolle der Forschung in internationalen Berufsbildungsprojekten. Berufsbildung International (pp. 13–15). https://www.berufsbildung-international.de/files/ibb_publikation_wissenschaft_ final.pdf

Siemer, C. (2023). Studienpartner im BMBF-Programm "Internationalisierung der Berufsbildung", Eine qualitative Analyse zur Untersuchung der Selbstverständnisse wissenschaftlicher Begleitung auf Projektebene. Zeitschrift für Berufs- und Wirtschaftspädagogik, 119(2), 236–254. https://doi.org/10.25162/zbw-2023-0010