Vocational Skills for International Cooperation

Global HR Forum 2011, 01.-03.11.2011, SeoulSession: Workforce Development Strategies for Inter national

Cooperation and Growth

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– Experiences from Germany

Ms. Birgit Thomann

Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), Bonn

Outline

1. Why is internationalisation of VET necessary?

2. What are international competences exactly?

3. How can they be fostered by means of

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3. How can they be fostered by means ofa) programmes for transnational mobility?b) international HR Development?c) integration into curricula and training regulations?

4. Which challenges still exist?

Relevance of Internationalisation in VET

Looking abroad• Increase in international trade and

industry links– 72 % of German companies

operate internationally (2007)– German industry generates

> 40 % of total revenues abroad

Looking domestically• Companies are employing more

and more foreign staff and/or staff from a migrant back-ground at all levels of the hierarchy both at home and abroad

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• Rising expectations of foreign customers with regard to product quality and service provision

• The ability to deal appropriately on a cultural level with staff and customers creates a competitive edge

abroad

• Rising number of multicultural teams

• Reduction in the drop-out ratesof expatriates

Qualifications for staff operating at an internatio nal level

Strategic competence

• Identify complex facts andcircumstances and makedecisions

• Strat. market competence

• Strat. product competence

• Strat. competitive competence

International professional competence

• Product/service competence

• Ability to implement

• Market competence

ICT competence

• Network competence

• Management andcontrolling tools

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Methodological competence

• Project management

• Problem solving, decision-making procedures

• Cost accounting/controlling

• Financial management

Social competence

• Presentation/communication

• Ability to act as a teamplayer

• Planning, leadership, delegation

Intercultural competence

• Religious and societalvalues

• Appropriate forms ofconduct and behaviour

• Language skills,English, second/third language,local language

Source: Hering/Pförtsch/Wordelmann: Internationalisierung des Mittelstandes, 2001.

Professional Competence

StrategicCompetence

International occupational competence

Intercultural

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SocialCompetence

PersonalCompetence

InterculturalCompetence

Source: cf. Bolten: Interkulturelle Kompetenz und ganzheitliches Lernen, 2002.

Occupational relevance of international skills

International skills regularly

used by the following

percentages of skilled workers

in their occupational activity:

Occupational area

Commercial

occupations

Technical

occupations

IT

occupations

Overall

Occupationally related 28.4 20.8 40.3 32.4

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Occupationally related

knowledge of foreign languages

28.4 20.8 40.3 32.4

International professional

knowledge

21.3 15.3 25.3 21.6

Other international knowledge

and skills

16.7 11.2 18.3 15.9

Source: Lenske/Werner: German Institute for Business Research (IW) Survey on Training and Employment, 2000.

Internationalisation: mobility in initial VET

LEONARDO DA VINCI mobility Participants funded in initial VET

� 23,500 young people go abroad for learning purposes every year

�3% of all apprentices and trainees in vocational schools complete a

period abroad as part of their initial VET (average 2007-2009)

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6th BIBB Vocational Education and Training Congress 2011, Forum 2, Working Group 1, Berthold

Hübers, National Agency Education for Europe at the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Tra ining

(NA at BIBB)

02,0004,0006,0008,000

10,00012,000

Source: Körbel/Friedrich: Verdeckte Mobilität in der Beruflichen Bildung 2011.

Two venues for learning

The German Dual System of VET

In the company At part-time vocational school

4 4

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Company abroad4

International HR development in companies

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Source: Borch/Wordelmann: Internationalisierung des dualen Systems, BWP 4/2001, p. 5.

Motivation for companies to invest in internships a broad

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Source: Körbel/Friedrich: Verdeckte Mobilität in der Beruflichen Bildung 2011.

Knowledge of civilisation and culture

Reworking stereotypes Preparation for activity

Business communication / Language skills

Internationalisation of VET: Scope of skills and expertis e

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civilisation and cultureabroad

Language skills

International marketing decisions European and international

commercial law

International accounting standards

Internationalisation: examples of curricula and tra ining regulations

Publishing house clerk� Use foreign language terms and standard texts� Evaluate common foreign language information

Medical assistant� Consider cultural and religious circumstances when dealing with

patients

Wholesale and foreign trade clerk

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Wholesale and foreign trade clerk� Use foreign language specialist terms� Use foreign language information� Correspond and communicate in a foreign language, prepare offers,

quotations and final confirmations in a foreign language, process foreign language product documentation etc.

� Communicate with domestic and foreign business partners personally and in writing and initiate business transactions

Ordinance on Trainer Aptitude – Fostering intercultu ral competence

„Fostering intercultural competence ““““ (No 3.9)

This requirement is related to trainers duties:

• Tailor training to the individual (No 3.5)

• Foster the social and personal development of trainees (No 3.7)

The development of intercultural competence is part of the skills profile of trainers and is laid down in the Area of Activity 3 of the Ordinance of Trainer Aptitude (AEVO, 2009)

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• Foster the social and personal development of trainees (No 3.7)

Detailed in the general training plan that belongs to the AEVO

Be open to other cultures and have a positive attitude towards cultural differencies

Foster trainees with an immigrant background according to their needs

Further development of an international training cu lture

� All regulatory instruments should encompass the necessary

international competences in future

� Integration of internationalisation into corporate identity of

companies (including SMEs)

� Increase the link between physical and virtual mobility

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� Increase the link between physical and virtual mobility

� Development of a standard for international occupational

competence ?

� Important contribution to increasing the attractiveness of dual

training in the 21st century

Thank you for your attention!

Contact:

Ms. Birgit Thomann

Head of Department for Cross-Sectional Tasks, Communication, International Vocational Education and Training

thomann@bibb.de

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Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), Bonn