2. Prospects for developing workplace learning partnerships via European cooperation

2.1. Starting point: the national contexts for studying workplace learning partnerships

In the initial phase of the WLP project the national partners have specified what kind of action contexts they want to focus on in the empirical analyses and in the subsequent pilot activities. Considering the fact that the background ideas were developed with a focus the dual system of VET in Germany, the other participating countries have brought forward a broad spectrum of educational and industrial action contexts.

Firstly, the chosen contexts are differently positioned in the educational system or vis-à-vis industrial training activities. Some countries are focusing on initial VET provisions that are part of the educational system. Other countries are focusing on continuing vocational training (CVT) provisions or on specific schemes that promote organisational development (OD) and continuing professional development (CPD).

Secondly, the chosen contexts for analysis and piloting represent different approaches to creating interfaces between training providers and partner enterprises. In some countries the main interest has been given on initiatives to bring regional enterprises into cooperation with initial VET. In such contexts the main emphasis is in developing of learning interfaces that link workplace learning periods to vocational curricula. In other countries the main emphasis has been given on supporting partner enterprises. In such contexts the initiatives have tried to improve the strategic readiness of the enterprises to make use of training provisions and mutual networking.

Taking into account the above mentioned aspects the country-specific starting points of the WLP partners can be grouped in the following way: 1. School-based VET provisions/ education-based outreach strategies: This starting point characterises the chosen action contexts in Estonia and Slovenia. The Estonian partners are focusing on the prospects for sectoral cooperation between VET colleges and partner enterprises in a selected region. The Slovenian context exemplifies the local/regional room of manoeuvre for the implementation of the national curriculum. 2. Regional enterprises/ search for advice regarding training cooperation: This starting point characterises the action contexts in France and Italy. However, in France the interest has been to clarify how enterprises can be supported regarding their networking with VET and CVT providers. In Italy the main interest has been to invite regional industries to develop their own learning communities and to specify their training-related interests in the context of network-based cooperation. 3. Networked training and development initiatives based on regional or sectoral cooperation: This starting point was characteristic for the German predecessor activities. However, similar features are can be seen in the national action contexts of the WLP in the United Kingdom. The special feature of the UK case has been a collaborative training and development scheme. This scheme focused on promoting quality throughout an industrial supply chain (and included formal learning provisions as training components).

In the light of the above the starting points can be presented as a schematic overview that indicates the role that is given for education and training systems and industrial training policies (as contextual starting points) and on systemic reforms, local piloting and system-independent training initiatives. This overview is presented in Table 1.

Table 1: The national starting points for studying workplace learning partnerships

Cross-over between education/training and industrial trainin System-based or locally oriented measures School-based VET provisions/ education-based outreach strategies Networked training and development ini-tiatives; regional or sectoral cooperation Regional enterprises/ search for advice regarding training cooperation System-based and regulated cooperation between VET colleges and workplaces

Germany Regional cooperation based on national frameworks and on ad hoc outreach measures Estonia France Regional cooperation on the basis of local networking initiatives

Slovenia Italy System-independent training & development cooperation; selective use of formal learning United Kingdom

2.2. Country-specific problems and related interests for partnership cooperation

Give the above presented grouping of national starting points it is necessary to present insights into the underlying problems and into specific interests and expectations on partnership cooperation In this respect the tables 2, 3 and 4 present brief statements that are based on the national reports that have been produced by the WLP partners.

Table 2: Problems and interests in the Estonian and Slovenian contexts

Problems and interests

Participating countries Country-specific problems related to workplace learning Interests and expectations on partnership development

Estonia

Traditional school-based VET has been considered deficient due to isolation from working life. This is aggravated by a lack of confidence regarding formalised continuing vocational training. Skills shortage has been acknowledged as a major problem in mechatronics. This has raised interest to focused regional cooperation (with the support of the branch association). Shaping of local/regional partnership cooperation between VET colleges and enterprises is opening new prospects for rotation and for curricular adjustment of VET. There is also an issue to broaden the basis of the piloting beyond the current regional context. It is worthwhile to note that the key enterprises are getting networked and have global links.

Slovenia

Traditional school-based VET provisions have included participation into workplace learning. Cooperation with regional industries has not taken into account all the possibilities provided by the new curricula Development of partnership-based collaboration between local VET college and active partner industries seeks to develop established work-related career progression models and service structures for advanced vocational education.

Table 3: Problems and interests in the French and Italian contexts

Problems and interests

Participating countries Country-specific problems related to workplace learning Interests and expectations on partnership development France

Hitherto dominant selective educational policies have been complemented with counter-steering mechanisms that promote new vocational progression routes. Hitherto separate school-based VET provisions have been opened for broader use of work-based learning. Hitherto separate measures to validate non-formal learning have been linked to the main frame-works of lifelong learning The established collaboration between CVT provisions and partner enterprises has not been widely used by SMEs?.

The diversity of VET and CVT provisions (or measures to assess non-formal learning) has led to selective use of some of the available measures. The readiness to pilot with partnership-based cooperation has been limited to already existing strategic alliances and to intra-company networking. Italy

Hitherto dominant selective educational policies have led to a mosaic between national and regional VET regimes;

Until recently workplace-based learning opportunities have been offered by apprentice training. However, these schemes have been developed in the systemic margins. They are only in the process of becoming part of the main frameworks. Mechanisms for validation of non-formal learning have been initiated with a view on European mobility rather than for national needs. Training enterprises have linked themselves to initiatives to support workplace learning relatively independently of formal educational policies (making selective use of regional pilot projects). The industrial interests on workplace learning have been more strongly developed by HRD rather than VET-related working concepts. Readiness to develop partnership-based cooperation has been traditionally low. The newer prospects for virtual networking have increased the readiness for partnership cooperation.

Table 4: Problems and interests in the UK context

Problems and interests

Participating countries Country-specific problems related to workplace learning Interests and expectations on partnership development

United Kingdom

The role of traditional VET provisions (and of the more recent national vocational qualification frameworks) has been marginalised in the policies to promote quality of work and productivity.

The internationalisation of automotive industries has made the prospect to enhance the role of (national) VET provisions even less likely. Instead, the new interest in workplace learning emerges from the identification of critical factors in supply chains and in cooperation between linked companies. The measures to promote quality of work have been constructed on the basis of peer reviews and related pre-structured but informal learning arrangements. The change agents and the operators have been provided the possibility to utilise these schemes as contexts for credit accumulation for Higher Education (under the CATS framework) or for VET (under the NVQ framework). Yet, promotion of individual competence acquisition alongside organisational learning has been considered as a side-effect.

2.3. The basis for European cooperation: Working towards a common ground

The previous analyses have drawn attention to different country-specific starting points and to problems, interests and expectations that have paved the way for European cooperation. In addition to these starting points it is appropriate to note some general tendencies in education and training policies that have become manifest in some of the national reports or earlier country studies and contribute to the readiness for piloting and trans-national cooperation:

1. Transformation of VET colleges into regional competence centres: This developmental perspective is essential for the Estonian and Slovenian VET colleges. This perspective links their local activities to the German pilot projects (in particular to the work of the GOLO project.
2. Incorporation of VET and CVT provisions into organisational learning strategies in partner enterprises: This developmental perspective is essential for the French and Italian partners. This perspective links their local activities to the work of the German pilot project GAB.
3. Linking knowledge on critical factors in workplace learning to strategies that promote sectoral and regional competitiveness: This developmental perspective is essential for the UK partner, but it is also crucial for the dissemination of any information on the results of the WLP project.

In the light of the above it is possible to identify some movements towards common issues and towards shared development-oriented interests. An overview of these movements is presented below in the Figure 3.

Figure 1: Overview on movements towards common issues and shared developmental interests across the WLP project

2.4. Reflective commentary

It is worthwhile to note that the above mentioned analyses have referred to the country-specific starting points and to the relative similarities and differences at the beginning stage of the WLP project. From the perspective of europeanisation of the theme ‘workplace learning partnerships’ these analyses have given an overview on different potentials.

In the light of these analyses it is possible to specify the questions on the preconditions for European research & development that were raised earlier (see the reflective commentary on the German background concepts, section 1.4.). Regarding the above presented overview of starting points, problems it is appropriate to pose the following questions concerning the common ground of joint activities and concerning the support for country-specific piloting: 1) How can the WLP project take into account the different country-specific partnership concepts (and the related perspectives on workplace learning) when developing its joint activities and joint products? 2) What role can be given for working with common tools? How can the idea of common tools be adjusted to the diverse needs of national partners? 3) What role can be given for the common web resources? How can the use of specific web-based applications, web platforms and general web services be linked to country-specific piloting activities?