March Update | Poutūterangi

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Kia ora,

I had the opportunity to visit Germany recently as a member of the German-NZ Chamber of Commerce delegation to study Germany’s dual vocational education system. Twelve people from different parts of Aotearoa New Zealand and parts of the wider vocational educational system, embarked upon an intense week-long experience, culminating in the world’s largest education trade fair, Didacta, in Cologne on our last day.?

?Work is underway to present the insights the delegation gained and I noted my immediate responses to the German vocational system on LinkedIn. We’ll share the delegation’s full submission when it becomes available. It did strike me, and many others on the delegation, that the importance of education and long-term training is culturally ingrained and accepted in Germany. This results in a system that is well-connected, well-funded, and delivers consistent outcomes. ConCOVE will pick up on a couple of projects that have arisen as a result of this visit.?

I was also able to meet with Katharina Engel at the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) who leads an exciting global project looking at Bridging Learning and Innovation in TVET (BILT) with UNESCO-UNEVOC and we’ll talk more about this in future communications.?

Timing was perfect to connect to the International Labor Organization’s Quality Apprenticeships conference at the International Training Centre in Turin, Italy.? Exposure to global experiences of apprenticeship systems from those becoming more formal to those in refinement was interesting and left me feeling we still have a long way to go as our system develops. We face common challenges with many European and African nations such as SME prevalence and regional accessibility issues. Educating our educators emerged as a critical priority, alongside exploring mobility in apprenticeships and group training models.?

While in Bonn I also met with Jolien van Uden at the European Training Foundation to learn more about projects underway of relevance to New Zealand.??

In reflection the experience illuminated both challenges and opportunities ahead.The principle of quality apprenticeships, industry partnerships supported by investment, government focus on future workforce and learner-centric approaches resonate and encourage us to push the boundaries in our context.?

My grateful thanks to Julia Hahn, Wellington Regional Manager from the German-NZ Chamber for the amazing programme in Germany and guidance on the ground there and to the Chamber for their commitment to making this study tour happen.

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Ngā mihi,

Katherine Hall

Executive Director