Learning Log

Name: Miloš Frelih
Date: 01/12/2015, Monday
Organisation: School Centre Kranj

1. Activity description (Summary of what was done that day)

• Visit of the OSZ IMT (OSZ): Greetings by Matthias Dobler; presentation of teachers –
Mr. Hebel, Mr. Henze, Mr. Schubert, Mr. Hafez
• Vocational training at the OSZ IMT Introduction
• Visit to the class: dual training – first year students
• Discussion about the expectations of the study visit

2. What did I learn from this activity? What insights did this new knowledge to
    give me and Relation to school / organization, learner and employer?

• The center has 180 teachers and 3700 students, of which 1600 are VET students. Their
age is between 16 and 25 years.
• dual education and full time education are carried out. The relationship between them
is about 50: 50
• Cooperate with 600 companies
• Companies are investing heavily in vocational education. They are aware of the
importance of both university knowledge (for solving complex problems) as well as
vocational and technical skills for quality performance of works both in production and
in the service industry.
• There is a strong link between education and the economy. Companies are directly
involved in the curricula.
• The guidelines come from the state level – Federal Law on Vocational Education.
Importance of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
• In the age group of 18-25 years only 5% of young people are unemployed.
• The dropout rate of students is up to 30% in the first months of education. Students
are more motivated and encouraged to work when solving concrete problem – learning
situations.
• They also offer the provision of additional certificates (eg. Cisco, Microsoft, Oracle, ..).
• The German economy invests in the training of students around € 40 billion.
• Teachers attending students at WBL, as well as people from companies coming to
school.
• Great emphasis is placed not only on the technical knowledge of the teacher but also
the quality performance of delivering knowledge to students.
• The trust between teachers and students is important. Students need to be treated as
adults.
• The results of the evaluation of stress at work show that 1/3 of teachers due to the
abundance of work are burnt out. In doing so, team teaching can help. Thus, the
teacher becomes more relaxed.
• At the OSZ there is no WBL organizer.
• Students should be at the WBL also learn soft skills (punctuality, communication and
attitude to customers, clothing …)

Dual training:
• Germany has a long tradition and good experience with WBL.
• Allows the acquisition of competencies at different levels of complexity
• In the education system there are candidates who have completed elementary or
secondary school or dropped out of university studies.
• The age range between 16 and 25 years
• This type of study can be taken as inferior in comparison to the university because it is
perfectly organized and candidates after completing their studies in the vast majority
find a job.
• Candidates themselves find a company with whom they sign a learning contract, which
is registered at the Chamber of Commerce. Learning contract is a condition for
enrollment in school.
• If the company is not satisfied with the quality of teaching at a school it may decide
that this school will not participate and their students must be sent elsewhere (if there
is a choice).
• Some candidates send 50 or more requests for the conclusion of the learning contract.
• Chamber of Commerce is also involved in the content and implementation of final
exams.
• Final exams are centralized. Participation of representatives of the Chamber of
Commerce, teachers and employers.
• Companies are heavily involved in the content of the curriculum.
• Teachers should be more familiar with what the students learn in the WBL.
• Teachers often focus on the content of the curriculum and not enough on the
knowledge students need in the company.
• Students get paid for their work. The amount depends on the company, on average,
more than € 400 per month.
• The company must be registered for the provision of WBL (verification)
• Mentor the company must have a certificate of professional competence.
• Company from the State does not receive any subsidy to WBL.
• Students spend one week in school and two weeks on the WBL.
• The company has data on the student who is with them in the WBL.
• The school implemented a specialized training program (eg .FZS), where students have
additional responsibilities, learn foreign languages, obtain additional certificate. They
easily get a job after school.
• Large companies (eg. Deutche Telecom) have organized training centres for future
staff. They launch a lot of training places and carry out the selection.

Full time students:
• The program lasts for 3 years
• Enter directly to the school. Upon enrollment do not need teaching contracts from the
company
• For 8 weeks they go to WBL in the 3rd year (5th semester)
• You find yourself a learning post.
• If they cannot find a learning place, the BAS only helps to get a list of companies.
• Certificate of completion of WBL is a requirement for entry to university studies.
• The teacher visits them at WBL and writes a report
• Conditions for the adequacy of the company and mentor for the implementation of
WBL are not as demanding as in the dual system.
• The main purpose of WBL is to get acquaintance with the work environment. The
emphasis is on obtaining work competencies rather than professional competences.
• The Company assesses their work only by pass or not pass.
• Company is not required to pay student for the work done on the WBL

3. How did I feel about What was Presented to me? What did I find innovative?
    What did I find Difficult or challenging it or to Understand and why?

I was surprised over the interest of companies to provide training places. Their system is functioning perfectly. I also find it excellent that companies are trying to provide students with the conquest of all the competencies contained in the curriculum. It is interesting to me that the student must first sign a teaching contract with the company if he wants to study in the dual system. Also in Slovenia there is debate of the reintroduction of the dual system. Their full time study is very similar to our implementation of practical training with work -WBL. I was surprised that the students in the same class can be of so different ages, in the class of almost no frontal teaching but working in groups – learning situations. For them vocational training is more appreciated than university studies. For us, unfortunately, the case is quite the opposite. The number of those who quit in the first year (1/3) seems a lot to me.

It is very encouraging to see that students do not have problems with employment at the end of the study. In particular those who completed the dual system study at the time of WBL are well trained to perform tasks and a permanent job after leaving school is not a problem. Teachers attending students at WBL work with businesses. From this collaboration and interviews lectures in school adapt content to WBL for the needs of businesses.
4. What is working well and Could be applied in my organization and why? How would you go about doing this?

• Students find themselves teaching position in the company:

Although in Slovenia, the school is responsible for providing training places in
companies, including SC Kranj students are encouraged on self-initiative in finding
teaching jobs. Only if the student does not get a training post, it is provided by the
organizer of the WBL. Some programs have problems in the provision of training
places. The situation will be better with the recovery of the economy.

• The design of the curriculum is strongly influenced by the state and the economy:

The economy in Germany recognizes the importance of a well-trained workforce and is
ready to do everything to WBL students to achieve the necessary competencies. Very
good cooperation with the school and influence the content that is taught in school are
obvious. Even in Slovenia there is the opportunity for the economy to influence on the
content of teaching. 20% of the learning content is covered by the open curriculum,
whose content is determined on the basis of proposals from companies in the region.
This school each year signs an agreement on the content of the open curriculum.

• Instruction in school is the primary form of learning situations:
When viewing the lessons we have seen that the work is done in the form of learning
situations. Students form groups and solve the real problem. The teacher can only
guide you. They are left to their skills and self-initiative. They work as a team and are
also assessed as a group. Also at SC Kranj part of teaching takes place in the form of
learning situations. In recent years, there is much talk about the introduction of
learning situations in teaching, but it seems to me that they are not used enough. Here
we still have a long way to go at our school.

• Students following a WBL prepare a presentation for teachers and classmates:
This here is not practiced, but it seems to me like a good idea. Thus, the participants
get familiar with the competencies acquired in the WBL. Now when they are only
marked by passed – not passed, it would be possible to better evaluate them with the
scale from 1 to 5. Teachers should perform more lectures on structuring the
knowledge that students need in companies.
5. What definitely would not work in my organization and why?

Given the current situation in the economy of the dual system it would not be able to start in a few years. The problem is that most businesses are not interested in young staff, because there are many unemployed people who have knowledge and experience. Even the Chamber of Commerce in Germany has a strong role to play especially in the dual system of education. Our Chamber of Commerce in the case of education, especially WBL, is much less involved. All the burden of providing training places for WBL is reversed at the school. Many employers see the students in the WBL as cheap labor, and don’t care about the students’ acquisition of competencies. In the German system there are strict conditions for employers and mentors who want to take students to the WBL. Also in Slovenia, students should only be sent to companies with verified learning places where tutors know how to educate them. Unfortunately, such training places are so few that if students strictly followed these terms and conditions, they would remain in school instead of at WBL. Therefore, the state does not complicate about that. Despite the fact that schools encourage companies to verify their training places and send their mentors to school for pedagogical and andragogical training, there is no real interest, especially if it is necessary to pay for such training.
The economy does not support he dual system in Slovenia (as they would have to deal with students on WBL much more). It is also not supported by the school because they are afraid that due to the increased volume of time spent in companies, many teachers would become redundant. Students are also afraid that employers might take advantage of cheap labor, and will be taught only specific tasks, whilst broader knowledge in practice will not be submitted.

In Germany the school sends student’s marks to the employer. In Slovenia, for the time being due to the Law on the protection of personal data that is not feasible. Personally, I think that would be good for the employer, as they would have a better insight into what kind of a student has been sent to WBL.
Any Additional comments

I’m surprised that at the BAS IMT there is no WBL organizer, taking into consideration the size of the school. But they have the quality manager that we also have. In Slovenia this role is represented by both director and headmaster, but I prefer the German way.
I’m surprised about the high dropout (30%) in the first months of the study.