SHORT CYCLE (EQF-5) PROGRAMMES IN DUTCH TECHNICAL TEACHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF TECHNICAL INSTRUCTORS AND IN- COMPANY TRAINERS Dr. C.A. van Dorp Dr. A. Dehing Drs. Piet Lem Fontys University of Applied Sciences Wege zu technischer Bildung 9. Ingenieurpädagogische Regionaltagung 6-8 November 2014 Universität Siegen / Industrie- und Handelskammer Siegen
Content 1. Problem statement 2. Context: the Brainport region 3. Focus: shortages teachers & trainers, education and (new) industry 4. Associate degree 5. Alternative routes to teaching profession 6. Conclusion
(1) Problem statement: shortage 1. Technicians (EQF-4) Increase demand Drop enrolment in vocational education 2. Technical teacher shortage (EQF 6) Increased demand (retirement teachers) - Theory - Lab skills New: increased demand from industry Drop enrolment in teacher education (technical)
(2) Context: the Brainport region Home to world-class businesses, knowledge institutes and research institutions Top technology breeding ground for innovation Investment climate Eindhoven: the best in Europe after London & Helsinki (Foreign Direct Investment Index - fdi) Europe s top three in patent density A third of Dutch private R&D expenditure Serving Energy, Healthcare, Chemicals, Horticulture, Construction, Industry, ICT, Food Production, Life Sciences or our Main Ports Focal sectors: High Tech Systems & Materials, Food, Automotive, Lifetec and Design. Thousands of challenging jobs for hands-on vocational graduates as well as engineers (Ba, Ma) and talented academic researchers (Ba, Ma, PhD)
(2) Context: the Brainport region Tension on the labour market! Towards 2020, more than 70,000 technicians (EQF-4) will be retiring (construction workers, installers, electricians, metal workers, engineers, system analysts, et cetera) The Dutch education system produces tens of thousands of skilled people to take their place: net not enough! According to the Dutch Technology Pact yearly 15.000 (additional) technicians are needed for the South-East of Netherland alone Friction with the necessary inflow of vocational students It is not just the number of vocational graduates which is not increasing fast enough in the Netherlands In fact, the number of students in general secondary vocational education has decreased /shrunk the past 3 years (Source: DUO). In those years also the number of students for technical sectors shrunk although little less in 2013 (Source: DUO)
(3) Shortages teachers & trainers fte per age (per sector) Source: Trends in beeld (OCW, 2013) In an international perspective the Netherlands has relatively the highest share in teachers older than 50 years (upper level secondary education and secondary vocational education). In senior secondary vocational schools teacher replacement are high due to retirements (within constant demand) In preparatory secondary vocational schools new teaching vacancies increase whereas teacher replacement is not relevant
(3) Shortages teachers & trainers DOUBLE FACED PROBLEM: how to support and realise the ambition to teach and train (more) technical recruits (both in industry as in VET institutions)? In face of shortages: imaginative measures are needed to to encourage recruitment of teachers and trainers Mechanisms must be developed for ensuring up-to-date relevant workplace skills (both in industry as in VET institutions) Consideration to be given to facilitating the training of practitioners from industry and encouraging part-time working Relevant measures must be taken to preparation new recruits for their (new) pedagogical role Engage employers, develop attractive programme portfolios with clear horizons and transparent progression pathways connected to vocational qualification frameworks and assessment methods
(4) Associate degree: new entry HE portfolio Ad requirements: Labour market responsiveness, feasible study horizon Technical (specialisation), managerial & pedagogical-didactical skills First entry into labour market (vocational HE qualification) Vocational competences by industry needs (employment results) Intermediate qualification (Level 5) / further progression (Level 6) Conscious career planning in line with own professional development Lifelong learning perspective: flexible access & learning pathways Non-traditional and adults returning to HE (social advancement) Fontys objective (sector education): Increasing the quality of vocational training programmes (incompany + VET) Increasing the quality of mentoring apprentices from vocational education Professionalise technical trainers for (part-time) vocational education
Duration Level 4 8 Doctorate (PhD) Education 1-3 Master of Arts/Science (Research universities) 7 1-2 7 Master s degree (university of applied sciences) 3 Bachelor of Arts/ Science (research universities) 6 4 6 Bachelor s degree (university of applied sciences) 2 5 Associate degree (university of applied sciences) 1-4 1-4 Senior secondary vocational education and training 6 4+ University preparatory education 5 4 Senior general secondary education 4 Preparatory 1-2 secondary vocational education 7-8 Source: Primary education Country module (Nuffic, 2014)
(4) Associate degree: kwadrants of prospectives Technical skills (transfer) Lab skills & practice projects Workplace training programmes Vocational education Business Project and team management Management training center Management (control)
(4) Associate degree: project and stakeholders VET institutions Training recruits Recruit practitioners Professional Teacher & trainer programmes VET PET institutions Training practitioners Business sectors PET Vocational programmes Public administration Business Professional programmes Government Business Government Business
Qualification objectives by law (4) Associate degree: components Educational component INTEGRATED APPROACH General HE competences & professions in education General knowledge base profession of teacher Didactical knowledge base technical modules Individual learning question Workplace products Knowlegde base technical modules Workplace learning education & business Technical component Portfolio assessment
(4) Associate degree: competences Learning together Organising Cooperation Technically competent Planning Learning proces Result & development minded Pedagogically competent Didactically competent Communicating Researching Reflecting Source: Onderwijscoöperatie (in Dutch)
(5) Alternative routes to teaching profession Ba Full time Ba Part time Ad Ba Post Ad Ad Instructor Preparatory teacher programme Senior vocational -4, Senior general education Senior vocational -4 with experience in business sector Teacher programme: education and technical components Only technical component (pedagogical-didactical) Provision of services, not publically funded 14
Dual mode Part time HE (5) Alternative routes to teaching profession Bachelor Ad Ad Instructor Preparatory teacher programme Senior vocational education level 3 with practical work experience Comparable level of work and cognition Unknown level Senior vocational education level 4 with practical work experience Senior vocational levels with work experience Teacher programme : education and technical components Only technical component (pedagogical-didactical) Provision of services, not publically funded
Conclusion and next steps How to tackle the immediate challenge to teach and train (more) technical recruits (both in industry as in VET institutions)? Associate degree: quality and responsiveness Dual workplace perspective: industry and school Formal recognition and flexible progression Learning paths with instructor and Ba programmes Challenges: - Industry entry qualification (instructor programme) - Entry qualification technical routes of Ad (engineering, construction, automotive, ICT) - National normalisation of (progression) profiles Urgent letter to the House of Representatives (Oktober 2014) - Lifelong learning, flexibilisation and pathways - Stackable education blocks (modularity 30 or 60 credits) - Work experience (validation of prior learning) - Customised learning arrangements - Proposed pilot in 2015 of the three technical teacher training institutes (Eindhoven, Zwolle, Rotterdam)