In the search for strategies to combat skills shortages, employees with simple tasks have often not been focused on. However, making up about 20?% of all employees, this group of workers represents an important qualification potential. It is the purpose of our paper to investigate the question whether expected or existing difficulties in filling vacancies for skilled personnel increase the training activities of firms towards employees in low-skilled jobs. Our analyses show that expected skills…
Pioneers from the Islands - National Qualifications Framework in England, Scotland and Ireland This article looks into the genesis and structure of the qualifications frameworks in England, Scotland and Ireland, compares them and concludes with notes to be taken into account for developments in Germany. The qualifications frameworks described, which are considered the forerunners of the EQF, have improved connections between the educational sectors. Their recognised benefit is the transpare…
Theme networks and the systematic generation of the new A systematization using the example of the learning regions Meta structures in the form of content orientated “topic net groups” offers a possibility for communication and exchange between the regional projects in the program “Learning Regions – Providing Support for Networks”. Thereby they build a field of communication in which practice problems and their solutions appear and therefore they can be brought to discussion. Thus topic n…
This contribution describes an approach for the assessment of the total expenditure for adult and continuing education and training (ACET) in Austria, broken down by public and private sources of financing. Variants of estimates of the expenditure are presented. Direct expenditure has been at 0.7% and the sum of direct and indirect expenditure at 1.2% of GDP in 2009. The largest share is born by the enterprises (40%), followed by the public (30-34%), and the individuals slightly below 30%. Amon…
Private individuals in Germany bear in some cases high costs individually and spend leisure time to a considerable extent for their professional further qualification. To what extent does the investment of money and time pay for course participants in further education? The author outlines how course participants estimate to which degree they benefit from their professional further education and how they judge the relationship of cost and effect. A high degree of satisfaction is found. However…
In the present contribution the final report of the Expert Commission on Financing Lifelong Learning is compared to a firework: it has provoked a short-term enthusiasm and attention. What is there to do in order not to let the ideas deflagrate but conserve chances for their implementation? The author asks the actors of further education to help oneself offensively with the arguments of the report (“public interest“, “more investments necessary“, “increase sovereignty demand“) and to advertise t…
Case-based Learning as a Means of Professionalization of Teaching Staff In adult and teacher education, case-based learning seems a promising way to foster analytical competencies which play a crucial role when identifying and solving practical problems in teaching situations. Thus, the article offers an insight into established concepts of case-based learning within different contexts for the professionalization (of teachers). Therefore, two discourses will be related to one another: one o…
The reorientation of vocational further education through the Hartz laws, with their introduction of education vouchers, the drastic cutting of expenses for vocational education and complementing orders issued by the Bundesanstalt für Arbeit (federal head institution of employment exchanges) add to an increase in unemployment: institutions in Further Education must reduce their numbers of courses, close down branch offices, and dismiss employees; holders of education vouchers remain without fur…
Theoretical basics of a gender equal didactics Substantiations and consequences The contribution makes a subject of discussion the significance of the category gender for theoretical basics of didactical approaches in adult education. Structural gender characterize the adult education research, the institutions, the educational situations, the educational apprehension as well as the people participating with the educational actions and the worlds of their lives. These conditions for outco…
The competence concept of PISA and IALS New impulses for adult education through international comparative studies In the contribution the literacy concept, which is new to the German education discussion, and some of the results of IALS are presented, whereas parallels but also differences are shown to the PISA study. The causales for the central result of the missing basic competences are questioned, whereas clues are given to contexts between antiquated teaching methods and often lament…
