Interviews with national experts in order to determine the conditions of participating countries

 

Interviews of national experts are realized right at the beginning of the project. Therefore, all together 32 vocational schools, potential employer and social partners in all participating countries were interviewed concerning their country-specific needs, challenges and difficulties within the teaching-learning arrangements time management, criticism, self-evaluation of ability and team competency. The elaborate answers thus obtained, make it possible to develop and to adapt the teaching-learning arrangements based on the requirements of the target group.

The main goal was on examining the social partners’ option of the teaching-learning arrangements’ acceptance and their use in practice. This made it possible to see the need of developing the self and social competencies from the different angles of apprenticing companies and vocational schools.

Planning horizon for the agreement on the projects’ framework is the six months period from October 2011 until March 2012.

RESULTS

 

First, the LLA criticism was in the focus of execution. It required the lowest standard of modification. All social partners recommended adapting the photo story and the movie on the background of the working conditions in the Retail Sector. The visualized situation in daily workday should inspire consideration and refection of young apprentices. The used Medias were appreciated as appropriate for the target group of young people.

The next step conducted a development of time management. The used comic was seen as irrelevant in Retail Sector and not age based. While some social partners supported the use of real pictures from the work environment of apprentices in Retail Sector, others advocated their abstinence. Obstacles in introducing a typical situation in daily work life are the different circumstances in the countries’ apprenticeship programs. The majority evaluated the idea of a daily routine of an apprentice positively. This should be handled as a review of the daily routine, in order to analyse the actual time spent on tasks.

Team competency was rated as extremely important. The assessed method “building bridges” was seen as outside of the subjects’ area, in respect to the transfer in daily working routine. The separation in groups should be in charge of the teacher to avoid peer group building.

The teaching-learning arrangement self-evaluation of ability was estimated as the most important one. The use of a visualized fish was seen as not age based and outside of the subjects’ area. The media chosen should be specific in Retail Sector. In addition, the interviewed partners criticized the situation in which the students are forced to present their strength and weaknesses in plenum. For a better creation of trustful environment, it should be anonym. According to the experts, the focus should be on practice on the job in Retail Sector.

In respect to the learning effect, the ball of wool method was hardly criticized and did not find any acceptance within the group of social partners. They recommended abstaining from this method.

OUTLOOK

The results gained from this project stage were published within the group of project partners to create a high level a transparency. Afterwards the teaching-learning arrangements were adapted to the target group and branch of the Retail Sector.