Findings for a shaping oriented quality management

framework

Jessica Blings, Georg Spöttl, Matthias Becker

QualiVET - Quality Development and Quality Assurance

with Labour Market Reference for the Vocational
Education and Training System in the Metal Sector

Blings/Spöttl/Becker 2007
 The Importance of quality assurance in VET is
growing:

Quality improvement of VET systems is one

of the strategic aims of the European Union

VET institutions take over more responsibility
than ever in the global competition and within
the restructurisation process towards
competitive knowledge societies.

Blings/Spöttl/Becker 2007
 Projektpartnerschaft
project coordination & evaluation of project progress
ITB

Advisory
board UAB Morgannwg REVICE ITB NUOV ibw CPI investigations
biat

ES UK NL CZ AT SI developments
DE
evaluation by
practitioners
ETSE Morgannwg BS S BS Attnang Novo mesto
testing and
EUI Merthyr T. IQSH COP BS Kfz Celje
evaluation

V a l o r i s a t i o n

Quality of Quality of
vocational pedagogy VET organisation

Blings/Spöttl/Becker 2007
 Improvement of education through
optimization processes with focus on
school structures?

QM-Models
EN ISO 9000:2000
EFQM
?
Optimized
school structures Improved quality
and processes of education/
learning processes

Blings/Spöttl/Becker 2007
 Analyses of quality management concepts applied in VET
of their country within the metal sector.

1) SECTOR ANALYSIS

success of quality management

structure and characteristics of the sector,

economic development of the sector,

institutional and economic structures,

qualification strategies,

concepts for initial and continuing vocational training,

contemporary change processes (previous
approaches, future developments),

legal background of quality management in VET and
applied quality management systems in VET (role,
status, problems, discussion).
Blings/Spöttl/Becker 2007
 2) CASE STUDIES

concentrates on a VET institution and its
cooperation with companies

semi-structured specialized interviews and
expert interviews were carried through in
different fields of work and

basic data

role of existing quality management systems

status, problems, previous approaches,
outcomes, suggestion for actual quality
management

future development of quality management

Blings/Spöttl/Becker 2007
Results: Status of implementation of Quality Management
Systems within the partner countries

UK and the Netherlands: Quality management nationally

implemented.

Slovenia and Czech Republic: regional or single activities.

Germany: quality management is a matter of the “Länder”:
actually testing and implementing different existing
systems.

Austria: QIS and QUIBB are developed on an advanced
level but implementation is non-compulsory.

Blings/Spöttl/Becker 2007
Results: present quality management systems on
the level of class quality have a limited effect

many quality management systems have an ISO-

like perspective.

QM systems measure quality yet leave the quality
improvement measures to the schools.

The systems focus on institutional aspects of
quality and neglect the quality of teaching and
training.

The reference to work and the orientation along
the work process has been developed
insufficiently.

Blings/Spöttl/Becker 2007
Results: need of an understanding of quality in VET
as a matter of development instead of a
“conformance to requirements”

Development of quality characteristics aiming at

change/ improvement/ shaping of “quality”

Focus on quality of learning process.

Characteristics and quality focus on
changeability/ shaping of a discrepancy between
actual situation and target state

Blings/Spöttl/Becker 2007
QualiVET quality areas:

the role of the trainers and teachers,

the learning processes,

the training and teaching methods,

the training and teaching contents,

learning environments and the conditions for
training in companies and teaching in class and
finally

the reflection on training and teaching

Blings/Spöttl/Becker 2007
Each of these Quality areas is further elaborated
using 28 „shapeable indicators”.

Characteristic of the „shapeable indicator“:

The „shapeable indicator“ allows multiple ways to reach
the target state described by this indicator.

The indicator suggests, how to approach the opportunity
for improvement (problem)

More important than the fulfilment of the indicator is the
process of solving the opportunity for improvement itself

Key questions Practices requiring Desired aim Standards:

improvement Adequate shaping
measures

Blings/Spöttl/Becker 2007
 Example for shaping oriented indicator/standard
QA 2: The role of students/learning processes
Indicator: 2a Authenticity
Key questions Practices requiring Desired aim: Adequate shaping measures
improvement Desired role of students (standards)
Do students see the direct Learning is too strongly Authenticity: Contents are Learning processes
links between training oriented to traditional treated in an authentic way:
• are shaped by adopting corporate
measures and their work systematics of technology
1 Students can ask examples along corporate and
requirements? imparted by a teacher-
questions arising in their work process relevant demands
centred instruction. Students
Do students take over the corporate situation,
are only given limited respect a close interlacing
responsibility for their 2 Contents have a regional •
chances to work on their between work and learning
learning and do they identify context, regional
own.
themselves with their enterprises are involved/ • safeguard a close cooperation
vocational training? visited between in-school and corporate
… learning
…

Blings/Spöttl/Becker 2007
Blings/Spöttl/Becker
Blings/Spöttl/Becker 2007 2007
Conclusions:
• Present quality management systems only have a
sort effect..
• The QualiVET QDF focuses on educational process
and on the factors
(teachers, teaching methods, training and teaching
reflection, training content – curriculum, outer
conditions of learning and conditions for training in the
companies and for the teaching in classes)

Blings/Spöttl/Becker 2007
 You want more information?
Mail to blings@uni-bremen.de or look at
www.qualivet.info

…thank you for your attention.

Blings/Spöttl/Becker 2007
 Quality development:
New approaches
to quality improvement
of VET providers
in Europe

International Conference
October 5th 2007
Profesní dům, Prague
Registration: www.qualivet.info

Blings/Spöttl/Becker 2007