South Australia to exchange experiences at GOVET
The South Australian Minister for Innovation and Skills David Pisoni visited the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) on 26 August 2019. The main focus of his trip to Germany was to exchange procedures and strategies for increasing participation in vocational education and training in South Australia.
BIBB’s Director of Research Professor Hubert Ertl received the 18-strong South Australian delegation at BIBB and provided information on aspects such as research results relating to attractiveness factors in VET. Jürgen Hollstein, Director of the German Employers’ Organisation for Vocational Education and Training, was also at the meeting to present the view of German trade and industry regarding this issue. A lively debate ensued following a brief overview of the dual training system in Germany provided by Peter Rechmann, Deputy Head of the German Office for International Cooperation in Vocational Education and Training (GOVET). The subjects of particular interest for the South Australian experts were the development of training regulations, vocational orientation, and the attractiveness of VET compared to academic training. Professor Ertl and Minister Pisoni agreed that dialogue on these issues and on further matters would continue beyond this particular meeting.
The South-Australian minister was accompanied by representatives of various vocational education and training institutions and professional associations from the 1.8 million inhabitant Australian state. The visit took place against the backdrop of the endeavours being undertaken by South Australia to encourage significantly more young people to enter vocational education and training once more. Within this context, the South Australian Government has a strong interest in learning from tried-and-tested procedures and in developing strategies which provide a possible way of countering the noticeable decline in the number of trainees in the state.
Last year, it announced that 200 million Australian dollars would be invested over a period of five years in order to create an additional 20,000 apprenticeships and internships in South Australia. At the same time, the government is looking into initial and continuing vocational education and training for pupils with a view to using the results of these investigations to inform future policy measures.