SGAVE Project Team Reports to Ministry of Education

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On January 6, 2021, the SGAVE project team of the Center of Competence (CoC) at Tongji University reported to Deputy Director General Fang Jun and other leaders of the Ministry of Education (MoE) on the progress of the SGAVE project and the future plan for the further development.

Mr. Klaus-Juergen Brix, Deputy Director of CoC, elaborated the history and background of the SGAVE program and explained the features of the SGAVE program and the talent education system in terms of its internationalization, matching with the Chinese education strategy, the vertical connection from secondary vocational school over higher vocational school to applied science university, the horizontal transplantation of multiple occupations, the quality assurance system for certification as well as the standardization and digitalization.

Ms. Xu Zhiji, Director of CoC, reported the future plan regarding the promotion and radiation of the project in the new stage and the establishment of SGAVE school-enterprise alliance and pilot schools for smart manufacturing and new energy.

Deputy Director General Fang highly praised the SGAVE project, saying that the project had laid a good foundation for the deepening and expansion of Sino-German cooperation in vocational education.

Currently, the 14th Five-Year Plan has already started the modernization of Chinese vocational education, against which how to cultivate high-level vocational talents through Sino-foreign cooperation will be an important topic. Deputy Director Fang hoped to use the SGAVE project as a backbone to achieve some key objectives. The SGAVE project is expected to have a good effect on the modernization of Chinese vocational education and the manufacturing industry, on the cooperation between Germany and China, and on the sustainable development of German companies in the Chinese market.

Deputy Director Fang and the participants thoroughly discussed the future plan of the SGAVE project with the attendants, saying that the MoE will fully support the work of the SGAVE project from the policy aspect. He, however, raised higher requirements for the further development of the SGAVE project, expecting the CoC to further develop the “14th Five-Year Plan” of the SGAVE project while maintaining the existing high standard and quality, highlighting there should be a qualitative improvement in scale and influence, more schools can join the SGAVE system, and more high-quality international talents can be cultivated for China.

Artificial intelligence in vocational education?

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Artificial intelligence can now be found everywhere, whether it’s trade, industry or science. Only in education, the use of this technology does not seem to be ready yet. There are some projects where the first approaches take place. The goal is usually to allow more personalized learning. This can be achieved by evaluating and comparing the learner data. Pupils have preferences, strengths, and weaknesses, and learners’ data from previous test results and analysis of learning behaviors can be used to provide more coordinated learning or learning content for each individual student. Ultimately, all students should meet the minimum requirements for the respective courses.

But today, we are not so far in education today that you can use artificial intelligence nationwide. On the one hand, not all subjects are easy to use for the use of artificial intelligence, on the other hand, the teachers and the school must be prepared for the use of such technologies. Particularly in VET, the effort to get high quality data as the basis for personalization is very high. Practical work must be objectively and comparably evaluated and provided. Only in this way can meaningful activities be deduced and used with artificial intelligence automated in the classes. Targeted analysis of this data enables educators to better understand students’ learning progress and suggest customized exercises to better tailor lessons to each student’s individual needs

In any case, artificial intelligence will also find its way into vocational education and certainly make a valuable contribution as well. Personalized learning is already taking place. Students are increasingly using the information and media available online to further their education and are thus already one step ahead in the digital future.

Gobal Education Summit 2019

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This year’s Global Education Summit will be held in Beijing and offer some interesting topics and lectures in all areas of education. We from SGAVE will also be there this time. We have the opportunity to share our experiences within a “Round Table” discussion. The topic is “How to improve the quality of workers for future trends in the industry?”.

The event will take place on 25th and 26th November 2019 in Beijing. Information about the event can be found here:

http://www.ges-china.com/2019?lan=en

Study for professionals without a high school diploma

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The universities are open to working people in Germany. Most universities in Germany give people who have completed vocational training and work experience the opportunity to start their studies. In each individual case, it is examined which training and which professional experience is available. The regulations of the various federal states are different, and thus the requirements for each applicant are examined before being submitted. You can find out exactly what these requirements look like on the following homepage:

http://www.studieren-ohne-abitur.de

After a consultation at the university, it can then start with a study and the students can attend without a high school diploma.

For me, this is a very positive development in the educational landscape which meets the fact that our education system is becoming increasingly complex and versatile. Young people can gain practical experience and then expand their knowledge. Students with different educational backgrounds can bring in prior knowledge and experience to their study and thus enrich the study time for everyone. Ultimately, this benefits employers and fits better into an educational system that strives for lifelong learning.

Consulting for international professionals

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The Federal Government has agreed on the establishment of a “Central Service Agency for Professional Recognition”. The Central Service Office for Vocational Recognition (ZSBA) is to advise international skilled workers on questions relating to their professional recognition before they enter Germany and accompany them during the application procedure. Preparations will begin in 2019 and the service will be available from 2020. A corresponding law will enter into force in 2020.

Germany needs qualified specialists from abroad and would like to create clear rules for the recognition of existing educational qualifications and enable applicants to be optimally integrated into the German labour market. The Central Service Office for Vocational Recognition (ZSBA) will be located at the Central Office for Placement Abroad and Specialist Placement (ZAV) of the Federal Employment Agency in Bonn and will be financed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) for an initial phase of four years from 2020. The establishment of the Central Service Agency for Professional Recognition (ZSBA) pursues three main objectives:

  • To offer those seeking recognition a nationwide central point of contact,
  • to relieve the competent authorities of the communication-intensive consultation of the applicants,
  • make the recognition procedure more transparent and efficient for individual applicants.

We will report on the next steps on our homepage and provide our visitors with the necessary information.

https://www.bmbf.de/de/bundesregierung-baut-beratungsangebot-fuer-internationale-fachkraefte-aus-9853.html