Cross-border vocational education and training as a process of cross-border learning. The example of the Saarland-Lorraine border region
Abstract
Cross-border vocational education and training (VET) becomes more and more important in the Saarland(DE)-Lorraine(F) border region – even if so far there is only a small number of cases. It may be a solution for high youth unemployment rates in Lorraine and difficulties to find appropriated apprentices in Saarland.
Questions and topics
The main research questions of the research project are: 1. How did cross-border VET develop since the introduction of the Framework agreement on cross-border vocational and further training Saarland/Lorraine in 2014? 2. What learning processes are related with the development of cross-border VET?
The main results of the analyses through problem-centred in-depth interview in Saarland and their evaluation show:
- Positive development of cross-border VET
- Different forms of cross-border VET for different needs
- More and more enterprises are interested
- Pioneers boost the development
- Emerging „real“ cross-border structures
- Growing confidence in partners
- Experts with in-depth know-how und contacts to other border regions
At the same time:
- Cross-border VET needs very intensive and individual support
- Tacit knowledge is hardly accesible for some actors
- Discontinuity of financial support for structures
- Opportunistic behaviour in some cases
- Language and intercultural barriers
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