Apprenticeship Q

The aim of the research project Apprenticeship Q is to establish a clear framework for the quality management of practice units in higher vocational education. Currently there is no way in which European universities and training centers can adapt their internal quality assurance systems and make them comparable. However, this is necessary in order to guarantee the quality requirements for the practical parts of higher vocational education.

FH JOANNEUM can draw on many years of experience in the field of dual higher education and contributes its expertise in the field of quality assurance for the intermeshing of theoretical content and in-company training. Another focal point is the transfer of experience between business partners of the dual education system in Austria and international business partners in the context of meetings and a conference in Graz. Other research partners include education experts from Belgium, Austria, Great Britain, Portugal, Spain, Malta and Slovenia. In addition, the IHK Heilbronn Franken and the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry are supporting the research project as a partner.

To create a comprehensive database, workshops are planned in six countries with more than 300 quality management experts, entrepreneurs and educational experts. In addition, field tests are conducted with more than 300 employers, quality managers, trainers, teachers and educational institutions. In addition, 1,200 employers, quality management officers, professors, teachers and trainers on the subject are to be interviewed in an international survey. Through the involvement of chambers of commerce and associations of European universities, the research project has the potential to improve processes both at companies and at educational institutions.

The result is, among other things, a handbook for small and medium-sized enterprises, which summarizes the most important quality criteria for the in-company training phases of a dual education or a dual study programm. It contains instructions on how to develop a common quality culture between companies and educational institutions with tools and methods.

Partner

• Duale Hochschule Baden Württemberg, Heilbronn, Germany (Lead)
• Association of Colleges, United Kingdom
• Knowledge Innovation Centre, Malta
• European Association of Institutions in Higher Education
• FH JOANNEUM – University of Applied Sciences, Austria
• Association of Slovene Higher Vocational Colleges (Skupnost VSŠ), Slovenia
• Mondragon Unibertsitatea, Spain