Abstract

Overview

Despite its significance for individual and social processes of skill and knowledge development, transfer and generation, the professional development of teachers and trainers in vocational education are under-researched topics (Grollmann & Rauner, in Print). For trainers the problem is aggravated by the difficulties of delineating trainers' roles. In addition to formalised training roles, there is also what was coined the spread of the training function across all different categories of employees (Attwell, 1997; Attwell & Brown, 2001).

Research is of a very descriptive orientation (Ambrosio, Byrne, Oliveira, Page, & Richini, 1995; Córdova, Ambrósio, Melis, & European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training, 1995; Grollmann & Rauner, in Print; Harrebye, Sørensen, Taalas, Finnbogason, Bjerknes, & Petersson, 1997; Tusch, Winter, Lenert, Werné, & Odens, 1997) or concentrating specific subgroups, such as HRD Professionals (Kieft & Nijhof, 2000). Deeper empirical investigations into the practices of trainers do exist on national levels (e.g. Harris, Simons, & Bone, 2000; Schmidt-Hackenberg, Neubert, Neumann, & Steinborn, 1999) but not in international designs. Since skills and knowledge are seen as major resources in economic competition and innovation on the level of companies and economies, political forces increasingly acknowledge the need for enhancing trainers' roles and the training function across the workforce (European Commission, Directorate-General for Education and Culture, & Working Group "Improving Education of Teachers and Trainers", 2003).

The Leonardo project TTPlus builds the umbrella of this symposium. Research in this project aims at a deep look into the actual practice of training and learning within enterprises in different countries, in order to develop empirically informed proposals for professional development frameworks.

Papers will address the situation of trainers and their professional development, methodological issues and consequences for future policies supporting professional development.

923: Use-Cases and scenarios - transferring a methodology from software engineering to the domain of researching training practices and professional development of trainers

"Use cases" describe particular episodes that are able to explain major processes and functions in a certain system. Use cases identify the major actors, the major functions of a system and the major goals, that these actors achieve through the functions of the system. The use cases provide a bases for the development of the scenarios. The fine grained use cases will converted into scenarios that describe key episodes. The unique advantage of the method is the triangulation of perspectives: The key episode that is described in the scenario will described for different stakeholders: this results in the identification of conflicts and contradictions within existing practices. The presentation will provide an inside into this methodology give an example how this methods has been adapted for the research of trainers and their activities.

924: How to develop a trans-cultural approach for studying the professional development of trainers?

The paper provides insights into the conceptual and methodological groundwork of the European cooperation project TTplus. Firstly the project will produce qualitative research information on the educational and professional position of trainers in six European countries. Secondly the project will develop a framework for professional development of trainers. Therefore, the project has to combine openness for cultural diversity (including different systemic backgrounds) with a focused approach to development of training cultures (with openness for different strategic options). In order to meet these imperatives the a research approach will be proposed on 'twofold operationalisation' (Ritsert, Brunkhorst, Bracher). The paper presents the implications of this approach for the mapping instruments, research design, educational scenarios and 'use cases' that are discussed as key elements of the research approach.

926: Understanding the Gender Dimension in Training Practices

Gender dimension in training practices can not be appropriately understood besides the cultural and social environment in which a trainer is practicing. Being women or men in a professional training area could vary often in relation to different factors: culture regarding the role of trainer, the trainer status into society, organizational model of the institutions providing training, general perceptions, expectations and practices on gender issues in different societies. Although many VET research papers take into consideration the gender factor in analysing training profiles, achievements or performances, gender dimension in training practices is rather implicit in most of them. Apart of the interest in looking at specific contexts with the aim of making proposals for appropriate professional development frameworks for trainers, the LEONARDO Project TTPlus takes explicitly the task to identify the gender features in training practices in different countries, proposing also a specific research methodology for looking deeper on gender dimension. The symposium synthesizes the research methodology and outcomes around the topic of gender in professional development and practices of trainers at the workplace.

927: Evaluating Communities of Practice - Consequences for the professional development of trainers

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are relatively flexible and quickly adapted to change, and in this light, seen as key organisations for driving innovation and to promote employment. Employees' professional development is therefore often seen as a precondition to achieve innovations and to compete with other companies. However, small enterprises are often not able to develop or finance learning initiatives independently. Issues in the learning of employees of smaller companies are the work pressure, the management's low priority on learning, and rigidity of the formal learning environments such as trainings and courses. Recent ideas on transfer include a blend of learning and working, resulting in the concept of learning at the workplace. This informal-learning can be facilitated by communities of practice and of learners, especially when these communities address work-related issues or are rooted in daily-work processes. In the Work & Learn Together project, funded by the EU (Leonardo) virtual communities of practice of SMEs in the tourist sector have been set up in order to facilitate and support lifelong learning of employers and employees in the workplace. Results of evaluations of these COP's will be presented and discussed in the symposium.

928: The situation of trainers and their professional development - implications for the research methodology in Greece and Portugal

The situation of trainers is characterized by a dichotomy with regard to the target group of trainers: trainers that are employed in measures to increase the employability of unemployed individuals have scarce vocational background. The actual career as trainer is most often regarded by the trainers as a transition position for another job. In contrast to this trainers in initial as well as in continuing vocational education within companies trainers most often do have a professional vocational identification. Very often they belong to the professional field themselves, therefore their vocational identity is composed by the fact that they are trainers as well as professionals in the vocational field. This dichotomy has enormous consequences for the professional development of trainers.

Conclusions or expected outcomes or findings:

An increasing need for professionalisation coincides with an increased integration of work and learning (Griffiths & Guile, 2004; Leney & The Lisbon-to-Copenhagen-to-Maastricht Consortium Partners, 2005). This leads to a paradox situation, where either the outsourcing of training into potentially "instructionist" training and learning settings is promoted or the direct integration of learning into practice, where sufficient support and acknowledgement to the learning support function might be missing. This one of several overarching paradoxes which will provide an umbrella for reflection and synthesis within the symposium.

References:

• Ambrosio, T., Byrne, N. M. T., Oliveira, T., Page, K. W., & Richini, P. (1995). Teachers and Trainers in vocational training. Berlin: Office for official publications of the European Communities.
• Attwell, G. (Ed.). (1997). Vocational Training and HRD in Europe: Research and Conditions. Bradford.
• Attwell, G., & Brown, A. (2001). The education of teachers and trainers in Europe - issues and policie. Pontydysgu, Warwick.
• Córdova, P., Ambrósio, T., Melis, A., & European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training. (1995). Teachers and trainers in vocational training. Luxembourg: Off. for Official Publ. of the Europ. Communities.
• European Commission, Directorate-General for Education and Culture, & Working Group "Improving Education of Teachers and Trainers". (2003). Implementation of "Education & Tarining 2010". Work Programme. Brussels: European Commission.
• Griffiths, T., & Guile, D. (2004). Learning through work experience for the knowledge economy (Vol. 48). Luxembourg: Off. for Official Publ. of the Europ. Communities.
• Grollmann, P., & Rauner, F. (in Print). International Perspectives on Teachers and Trainers in Technical and Vocational Education. Dordrecht: Springer.
• Harrebye, J., Sørensen, J. H., Taalas, M., Finnbogason, G., Bjerknes, E., & Petersson, B. (1997). Techers and Trainers in Vocational educationan and Training. Thessaloniki: Office for official publications of the European Communities.
• Harris, R., Simons, M., & Bone, J. (2000). More than Meets the Eye? Rethinking the Role of Workplace Trainer (pp. 102): National Centre for Vocational Education Research.
• Kieft, M., & Nijhof, W. (2000). HRD Profielen 2000. Nieuwe rollen, competenties, en outputs van HRD professionals. Enschede: Twente University Press.
• Leney, T., & The Lisbon-to-Copenhagen-to-Maastricht Consortium Partners. (2005). Achieving the Lisbon goal: The contribution of VET. London: QCA, London, UK; BIBB, Bonn, Germany; CEREQ, Marseille, France; CINOP, The Netherlands; ISFOL, Rome, Italy; ITB, University of Bremen, Germany; National Training Fund, Prague, Czech Republic; Navigator Consulting Group Ltd, Athens, Greece; Danish Technological Institute, Denmark.
• Schmidt-Hackenberg, B., Neubert, R., Neumann, K.-H., & Steinborn, H.-C. (1999). Ausbildende Fachkräfte - die unbekannten Mitarbeiter. Bielefeld: W. Bertelsmann Verlag.
• Tusch, H., Winter, A. d., Lenert, J., Werné, A., & Odens, D. (1997). Teachers and trainers in vocational education and training. Thessaloniki: Office for official publications of the European Communities.

Full Papers for the contributions

[PDF version - slides] Professional development of trainers in Europe – Challenges for research methodologies and practices

Preview Info - Grollmann, Trainers, VETNET190907 .ppt.pdf - 35.71 Kb

Philipp Grollmann, University of Bremen, GERMANY. Introductory slides for Symposium session 4c at VETNET 2007

[PowerPoint version - slides] How to develop a trans-cultural approach for studying the professional development of trainers?

Preview Info - PK_ECER2007_TTplus.ppt - 138.00 Kb

Pekka Kämäräinen ITB, University of Bremen. Paper for the symposium of the TTplus project, ECER ’07, 19.9.2007, Ghent, Belgium

Word version - full paper] How to develop a trans-cultural approach for studying the professional development of trainers in a European context?

Preview Info - PK_ECER2007_TTplus_paperV3.doc - 191.00 Kb

Pekka Kämäräinen ITB, University of Bremen. (Paper for the ECER '07 Symposium "Professional development of trainers in Europe - Challenges for research methodologies and practices", Ghent, 19.9.2007, 3rd Version)

[RTF version - full paper] Use-Cases and pattern language - transferring a methodology from software engineering to the domain of researching training practices and professional development of trainers

Info - ECER_Atwell_Luebcke_5.rtf - 80.06 Kb

Graham Attwell Pontydysgu, WALES; Eileen Luebcke, University of Bremen, GERMANY

[PowerPoint version - slides] The situation of trainers and their professional developmentImplications for the research methodology in Greece and Portugal

Preview Info - ECER 2007_4c_928.ppt - 39.50 Kb

Nikitas Patiniotis, University of Athens, Eduardo Figueira, University of Evora

[PowerPoint version - slides] (Academus, Portugal, slides) The situation of trainers and their professional developmentImplications for the research methodology in Greece and Portugal

Preview Info - ECER_Ghent_Final Presentation_Academus.ppt - 566.50 Kb

Eduardo Figueira, University of Evora, Nikitas Patiniotis, University of Athens

[Word version - full paper] Communities of Practice – organising informal learning in SMEs

Preview Info - Ecer paper_4c_927.doc - 39.00 Kb

Sanne Akkerman, IVLOS, Utrecht University, the Netherlands; Christian Petter, IFS, Innsbruck, Austria; Maarten de Laat, University of Exeter, UK; Ineke Lam, IVLOS, Utrecht University, the Netherlands