Abstract

Overview

The symposium will study the activities undertaken by local VET colleges by linking their educational processes with that of innovative change within work processes in business life which includes a discourse with scientific institutions (e.g. local universities, regional R&D bodies). So far we have to state that there is little attention for the role of VET in the regions or localities concerned. VET institutions are not actively taking part in regional knowledge chains for innovation. Many of the regional innovation processes follow a `two pillar model` in which local universities and local enterprises (e.g. science technology parks are based on this assumption) cooperate with each other. In this rational, science is connected with that of production and market potentials and is seen as a resource for regional/local development (Lundvall&Johnson 1994; Cooke&Morgan, 1993).

The benefits departing from these networks are seen as crucial for economic and social development within regions (Nijkamp et al, 1994). These considerations have been extended by the idea of the 'learning region', a concept which emphasises the importance of co-operation and mutual learning at a regional level for innovation (Gustavsen, 2003b; Nyhan et al., 2000) and which covers also other institutions, like regional VET colleges in initial as well as in further training and education. Another concepts advocates for stronger work process related learning and a stronger integration of work activities and learning at the work place and as well at regional VET competence centres (Deitmer&Attwell 2000, Deitmer&Gerds 2002).

With these conceptual debates the discourse on innovation has become broader and the above described dominant paradigm of science driven innovation is favoured by a concept of incremental change - small step innovation and innovation based on ordinary work experience.

It is becoming increasingly urgent to ask whether the local VET institutions have the pre- conditions ready to participate in such cooperation's between local business and universities. We - as the contributors for this symposium - like to prove the thesis that the innovation processes - in particular in view of the regional potentials - are more successful the better the actors from the three subsystems science, business and VET cooperate with each other in a regional VET innovation dialogue. VET is understood as an important intermediate between the business and science. Departing from the principle of life-long learning, VET would provide new offers for work based learning in cutting edge technological innovative developments.

In this symposium we want to study case based developments in four countries; including the importance of vocational learning for these local innovation and knowledge building and to discuss whether the usual concepts can be extended by VET to a `three pillar´ model. We will discuss the question whether vocational school can have an impact on the innovative region and as one of the key players for the provision of professional competence. The following questions are discussed in the debate:

• What are the characteristics of good practises of knowledge sharing between vocational education, Universities and R&D institutes as well as of local companies?
• Can innovation-oriented (private) colleges play such a role even when the regions concerned are lacking local universities?
• What are the implications for the VET institutions itself to establish a regional innovation dialogue?
• How are these partnerships to be evaluated?

979: The Role of VET in Creating Innovative Networks and Learning Region

The Finnish VET system was heavily school-based until 2001, when systematically organised workplace learning periods were introduced. The implementation of on-the-job learning has challenged educational establishments and workplaces to develop closer interconnections and action networks. The purpose of the present study was to examine networking between working-life organisations and providers of vocational education and training. In particular, the aim was to examine whether such cooperation generates innovative practices and leads to functioning networks which can be characterised as "innovative knowledge communities" (Hakkarainen et al., 2004). One important feature of innovative knowledge communities is that people and organisations form and utilise social networks in their work.

Thus, the study of networked learning has emerged as a new branch of learning research (e.g. Holmqvist, 2005; Hytönen & Tynjälä, 2005; Knight, 2002; Vesalainen & Strömmer, 1999; Tynjälä et al., 2005). The broadest context for collective learning has come from organisational research and studies on economic geography which have launched the term "learning region". The term refers to joint effort to promote knowledge creation and innovativeness at the level of geographical regions, such as cities and provinces (Morgan 1999; Gustavsen, Ennals & Nyhan 2006).A learning region provides an environment that encourages organisations, individuals and their networks to learn from each other.

The present study was carried out in Central Finland where education providers have put a lot of effort in promoting cooperation between education and working life with the aim of contributing to the development of a learning region. The data were collected with questionnaires and interviews from teachers (n=330), workplace trainers (n=420), and project managers and other key actors (n=28), and were analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The results of the study indicate that both in the vocational schools and in the work organisations working practices and the work climate were propitious for innovativeness, and that many change processes were initiated and carried out through networked activities. However, the practices of work organisations were more supportive for innovative knowledge communities than those in VET institutions. A model describing the creation and dissemination of innovations is presented.

980: Vocational and professional education as regional knowledge centres - The case of the Dutch sector of Food and Green Space.

Traditionally there was an intensive collaboration between education, business and research organisations in the Dutch agri-food sector. The last decade this situation however has been changed drastically due to developments in agri-business itself but also caused by a shifting attitude of policymakers based on considerations about the role of government in contemporary societies. The move from "government to governance" has had its impact on the structure of the knowledge chain from knowledge creation, via development and dissemination to application and use. About ten years ago the functional labour division in the knowledge chain was clear and accepted by all stakeholders: research institutes are responsible for R&D, extension services disseminate the results and agri-business just applies the knowledge. Schools merely educate young people for the labour market; teachers have regular contacts with researchers and extension workers who are free to share their (public) knowledge.

Nowadays two fundamental changes are emerging in the knowledge chain.

1. The new governance approach, connected to neo-liberal opinions, results in a shift away from the traditional functions in the knowledge chain. Extension services have almost disappeared, public research is being commercialised and education (professional and vocational) starts advising regional business partners.
2. Epistemological and axiological views concerning scientific knowledge on the one hand and analyses of the learning processes on the other, have resulted in a modified role of knowledge, in education as well as in business and research.

These two emergent developments both have their impact on the position of schools for vocational and professional education in their regions. Knowledge no longer is considered as just a transferable commodity, but knowledge needs to be constructed by individuals to become part of their cognitive and mental competences. Schools extend their learning environments from class rooms to workplaces in business. Contacts between educational institutes and business partners are being intensified. These contacts provide opportunities for exchanging knowledge for the benefit of the students and the business employees or entrepreneurs as well. In the current neo-liberal governing approach schools are encouraged to act as market partners not just for students but also for the knowledge seeking (regional) business parties. However for the sake of the so called knowledge economy, the knowledge that is being exchanged ought to represent the latest findings in science and technology. Therefore part of the governance approach is to reinforce co-operation between education and agri-food research institutes.

Researchers of Wageningen University and Research Center have developed an instrument for monitoring and evaluating the co-operation between partners in the knowledge chain (research, education and business). The co-operation is denoted knowledge arrangement and the instrument provides indicators for the success of knowledge arrangements. In the context of the knowledge economy these arrangements are directed towards societal questions (landscape, environment, innovation, animal welfare etc.). To judge the successfulness of an arrangement, three dimensions are included in the instrument: (a) uncertainty and ambiguity of knowledge involved in describing or solving the societal question; (b) the knowledge transfer processes; (c) participation of stakeholders.

981: The evaluation of the development of Integrated Regional VET Centres

According to the recent modernisation of the VET system in Hungary, a network of integrated regional vocational training centres is under development, financed by the human resources development operative program. During the first phase leading up to the end of 2006, 16 centres were set up (with the integration of 120 vocational education schools and 6 higher education institutions). This will be followed by others: a further 44 centres will be established by 2013. The presentation is based on research started at the end of 2006, aiming to discover the level of partnership existing between these new centres and the economy, and the extent to which these centres have the preconditions, within their respective scopes, to contribute to the development of learning regions.

Since innovation, which is the key element within the modernisation of VET - as well as of learning regions - cannot be separated from regional innovation, in which innovation within local communities and the development of local partnership have crucial roles to play, the presentation is planning to explain how and in what ways these new centres can support and utilise or, in the worst case, impede the process of local community- and partnership-building in the case of a school, left out of the new centre, loosing its former power. The presentation provides a summary of the experience learned from the 16 cases and sets out recommendations for further development.

982: The evaluation of regional work place learning partnerships in vocational training and working life

The presentation will argue that newer evaluation approaches could be helpful for optimising the learning processes underlying successful VET collaboration with regional stakeholders, like work place learning partnership with local industries and universities. These networks cross typical organisational boundaries and carry on with many different actors and can't be evaluated by those tools which centre on single learner/teacher frameworks. It will be described what aspects of VET could be interesting subjects of evaluation including the dimension of collaborative learning in a work place learning partnership. An example of a formative evaluation method will show the potentials of an evaluation tools for collaborative VET in regional context. The presentation covers several project and development initiatives in the Region of Bremen which like to strengthen the local VET system as well as the VET Institutions and the networking with local industries and other important stakeholders.

A second point will be to characterise German cases which try to link concepts of regional VET dialogue, learning region and regional innovation networks. Vocational education (like vocational further education) is seen in this a key component of innovation, if we understand innovation as the constant improvement of products and production processes. This is true in two ways: first as a scientific branch of training and education that constantly has to improve methods, learning content and learning forms to keep pace with innovation. And second, this helps the clients of VET - the students trained and educated - to actively further the innovation process and through the right qualifications to gain or retain the chance to get a (qualified) job.

Methodology or methods/research instruments or sources used:

In the four cases qualitative and quantitative instruments of empirical research have been used.

In the German case different evaluation instruments for the purpose of networks have been examined as well as the debate of regional competence centres in VET have been studied by interviews with the different stakeholders involved. The instruments presented here have been tested in several cases to find out whether they can support a better understanding of the functioning of these networks.

The Central Finland study was carried out based on questionnaires and interviews with the stakeholders involved in the creation of innovation networks.

The Hungarian contribution is based on a review of the available literature, document analyses and interviews with the experts of the centres researched and with relevant stakeholders.

The Researchers from the Netherlands have developed an instrument for monitoring and evaluating the co-operation between partners in the knowledge chain (research, education and business).

Conclusions or expected outcomes or findings:

The symposium will contribute to:

1. an understanding of the different stages that need to take place to create the conditions for sustainable local innovation;
2. understanding of the role of intermediary actors (such as those from vocational education and training) in fostering innovation at the local level.

This symposium will address the overall objectives of the 2007 ECER conference through examining how knowledge transformation takes place at the local level.

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Full Papers

[Word version - full paper] The Role of VET in Creating Innovative Networks and Learning Region

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Päivi Tynjälä and Pentti Nikkanen - University of Jyväskylä /Institute for Educational Research

[Powerpoint version - slides] The Role of VET in Creating Innovative Networks and Learning Region

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Päivi Tynjälä and Pentti Nikkanen - University of Jyväskylä /Institute for Educational Research

[PDF version - full paper] Vocational and professional education as regional knowledge centres - The case of the Dutch sector of Food and Green Space

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Hendrik Kupper Thomas Lans Arjen Wals Wageningen University Education and Competence Studies ... paper 980, session 5c.

[Word version - full paper] The evaluation of regional work place learning partnerships in vocational training and working life

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(Draft Version; not to be cited yet!) Ludger Deitmer, University of Bremen -- Contribution for ECER / VETNET Symposium 5 c “Work and Learning Partnerships – the contribution of VET to regional development” at the ECER Conference of Educational Research University of Ghent, 19 to 21 of September

[PowerPoint version - slides] Vocational and professional education as regional knowledge centres

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Hendrik Kupper, Thomas Lans, Arjen Wals University of Wageningen, THE NETHERLANDS

[Word version - full paper] The evaluation of the development of Integrated Regional Vocational Training Centres in Hungary (first draft)

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Dr. Magdolna Benke Senior researcher National Institute for Vocational and Adult Education, Hungary -- paper 981, session 5c, ECER 2007