On May 3, the Departments of Foreign Affairs, Education & Training and Work and Social Economy in close cooperation with the German, Austrian and Swiss Embassies organized the seminar on Dual Learning in Brussels.
The Government of Flanders has the ambition to bring education and the labor market more closely together. Dual education combines apprenticeships in a company with vocational education at a school in one course. Germany, Austria and Switzerland have a longstanding tradition of dual learning. The purpose of the seminar was therefore to learn from the positive and negative experiences of these countries.
Minister of Work, Economy, Innovation and Sport Philippe Muyters opened the seminar. Afterwards three international experts from the German Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), the Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (SFIVET) and the Austrian IBW (Research & Development in VET) provided the participants useful insights and inspiration. Subsequently the three experts went into an interesting discussion with a Flemish school and company.
A mission to North Rhine-Westphalia to exchange best practices is programmed later this month. And in June Minister of Education Crevits and Minister of Work Muyters will join King Filip during his visit to Switzerland, and learn more about the Swiss system of dual education.
The experts’ presentations :