I had a great campus visit and interview with Dr Regine Bolter at FH VORARLBERG, University of Applied Science in Dornbirn, Austria today.
Austria has a great tradition of workplace training but until now I didn't realise that this tradition is related to some really important historical precedents and a strong government support of Chambers of Business who in turn support education in their communities.
I’ll add posts later to explain the historical background and the roles of the major partners
Regine Bolter, Prof.(FH) DI Dr. Regine Bolter, Studiengangsleitung Informatik
FH VORARLBERG,
University of Applied Sciences
Campus V, Hochschulstraße 1
6850 Dornbirn, Austria
regine.bolter@fhv.at
http://www.fhv.at/en-fhv-portal?set_language=en
Campus V, Hochschulstraße 1
6850 Dornbirn, Austria
regine.bolter@fhv.at
http://www.fhv.at/en-fhv-portal?set_language=en
Discussion points
·
Austria has one of the highest rates
of workplace training in the world and within Austria Vorarlberg has the
highest rate of workplace training in Austria.
·
Employers are very supportive and actively
advertise and compete for students to come and join their companies for a
workplace internship. Main reasons for this level of employer participation:
o
Historical tradition of supporting
education, it is a part of their civic partnership
o
They know they need high quality
workers and workplace training is one of the best ways to recruit them
o
They didn't have their own
university in the past and are determined to maintain a healthy education
sector and have an influence on the quality of students the sector produces
·
Unemployment is low in Vorarlberg
compared to the rest of Austria
·
The standard of living in this
region is one of the highest in Austria
·
History of education in Vorarlberg
o
In 1850 they had free farmers who
wanted to grow their businesses
o
The textiles industry was huge and
they needed staff to run it
o
With the development of hydro power electricity
was cheap making this region ideal for industrial development
o
Industrial development requires skilled
workers and this created a drive to attract them to their region and develop
their skills
o
Traditionally the employers themselves
didn't have university qualifications and didn't necessarily trust uni quals. They
wanted to help and influence the universities to ensure their needs were met
o
The Austrian government allowed development
in this region but the development was very much driven driven by local
businesses
FH VORARLBERG
·
The FH VORARLBERG, University of
Applied Sciences was founded in the early 1990’s and was one of the first in
Austria
·
FH VORARLBERG have many partners but
in particular a number of strong partners from a broad range of industries and
some big industries eg. Zumtobel, Bachman, ThyssenKrupp, Blum, Lieberr,
illwerke VKW. Broad range of industry areas:
§ Automotive parts
§ Kitchen components
§ Cranes
§ Chair lifts
o
They work together on research
projects
o
The major partners pay to be a
partner and sponsor prizes for top students
·
Bachelor's Degree programs
o
Computer Science - Software and
Information Engineering
o
Electrical Engineering Dual - The
Electrical Engineering Dual study course combines studying at FHV with
vocational training in a company, hence the university as well as the company
assume parts of the overall education.
o
Engineering and Management (part-time)
o
Mechanical Engineering -
Mechatronics
o
Mechatronics
·
Master's Degree
o
Computer Science
o
Energy Technology and Energy
Economics (part-time)
o
Mechatronics
Delivery models
·
They run a mandatory 12 week work
placement program in the holidays between semesters 4 and 5
·
Businesses advertise and promote for
students to come and do work placements with them
·
Students have to have a project to
work on in the business. The projects have to be documented by the student and
reported on with a workplace supervisor signing off
o
Need both a workplace supervisor and
a Uni lecturer named as a supervisor
o
The project has to be appropriate to
the course of study and enable them to demonstrate their skills in that field They
really check about the content of the practical project
o
Students has to hand in reports -
background, what decisions have I made, results of the project. These reports
lead to a final project thesis.
·
Students can do their work placement
locally or anywhere in the world provided the project meets the requirements.
Some students do international exchanges through the Erasmus+ program
·
Companies pay the workplace students
- 1200-200 euro per month, about half of what they pay for a graduate.
·
Employers like this test phase for
employees as it helps them with recruitment later
·
Occasionally students have trouble
finding a Placement but this is rare. It is their responsibility and it is a
mandatory part of the course. The Uni will help them with contacts if they get
stuck
·
Employers and the Business chamber
run a job fair with the companies, employers pay to have a booth at the fair.
·
Students do some application
training to prepare them for the fairs and application process so they can
compete for jobs
·
Contract with the employer drafted
by the Uni, some big companies have their own legal contract that the Uni
accepts instead.
·
Minimal paperwork for the employer,
they sign to acknowledge the accuracy of the report from the student but they don’t
get involved in any granular level of assessment
·
Work based part time Bach of Bus
Admin Workplace students Fri 2-9 then all day Sat and then a 1 week program
Chambers of commerce and labour-
·
Chambers of commerce membership is
mandatory, the Austrian Govt taxes businesses to pay for their chamber of
commerce membership and fund operations
·
There is also a The Chamber of
Labour where membership is mandatory and funded through taxes of employees
·
There is a civic responsibility and
partnership between the chambers of business and labour to minimise disruptions
to business in Austria and protect the interests of all parties
·
Austria has very few strikes because
the 2 chambers have to negotiate to reach agreements on behalf of their members
Course costs
·
Qualifications are very cheap for
students
·
The Austrian Govt funds about 14000
euro per student per year for 3 yrs
·
The Universities of applied science are
typically owned by state government. 50-50 funding from state and National govt
·
There is a strong sense of partnership
between Federal govt, state govt and local businesses through their chamber of
commerce
Educational pathways
·
Austria has a multi layered approach
to education with lots of choices for students
·
Students and families have to decide
at age 10 if they want to go to a Gymnasium school that is a 8 year program
that leads to an Academic Uni.
·
Students have to go to school till
they are 15
·
Students can go to a secondary
school and then branch to either an academic or App Sci Uni later
·
There are different ways to get to a
university entrance exam
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