For ten days, teachers from Tatar vocational schools had the opportunity to look over the shoulders of German as well as Italian master craftsmen and apprentices. Together with the Ministry of Education in Tatarstan, the International Academy for Technology and Management (INTAMT) organised a further training trip to Germany for the educational staff of various professions: Bricklayers, plasterers and painters, welders and machine operators, motor vehicle mechatronics technicians, tractor drivers and electronics technicians. Meanwhile, confectioners and cooks as well as hairdressers were able to immerse themselves in the everyday work of their Italian colleagues. In Tatarstan, vocational training is a high priority. The head of the autonomous non-commercial organisation “Powol Agency of Quality Assurance and Certification in Vocational Education” Alexander Leontyev states: “Over the last five years, the Ministry of Education has made increasing the competence of vocational educators a goal.” Within this time, more than 200 specialists have participated in the training organised by INTAMT. Dual training has already been implemented in ten Tatar vocational schools, Leontyev adds. “We see the cooperation with INTAMT as a long-term project.” Not least because Germany is considered a European leader in the organisation of further education systems, he said. “And for the first time, our specialists from the service sector have been able to get to know vocational training practices in Italy,” adds Alexander Leontjew. In Germany, the teachers from Tatarstan visited a number of vocational schools as well as technology centres in NRW. The focus of the training was on the organisation, methods and structure of the teaching process. The practical part of the training dealt with issues related to the organisation of a dual VET system, quality assurance and the role of teachers. A lot of time was invested in exploring innovative technologies and new materials and tools used in construction, renovation and metalworking. During visits to farms, the trainers learned about the latest technology and its areas of application. Farid Miftachow, one of the trainers at the Batentschuk vocational school for construction in Nabereschnyje Tschelny, describes his impressions: “Like many of my colleagues, this is my first time in Germany. On behalf of our group, I would like to thank the Tatar Ministry of Education and the INTAMT Academy for making the study trip possible.” They had taken part in theoretical lessons as well as getting insights into the workshops of the vocational schools. “It was very important for us to see how the German trainers arouse the interest of apprentices for the respective professions.” The group was particularly impressed by the equipment in the workshops and the well-developed teaching material. Miftakhov sums up: “We will now implement the new knowledge in vocational schools in Tatarstan.” In Italy, a group of trainers visited some of the vocational school centres in the Lombardy region. The subject of the study trip was the training process of hairdressers and the technical equipment of vocational schools in Cremona and Milan. Afterwards, the international fashion fair MIPAP was visited. The group of cooks and confectioners had the opportunity to learn about the technical basics and methodological features of the teaching process in the best cooking schools in Lombardy. The formal part of the study trip was rounded off by interesting excursions in Milan, Cologne and Düsseldorf.
