Trilateral doctoral seminar on vocational education and training research
On 28 and 29 October 2024, the traditional annual doctoral seminar of business educators from Paderborn University, the University of Cologne and the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BiBB) took place. This time, the event was organised by the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BiBB) in Bonn. Thanks to the excellent organisation, a constructive and fruitful exchange between experienced postdocs, professors and doctoral students was made possible over two days.
At the opening of the event, which was held under the motto "Wissen/schaf(f)t", BIBB Research Director Prof. Dr. Hubert Ertl emphasised the importance of research for vocational education and training: "Day-to-day work, including that of researchers at early career stages, is characterised by science-policy-practice communication. Our research projects always have a clear link to practical issues and should lead to concrete recommendations for action. It is particularly important for doctoral students in VET research to be aware of the interface between science and practice. They create knowledge for the VET of tomorrow, and this knowledge shapes the VET practice of the future."
The various facets of the concept of knowledge and science were highlighted in interactive programme items. The following questions took centre stage: Who creates knowledge? How is knowledge created? And what do we actually mean by knowledge? The intensive discussion of these questions enabled the participants to critically and reflectively analyse their own understanding of knowledge and science. In addition, there was the opportunity to engage in a close dialogue about current doctoral projects in lecture and poster sessions and to gain a wide range of perspectives and suggestions.
The business educators at Paderborn University would like to thank the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BiBB) and the organisers and are already looking forward to hosting the next trilateral doctoral seminar in Paderborn.
