Vocational educators from Dresden are joining forces with researchers from France, Belgium, Estonia and Spain to advance the professionalization of teachers and mentors working in Vocational Education and Training (VET). The European Union-funded Centre of Vocational Excellence (ProVEST) is a project in which 23 institutions – ranging from vocational schools and universities to private training providers – collaborate to identify highly effective learning environments. ProVEST will help future-proof vocational education by comparing training practices for vocational school teachers at the interface between education and business. TUD Dresden University of Technology assisted in laying the foundations for this European project over a two-year period as part of a EUTOPIA research collaboration. Following the project kick-off in Paris at the beginning of March, the consortium agreement was signed by TUD on May 9, 2025.

The Dresden group led by Prof. Thomas Köhler from the Institute of Vocational Education and Vocational Didactics at TUD hope to not only strengthen the German model of vocational teacher training, where a five-year university degree with several practical phases is standard, but also to provide new impetus for vocational education throughout Europe. This will result in opportunities for professional development and master classes for vocational educators. It will also promote long-term collaboration between schools, mentors, and companies. The three members of the Dresden project team are currently preparing to host an inaugural research workshop in September at TU Dresden, where the project will be presented to an audience of experts from the region.

“For us, the interaction between and with vocational training partners who specialize in training international skilled workers for companies in Saxony and their international subsidiaries is particularly important,” says Prof. Thomas Köhler, describing the focus of the German ProVEST HUB. According to Köhler, this will enable us to address challenges such as the shortage of skilled workers or issues relating to international comparative education research: “And the two long-standing international companies based in Dresden, Lernen + Technik gGmbH and TUD FaCE GmbH, see this as an opportunity to further distinguish themselves as outstanding partners,” adds Köhler.

The EUTOPIA university alliance consists of ten European universities. TUD joined EUTOPIA in 2021. The alliance strives to increase the international competitiveness of European universities and aims to strengthen European identity, e.g. through mobility programs for students, teachers, and early-career researchers.

Contact:
Prof. Thomas Köhler
Institute of Vocational Education and Vocational Didactics
Telephone: +49 351 463-39627
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