How can students best prepare for employment in Industry 4.0 from as early as in vocational school? The Saxon State Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs has initiated a Vocational Education 4.0 project (“Berufliche Bildung 4.0”), which is breaking new ground. For the first time, it is linking three vocational schools in Saxony along an industrial production chain. The participating vocational school centers include the Richard Hartmann School in Chemnitz, the Gustav Anton Zeuner School in Dresden and the Erzgebirge Zschopau School. The research team led by Prof. Dr. Thomas Köhler and Dr. Lars Schlenker from the Institute of Vocational Education and Vocational Didactics at TU Dresden was awarded a Comenius-EduMedia-Seal. The educational association Gesellschaft für Pädagogik, Information und Medien e.V. (GPI) honored their innovative approach and the successful integration into dual vocational education programs.

Industry 4.0 describes intelligent, networked machines and processes that enable and coordinate production processes distributed across different locations. Bringing these complex processes to life in vocational schools is a challenge for educators and education researchers. In collaboration with industry partners, the Chair of Educational Technology at TU Dresden is developing digital tools and is directly implementing them in vocational education.

The project, funded by the Saxon Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs, has developed the educational technology concept as well as the digital infrastructure based on it, which is geared towards Industry 4.0 processes. Using the example of a machine part cooperatively manufactured at vocational schools in Zschopau, Chemnitz and Dresden in the teaching subject of CNC production, the researchers developed and tested a highly innovative teaching scenario. The commissioning, design and production were based on locally distributed process chains and Industry 4.0 workflows. This was accompanied by a didactic dialog that initiated further collaborations.

The concept and the outcome convinced the jury of the Comenius EduMedia Awards, which judges the submissions based on strict quality criteria. The distinction in the Didactic Digital Media (DDM) category with the prestigious Comenius Seal recognizes the pedagogical, didactic and technical work in the project and the education geared towards individuals' needs. The award was presented at the Federal Press Conference Center in Berlin on June 11, 2024. The teachers and researchers involved in the development are planning to present the project to the professional public at the anniversary conference "50 Years of Future: Paradigms, Positions and Perspectives of Vocational and Business Education and Management Training" from September 16 - 18, 2024. The press is cordially invited to attend.

Contact:
Dr. Lars Schlenker
Chair of Educational Technology
Tel.: +49 351 463-35397