Excursion to the education office of the city of Dresden

On Wednesday, 14 May 2025, the Chair of Adult Education, together with students from the Master's degree course in Continuing Education Research and Organizational Development and the Master's degree course in Vocational Education and Personnel Capacity Building, went on an excursion to the City of Dresden's education office.

We began with a warm welcome from the Deputy Mayor for Education, Youth and Sport, Jan Donhauser. In an open exchange, we gained insights into municipal education policy and the challenges of educational work at municipal level. This dialog offered the opportunity to change perspectives and gain a better understanding of political decision-making in the city of Dresden.

Afterwards, the education office of the city of Dresden presented itself and gave us a comprehensive insight into its role in the field of education. It became clear how diverse the tasks of a municipality in the education sector are - from the development and implementation of education concepts to the networking of local education stakeholders. Particularly impressive was the presentation of the overall concept for lifelong learning in Dresden, which also integrates non-formal learning locations and their importance for the education of urban society. Dresden is a member of UNESCO's Global Network of Learning Cities, which underlines the city's international orientation and networking in educational matters.

Another focus was on education management and education monitoring in the city of Dresden. The differentiated view of individual social spaces and the use of a stress index to address specific challenges and needs in a targeted manner in the various districts was particularly exciting. These approaches illustrated how data-based and systematic analysis form the basis for political and administrative educational decisions.

After a short lunch break, we were able to delve even deeper into specific municipal education projects in two themed workshops:

• The focus on "Cooperation Coordination of Vocational Schools and Regional Coordination Office for Vocational Orientation" gave us a practical insight into career-oriented educational work.

• In the second workshop, the project "DD-Lena: Dresden learns sustainably" was presented, which supports the promotion of sustainability in schools and non-formal educational institutions and is anchored at municipal level.

The excursion impressively demonstrated the central role that municipal educational work plays in shaping educational landscapes. At the same time, we were able to see how committed the city of Dresden is to promoting education and lifelong learning for all citizens.

Many thanks to the entire team of the Education Office and to the Deputy Mayor Jan Donhauser for the exciting insights, the open discussions and the inspiring exchange.