Fachkräfte erleichtern Zugang zu neuen Märkten weltweit

Skilled Labour Helps Gaining Access to New Markets Worldwide

Renewable energies are no longer "alternative" energies, but have become profitable investments in recent years which improve the foreign trade balance of many countries. Studies show that the increased use of renewable energies raises the economic output and the number of jobs, but also reduces energy costs and helps protecting the climate in the long run.

Germany is one of the leading nations when it comes to renewable energies and holds a cutting-edge status with regard to environmental technology. The German government’s commitment to nuclear phase-out and to a gradual transition from fossil-fuel to renewable energies has spurred engineering research and technical innovation in this field. Around 380,000 people are already working in the renewable energies sector in Germany today. In addition there are around one million jobs in the environmental technology/cleantech sector.

To enforce this development, there is a need to train employees in the design, installation and operation of such systems. Training equipment for the study of energy derived from the sun, wind, water, etc is in high demand as well as training designs to create professionals who are able to master the different solutions and propose the most suitable and efficient application for each situation. Companies realize that by gaining access to skilled labour they can also gear their production towards international standards, gain access to new markets worldwide and thus enhance their competitive position.

Germany's head start in this sunrise industry is reinforced by its training expertise. "Training – Made in Germany" offers the necessary know-how to meet the challenge in the field of vocational education and training. Germany has a long-standing tradition in this field and enjoys a high reputation for the demand-driven and practical orientation of its qualification programmes. The integration of professional, social and methodological competencies characterizes the kind of knowledge German partners can provide.

The initiative iMOVE was established by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research in 2001, in order to promote international business relations of German training providers with international public and private organizations. iMOVE is a division of the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB). iMOVE services include a multilingual database which contains the business profiles of 240 German training providers and an interactive B2B marketplace where interested parties worldwide can publish their training demands and requests in order to find a suitable German partner.

Many sustainable training projects with German and international partners have already helped to establish the German training export as a reliable factor in the global education market. One example is the cooperation of the RWTH Aachen University's International Academy with other academic institutions and industrial enterprises in the AQWA Academy to deliver German engineering knowledge to the water sector in the MENA region. With financial support from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, AQWA Academy aims at meeting the educational needs of water sector employees with varying qualifications, at different stages throughout their careers, whilst enabling them to continue their day-to-day job.

The MENA countries have the most serious water scarcity. Exacerbating the problem of secure water supply are crumbling or non-existent waste disposal systems, water pollution, and sometimes conflicts regarding the development of water resources. Population growth and increasing urbanization add to the critical situation. Investment in infrastructure, water supply, and sanitation technologies are essential, but an improved education framework for water sector professionals is also urgently required.

This is where AQWA Academy comes into play: Private companies cooperate with higher education institutions to develop practical, high-quality, certified training programmes for the water sector in the MENA region. The AQWA Academy content encompasses the essential issues of design, construction, management, maintenance and rehabilitation of underground infrastructure, water supply and waste water facilities.

A key goal is to transfer theory into practical action. AQWA Academy's answer is a blended learning concept, combining traditional classroom attendance with e-lectures and practical training, adaptable to different degrees of difficulty and the local setting. The crucial factor is close cooperation with partners in the MENA region to design appropriate content and didactical methods to meet the regional demand. AQWA Academy uses a modular framework comprising basis modules and optional learning units so that formats can be created quickly while maintaining the university's high and widely recognized quality standards.

The combination of educational know-how with product and systems solutions is the speciality of the Berufsförderungswerk (BFW) Bau Sachsen. In pursuing its internationalisation strategy, BFW increasingly puts emphasis on partnerships with its German customers in the construction industry. Such an approach makes good sense given the industry-specific structure of vocational education and training: the vocational education and training content not only directly derives from industrial practice, but the industrial standards based on this practice are also very often connected with specific products and brands.

BFW Bau Sachsen established its first contacts in China during an iMOVE trade mission. Now, BFW Bau Sachsen is active there in the field of climate protection. In China, some 40 per cent of primary energy consumption are used solely in supplying buildings with heat and electricity. Increasing the energy efficiency of buildings entails enormous potential for saving on energy and reducing carbon dioxide emissions. The tangible improvement of energy efficiency can be achieved by efficient facilities engineering, in addition to improving the thermal insulation of buildings. This is why building automation plays a central part. The adequate and demand-actuated as well as energy efficient and safe operation of buildings is possible only on the basis of optimised "building intelligence". Modern automation comprises the management, control, monitoring, optimisation and operation of utility engineering facilities such as heating, air conditioning and lighting.

To promote this issue in China, the BFW Bau Sachsen is involved in a public-private partnership project in co-operation with the Zhejiang College of Construction (ZCC) in Hangzhou. The project objective is energy efficient building operation through optimised processes. The aim is the sustained transfer of know-how and technology, with an initial focus on industrial and commercial buildings.