Year 2008

Project Type Transfer of Innovation

Status running

Country DE-Germany

Marketing Text The project secures working places of older people by finding alternative working tasks in companies and by providing aegeiing adequate qualifications.

Summary The target of the project BusQua is to counteract the high share of older unemployed persons and to enhance and preserve the employment of older people in companies. This objective is supposed to be achieved via the identification of work and action fields which are regionally prospective, beneficial for companies and age appropriate and via the (further) development of age appropriate qualifications. Therefore the basic principles of an already well proven qualification concept for older employees are transferred into three economically, culturally and structurally different European regions and are adapted to the there given situation. The aim in this context is the adjustment of the qualification concept to the existing conditions in each region as well as the exemplary implementation of the adjusted approach.

Description The concept itself represents an advancement of a method being geared to working processes and implies a pedagogic approach using written instructions for learning. It has already been successfully implemented in Thuringia within a training of older employees in the field of customer care and with a final examination by the Erfurt Chamber of Crafts (“Handwerkskammer” – HWK). Therefore, it was awarded with the prize for innovation in continuing education and training (“Weiterbildungs-Innovations-Preis” – WIP) by the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (“Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung” – BIBB) in 2008. The methodology of the concept particularly considers aspects of age appropriated learning which is supposed to enhance the success of a training in that segment.

The partnership of the project BusQua consists of experienced actors in the areas of vocational education and training (VET) as well as in the field of research:
- The applicant, the University of Erfurt / Faculty of Education / Department of Vocational and Further Education, is attending to the research of labour participation of older persons within national and international projects since 2001.
- The "Kenniscentrum Beroepsonderwijs Arbeidsmarkt" (NL) is a national an international accounted research institute in the area of vocational training and labour market.
- "Zorig" (PL) is a Polish Chamber of Commerce in the region of Silesia which is also displayed for international projects. As a regional actor on the labor market it is a guarantor for the implementation.
- The Eichenbaum Corporation in Gotha / Thuringia is also experienced in national and international research and development and has significantly developed the qualification concept which has to be transferred and adjusted in the context of the project BusQua.

Through incorporating strategic partners in the particular regions, the transfer as well as the sustainability of the project is guaranteed. As a result, regionally adjusted concepts are available which are important for changes in age appropriate work and action fields. Furthermore, the labour participation in upper age is enhanced via the development of qualification which is geared to biographical aspects referring to professional and working life. In that way, the project directly contributes to the preservation of employability and work place of the elderly.

Themes     Labor market
    Enterprise, SME
    Continuous training
    Utilization and distribution of results
    Recognition, transparency, certification

Sectors     Other Service Activities
    Accommodation and Food Service Activities
    Education
    Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities

Product Types material for open learning
program or curricula
teaching material
website

Product information Regionally adapted learning material for qualifying older employees in ageing adequate working tasks in companies.

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