The pilot scheme is based on a joint initiative by the Bavarian Education Pact Foundation (Stiftung Bildungspakt Bayern), a public-private partnership, with the Bavarian Federal State Ministry of Culture and Education. The project aims at enabling young people with increased special educational needs in learning and/or emotional and social development to study towards successful completion of a VET programme.
Within the scheme, different types of VET schools in apprenticeship and school-based VET and those for special educational needs will closely collaborate. Tandems, each consisting of one ‘mainstream’ VET school and one for special educational needs, will develop targeted approaches and methods for given occupations or occupational groups. The aim is to create conditions that allow more young people with special educational needs to acquire a vocational qualification and assist all learners through individual support to achieve a higher level of technical, personal and social competences. This should lead to a lower dropout rate.
The pilot will also examine how teaching staff can be further qualified to support learners in the best possible way and how to reinforce cooperation with partners in business and industry. ’Like all other VET schools, our schools for special educational can only fulfill their tasks with the support of strong partners. Without these, our vocational education and training system would not be successful’, Bernd Sibler, State Secretary for Education and Culture and Chairman of the Foundation’s executive board, highlighted the significance of businesses providing vocational education and training. Among other partners, he thanked the government initiative Aufbruch Bayern (strategy for the future) and BMW for their financial support of the project.