04 Schools and colleges for engineering, arts and crafts

04 Schools and colleges for engineering, arts and crafts Educational programmes Schools and colleges for engineering, arts and crafts primarily provide educational programmes for initial vocational education and training (IVET). These include the following: the 5-year colleges of engineering (HTL), which cover years 9 13, introduce both the theory and practice of the respective subject from the beginning, and provide post-secondary forms of teaching and learning in the final year: HTLs are completed with a Reife- und Diplomprüfung; the 4-year VET schools (year 9 12), which are completed with a final exam and are linked to the post-secondary sector via add-on courses, the higher education entrance examination or Berufsreifeprüfung, and the 2-year add-on courses, leading graduates of subject-specific VET schools to the educational objective of the related 5-year VET college; in the case of 3-year VET schools, a so-called bridge course must be completed before entry to the add-on course; the 4-semester post-secondary VET-courses (years 13 14), which require higher education entrance qualifications and are completed with a diploma exam. Apart from IVET, there is also a differentiated continuing vocational education and training (CVET) provision for people in employment. It includes the following programmes: the 8-semester VET colleges for people in employment, which lead to the same educational objective as the respective 5-year VET colleges and are designed in a modular form. Apprenticeship diploma holders start in the first semester, graduates of VET schools or foreperson courses enter in the third semester; the 6-semester post-secondary VET-courses (evening form), which correspond to the related semesters of the VET colleges for people in employment in the higher semesters, presuppose higher education entrance qualifications and are completed with a diploma exam; as do the 4-semester post-secondary VET-courses. the foreperson courses, building craftsperson schools and master craftsperson courses, which are all completed with a final exam and serve to provide higher vocational qualifications. IVET CVET provision Autonomous structural leeway Over the past few years, more space for design has been created by extending school autonomy and decentralising responsibilities at school and regional levels; at school level, this mainly affects teaching, at the provincial level this autonomy primarily relates to resource management. The so-called curricular autonomy of schools is of particular importance. It provides, on the one hand, autonomy to the school to select between special focuses as set down in the curriculum (they comprise up to 50% of the entire instruction from the 3 rd year of the 5-year VET colleges onwards). In addition, an average of 5% of weekly lessons can be set freely by the school. Furthermore, optional educational provision, such as optional subjects, may be specified within the scope of the school s autonomy to provide major occupational qualifications for practice, for example. The framework structure of every curriculum sets out a large scope for design. As against other school types, VET college curricula do not consist of a core area with basic content and an extension area with current content, but due to the substantial proportion of current content it only lays down core areas (which in most cases are formulated very concisely and openly), with state-of-the-art implementation left to the respective school s and teachers freedom of design. Curricular autonomy Framework structure of curricula

Area specialisations Many area specialisations and specialist areas The schools and colleges for engineering, arts and crafts comprise about 15 area specialisations. Some of these area specialisations include alternative special focuses to be set out within the scope of school autonomy, which in turn enable students to specialise in technological fields. All current disciplines of the engineering sector within industry and trade are covered by relevant programmes, which include the following areas: Construction Engineering, Interior Design and Timber Technology, Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Material Engineering, Media Technology and Management, Information Technology, Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Food Technology, Electronic Data Processing and Organisation, Industrial Management & Business Management, Art and Design. One example of a specialisation within an area specialisation is the 5-year HTL for Electrical Engineering, in which special focuses on Power Engineering and Industrial Electronics, Control Engineering and Information Technology have been established. Educational objectives VET in occupationrelated theory and practice General and social skills Business and legal knowledge The schools and colleges for engineering, arts and crafts provide high-level VET in occupation-related theory and practice as the basis for an efficient entry to the world of work and successful employment in different areas. Particular attention is also paid to the further development of those general qualifications and social skills which safeguard the graduates employability and enable them to participate successfully in lifelong learning through self-study or study programmes at establishments of higher learning. Another major objective is provision of necessary business-related and legal knowledge enabling graduates to run their own business independently. The specific objectives and purpose of the schools and colleges are the following: The schools for engineering, arts and crafts aim at the acquisition of subjectspecific basic knowledge and skills that enable graduates to exercise an occupation in the engineering, arts and crafts sector immediately upon completion and they aim at extending and deepening the acquired general education in a manner appropriate for a future occupation. The colleges for engineering and crafts aim at the acquisition of higher-level general and subject-specific education that enables graduates to exercise a senior occupation in the engineering or crafts sector in industry and trade and leads to higher education entrance qualifications. Educational content Common curriculum architecture Practice-orientation and topicality of content In order to meet general educational objectives, all curricula include a common curriculum architecture which is adjusted to the type of educational provision and area specialisation. This curriculum architecture comprises the areas of general education, occupation-related theory, construction or design exercises and exercises in the laboratory, workshops, and the exercises carried out within the framework of the Practical Training in Construction Engineering and the Workshop Laboratory. IT skills are taught both fundamentally and occupation-specifically in accordance with the requirements of the respective subject area. Provision has been made in the curricula to ensure that law and business content is sufficiently covered in the programmes to allow for the qualifications required for specific occupations, regulated professions and self-employment. The underlying principles for all subjects are practice-orientation and topicality of content complying with state of the art technology. Apart from the workshop, construction exercises and exercises in different laboratories, mandatory workplacements as well as projects and diploma works conducted in collaboration with business partners constitute additional elements of technical training.

Mandatory work-placements are of differing length: in the 5-year VET colleges, they last for 8 weeks; in VET schools, they are in general 4 weeks; in special VET schools (the so-called "VET schools with work placement") an additional workplacement of 12 weeks is compulsory in the final school year. Mandatory workplacements Qualifications Final examination Upon passing the final examination at VET schools for engineering, arts and crafts, graduates boast professional qualifications entitling them to immediately exercise the respective occupations and giving them access to regulated professional activities. The final certificate additionally entitles them in the case of 3-year VET schools, following completion of a bridge course to entry to a subject-related add-on course of the 3 rd semester of the VET college for people in employment. Final exams can also be taken at the end of foreperson courses, building craftsperson schools and master craftsperson courses. Reifeprüfung certificate and VET diploma Graduates of the 5-year VET colleges and the 8-semester VET colleges for people in employment acquire a double qualification: The Reifeprüfung certificate and VET diploma opens up access to higher learning and also to regulated professional activities, thus providing immediate entitlement to jobs at executive level. One central part of the Reife- und Diplomprüfung is the 35-hour written Project examination. This written exam can also be taken in the form of a diploma project, in which a topic from the specialist area must be treated comprehensively and independently by students. Diploma projects are carried out in the final year under the supervision of experienced teachers, mostly in cooperation with business. This concept has proved particularly beneficial, as not only fundamental relevant experience is gained in real projects, but often the first contacts for subsequent employment are made in this way. Diploma project: Cooperation with the business sector Diploma examination Post-secondary VET-courses both the 4-semester day forms and the 6-semester evening forms for people in employment are completed with a diploma exam. As students at the post-secondary VET-courses have already acquired higher education entrance qualifications, the diploma exam comprises the subjectspecific partial exams of the Reife- und Diplomprüfung, in particular the written Project examination (or the alternative diploma work). Other certificates Already for more than one decade, students at schools for engineering, arts and crafts are prepared in class for taking certificates in the field of quality assurance. This orientation of teaching towards certificates of relevance for practice has been further extended over the past few years. Thus, for example, certificate courses and exam preparation are offered particularly in foreign languages (e.g.: the First Certificate of English or the Business English Certificate), in computer sciences (e.g.: the EDCL; CISCO- or Microsoft network technology), and in the business sphere (e.g.: the Entrepreneurship Driving Licence; the SAP module Materials Management). Certificates quality assurance Recognition of specialist knowledge and skills It is prescribed by law that the specialist knowledge and skills of graduates of VET colleges are recognised if they continue their studies at Austrian Fachhochschule programmes and universities. Relevant consultation and coordination activities with tertiary education institutions ensure that students do not have to repeat existing knowledge unnecessarily, thus facilitating an earlier entry to the world of work. Cooperation schemes have also been set up with universities and Fachhochschule programmes in the European Union that enable a reduction of study periods for HTL-graduates by recognising knowledge and skills. Recognition in the tertiary sector

At the EU level, the HTL s high educational level is taken account of, as already in the previous mutual recognition directives, now also in Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications, which entered into force on 20 October 2005. The professional title Ingenieur/Ingenieurin With occupationrelated practice to the Ingenieur title Applications for the awarding of the professional title of Ingenieur/Ingenieurin can be submitted by graduates of colleges of engineering to the Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour following at least three years of relevant professional practice. The prerequisite for the conferring of the professional title is that the respective college of engineering or area specialisation is listed in the Ingenieur Ordinance (Ingenieur Ordinance, pursuant to 3 of the 2006 Ingenieur Act) and practical training has been subject-oriented. Subject-orientation is taken for granted by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour if the employer confirms with a certificate that the activities carried out within the framework of the 3-year practice presuppose subject-oriented knowledge in those subjects where the Reifeund Diplomprüfung (or diploma exam) can be taken. Quality In fulfilment of its responsibility vis-à-vis all stakeholders, the Austrian schools and colleges for engineering, arts and crafts decided to assure and further develop their quality in accordance with uniform principles (Quality Manifesto of 15 April 2005). The implementation of this manifesto is conducted on the basis of the Quality management system HTL Q-SYS, which builds on state-of-the-art and recognised principles of quality management, is oriented towards the European quality framework CQAF (Common Quality Assurance Framework) and sees itself as a part of the VET quality initiative (QIBB, www.qibb.at). The cornerstones of HTL Q-SYS are medium- and short-term plans on the basis of school and work programmes, regular and systematic evaluation, accountability by publication of annual quality reports, and agreement on development and implementation objectives within the framework of management and performance reviews. Like the QIBB, HTL Q-SYS is not limited to the school level but also covers the provincial level (school inspection) and the national level (General Directorate for Vocational Education and Training of the Federal Ministry for Education, the Arts and Culture). This ensures that processes affecting several organisational levels are also included in the quality management process. Mission statement Core messages in the HTL mission statement HTL Q-SYS builds on the joint, nationwide valid HTL mission statement, which can be supplemented to include statements specific to the school location. The mission statement includes the core messages regarding the educational processes of the schools and colleges for engineering, arts and crafts, which are presented in the following seven quality areas: "educational mission", "innovative programmes", "practice-orientation", "quality", "environment for learning and working", "personnel" and "internationalism". The core messages in brief:

The Austrian schools and colleges for engineering, arts and crafts offer their students a well-founded technical or industry-specific education and training as well as comprehensive general education geared towards personal growth; view their core competence in the development of innovative programmes in all areas of technology; secure their special trademark practice-orientation of VET programmes through the combination of theoretical education and occupation-related practice, the practical experience of its teaching staff and intensive cooperation with business and industry; consider themselves committed to the highest standards in terms of quality and their continuous further development in their work; offer their students support and encouragement in a motivating environment for learning and working; consider the skills, experience and commitment of staff as key essentials for successfully implementing their educational functions; deliver their education and training work with a strong focus on international aspects and create mobility, cosmopolitism and intercultural understanding.