The dual vocational training model of the DANOBATGROUP, chosen as a success case by the Bertelsmann Foundation
The Assemblers School Workshop of DANOBATGROUP has been selected as a success case by the Alliance for Dual Vocational Education and Training (VET), an initiative aimed at improving the quality of education of young people sponsored by the Bertelsmann Foundation.
The training model given at the training facilities of the Basque machine tool manufacturer has been included as an example of good practice on the digital platform of the Alliance, a statewide network formed by companies, educational centres and institutions that pursue improvement of youth employability through Dual VET.
The Alliance stresses the "high training contents" carried out in the company itself as well as the student involvement in real working environments abroad as some of the highlights of the vocational training model given at the Workshop School of DANOBATGROUP.
In addition, it also points to the advantages of the direct involvement of school staff in the design of programs and in class preparation and the fact that students receive financial compensation during their training in the production plants.
With the aim of improving the quality of training and further developing the relationship with the educational community, the Basque industrial group founded the Assemblers School Workshop in their own facilities in 2012, where the Higher Level Dual Training Cycle in Mechatronics is given. This project, developed in collaboration with the Machine Tool Institute, is based on teaching theoretical knowledge combined with practical experience in real production plants.
In addition to the lessons received during conventional training, the model given by DANOBATGROUP incorporates a third additional year. In this sense, the group has taken another step in the improvement of the syllabus so as ensure a seamless integration of students in production plants.
The first class of school leavers of this new three-year system were given their qualification last June at a ceremony held in Bilbao, which was attended by the Regional Minister of Education of the Basque Government, Cristina Uriarte.
At this ceremony, the students received the certificate of Specialisation in Setting of Machine Tools for Advanced Manufacturing Projects, a qualification approved by the Basque government.
Commitment to education
For the industrial group, the Assemblers School Workshop is a strategic educational project, which was created after the success of the Basque company in Germany, where the company implemented this system first.
The dual vocational training model has the advantage of combining theoretical education with practical knowledge in real production environments. Students also receive training in languages, prevention of occupational risks and have a work placement abroad in the factories of the company, shortening the adaptation time to the reality of industry significantly.
In the framework of its commitment to the training, last March, the company from Gipuzkoa signed an agreement with the Basque government, Iñigo Urkullu, to continue its pursuit for dual vocational training projects.
This agreement is a further step forward in the existing understanding between DANOBATGROUP and the Basque institutions, which collaborate jointly in the creation of new skills profiles adapted to the needs of the labour market.
