Strategische Kooperationen

Educational institutes have always been seen as needing to cooperate: this idea first took shape in education acts and is now increasingly being applied to lifelong learning. In practice, however, there are many arguments against cooperation at institutes of continuing education, not least as it can create unwanted situations of rivalry among the cooperating institutes. To develop models which will help guide schools on issues of cooperation better, further research is required: What advantages does cooperation bring? What form should cooperation take if it is to have long-term effects? How does cooperation change institutions?

In the field of economic innovation research, “clusters” (geographical concentrations of related companies) are of great importance due to their extreme productivity and innovation. Seen from the perspective of this type of innovation research, this article presents possible mechanisms which could stand in the path of regional cooperation. Geographical proximity is not enough to spark successful cooperation. The article identifies indifference as a central hurdle on the path to regional cooperation and proposes the principle of “small steps” as a possible solution. It then goes on to address the topic of how to balance rivalry and trust, before ending with a brief outline of some conclusions on how to carry out strategic cooperation.

This article sheds light on cooperation between different educational fields as seen from the point of view of experts in education. The authors present the initial findings from the group discussions of a DFG project which started recently. These findings cast doubt on whether cooperation can succeed when different occupational groups know so little about one another within and outside their educational sectors. It remains to be seen whether future data expected from the project confirms the categories developed in this article to describe different people’s perceptions of cooperation (seen as a necessary obligation, as a positive choice, or as a strategy).

Looking at consultancy for European project work, the article reveals the common obstacles and success factors for cooperative ventures between adult education institutions as part of EU funding programmes. The author recommends paying particular attention to all the parties' interests to ensure there is joint ownership.

Over the past few years, various institutional forms of learning centres have been developed. Of these, the “one-stop shop” is the most relevant to the form of cooperation. Here, information, education and advice are all provided at one spot. Management models, structures and the effects of cooperation are elaborated based on this form of cooperation.

In the form of a review, the author outlines the history of how cooperation has been achieved and imposed in the field of continuing education. He distinguishes between cooperation as an intervention and as an exchange, and between proclamatory, hierarchical and participative cooperation. The structure of the network is presented as way to boost cooperation, and is studied to identify risks and key success factors.

This article presents the findings of a research project on structure and change in continuing education in Bremen, set out as a longitudinal analysis of selected years between 1979 and 2006. At the level of the continuing education system as a whole, the author identifies a certain structural stability evident from the fact that despite a growth in the number of market-oriented providers from 1996 to 2006, their competition – providers under public law – retained its structural influence on the market as a whole. At the level of individual organisations, one observation in Bremen is that (though the figures are not statistically significant) market-oriented providers have tended to drop in number, more so than those under public law. At the level of specific interactions between teachers and learners, the authors focus on changes in general and political education courses on offer (drop in foreign languages, more cultural education, etc.).