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The article focuses on guidance in adult education as a type of institutional talk. Multiple data sources were collected through a comparative case study of two providers to examine how the institutional contexts influenced the guidance. On the one hand the providers define the subjects of their guidance service and their selection of consultants is based on the content knowledge. Also the providers pursue institutional goals with their guidances. On the other hand the guidance-seekers have the…
The primary objective of guidance and counselling in continuing education and training is its focus on customers by means of changing perspective on their interests and concerns as a key principle for processes, methods and tools. Quality of guidance services is the outcome of well-planned and structured approaches respectively customer-focused guidance procedures. It is also the result of a process in each individual counselling situation and cannot be completely regulated by institutional and…
The report outlines the outcome of scientific monitoring of the educational and continuing educational counselling centre in Munich with regard to the effectiveness of counselling in the field of continuing education. Results prove the high contentment level among those seeking advice even after a longer time interval. Looking back, the respondents were still motivated to actively take their education in hand; some participate in further education.
In February 2009, a national association of guidance practitioners and scientific experts, known as the German National Guidance Forum for Education, Career and Employment (nfb), presented a widely recognized key issues paper. The following report comments on the paper from the perspective of continuing education research with a special focus on the following issue: Will the structural improvement of continuing educational counselling lead to an increase of participation in adult education? Due…
The education cheque, introduced in North Rhine-Westphalia, is a funding instrument which has been running since 2006 and is based on demand. This article presents the central results of an independent evaluation carried out in 2008. The quantitative aims have been achieved, or are likely to be achieved (212,000 attendees funded, 42,000 small and medium-sized enterprises approached by 2013; increasing attendance of continuing education courses in SMEs by two percent). On the negative side the a…
Pioneers from the Islands - National Qualifications Framework in England, Scotland and Ireland This article looks into the genesis and structure of the qualifications frameworks in England, Scotland and Ireland, compares them and concludes with notes to be taken into account for developments in Germany. The qualifications frameworks described, which are considered the forerunners of the EQF, have improved connections between the educational sectors. Their recognised benefit is the transpare…
Bildungsberatung gilt seit Langem als Eckpfeiler eines funktionierenden Systems lebenslangen Lernens. Die Frage nach den Wirkungen von Beratung ist indes noch nicht gut erforscht. So rücken Fragen der Nutzenstiftung von Beratung in den Mittelpunkt: Welche Wirkungen hat Weiterbildungsberatung auf die Weiterbildungsbeteiligung? Nutzen Bildungsanbieter Erkenntnisse aus der Beratung zur Entwicklung ihrer Programmplanung? Welche Zufriedenheit generieren Beratungsstellen bei den Ratsuchenden?
In consideration of the omnipresent commitment to the significance of lifelong learning, the article analyses the role of continuing education within public education funding. Over the past 20 years, public continuing education funding has been reduced by 41 %. The low participation rate in continuing education, particularly among the less qualified and atypically employed, encourage an increase in public investments. Funds should enhance staff counselling, qualification and professionalism as …