My trip to Jyvaskyla, Finland, was very productive. I had meetings with researchers affiliated with the University of Jyvaskyla's Finnish Institute for Educational Research (FIER) and school officials in the area to learn about the organization of career and workforce education, PISA results, new directions in evaluation, teacher preparation, and adult education issues. Jysvaskyla is known as the "Athens of Finland" for its focus on education and the source of design innovation ideas as it is the home of Alvar Aalto, a renown architect who brought modernism to the world of architecture in the mid 1900s, NOKIA headquarters, and the first normal school in Finland.
I also had the opportunity to visit Helsinki and talk with policymakers of the National Board of Education (Lauri Kurvonen, picture on left) on the specifics of PISA results, reasons for student academic success, and connections to occupational preparation. I also interviewed researchers at the University of Helsinki who are using activity theory on the study of work-related situations as a means to inform curriculum development and instructional strategies in a variety of occupational contexts.
Dr. Johanna Lasonen was the most gracious host and the primary contact in Jyvaskyla. She and I drafted a potential seminar in workforce education designed for doctoral students interested in related topics under a comparative approach to learn about the success of Finland in public education and the connections to workforce education. Given the presence of FIER and the availability of affordable summer housing, this could be a great venue for a short study abroad in summer 2010.
My visit to Bremen, Germany, has also been very successful. The University of Bremen is the youngest of the German university system and it is the host of the leading research center, Institute of Technology and Education (ITB, acronym in German) with primary focus on vocational education and training. Historically, the German system of career and workforce education has been the gold standard for other countries and it was important to stop here and talk to professionals in the field as well. Bremen has been one of the major trading posts in the world in connnection to its sister city port Bremerhaven, and today it attracts many companies looking for a well-educated workforce including Mercedez Benz, Airbus, and others. The picture of the Town Hall is shown on the left.
Dr. Michael Gessler, Director of the International Vocational Education Research unit (and also Co-Director of ITB), was a great host along with Pekka Kamarainen (Senior Researcher). We discussed the possiblity of hosting a small doctoral group of students in summer 2010 and they were very receptive to the idea. We talked about the potential content and organization and the combination of informational meetings and site visits to companies located in the area including Mercedenz Benz. Bremen also represents a great site for a short study abroad in summer 2010. Student housing is available during the summer in the downtown area and the location in Germany makes Bremen a very affordable destination. Picture: Dr. Michael Gessler (left) and Pekka Kamarainen (right).
Bremen is an independent city state and is rich in history. For anyone interested in learning about the historical development of one of the most dynamic economies in the world heavily rooted in trade, work, politics, and education, Bremen offers a glimpse of the German spirit.
The final location for the short study abroad in summer 2010 will come down to cost as these two venues offer what we are looking for a comparison of workforce education systems in the context of socioeconomic factors and conditions in the midst of a global economy.
