Quality in IT training
Learning at the workplace is the new method of advanced training in information technologies. In future, people with basic IT training and those who are changing careers will no longer have to go back to school to gain further qualifications as a network administrator, software developer or IT sales advisor. Instead, they will learn through project work during regular working hours. The trainees progress is documented and then assessed during a final interview. Acquiring active skills in real work processes represents the future model for life-long learning, says Professor Herbert Weber, director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Software and Systems Engineering ISST in Berlin and chairman of the new QUIT certification body. The foundation of QUIT last December puts an end to years of ongoing debate on the standardization of IT qualifications. A lack of generally applicable rules led to rampant chaos: Anyone could offer training courses and issue certificates as they saw fit. Through the concerted efforts of major professional associations, research organizations and trade unions, a common standard can now be applied throughout Germany. The QUIT partners include the German Association for Information Technology, Telecommunication and New Media (BITKOM), the German electrical and electronic manufacturers association (ZVEI), Germanys IG Metall metalworkers trade union and the Unified Service Sector Union (ver.di) as well as the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and the German Informatics Society (GI). From this year on, QUIT will be responsible for issuing IT staff certification for 29 specialist profiles. Certification is accredited according to international standards under the auspices of the Trägergemeinschaft für Akkreditierung (TGA) accreditation company. This provides internationally recognized qualifications and ensures their acceptance. At the moment, the attitude of chambers of commerce to IT certification is still giving the QUIT partners cause for concern: In many cases, they use the profile descriptions of the new IT training system, but their courses offer participants only parts of the content and use hand-me-down training concepts. Consequently, the certificates awarded at the end of these professional training courses do not meet the established quality standards. Note: Not all certificates for IT specialists are what they proclaim. The founders of QUIT therefore explicitly point out that only TGA certification for IT specialists complies with the standard criteria in Germany and can claim international recognition.,For further information:,Stefan Grunwald ,Telefon: +49 30 / 2 43 06-4 27 ,Fax: +49 30 / 2 43 06-5 99 ,E-mail: stefan.grunwald@isst.fraunhofer.de Fraunhofer-Institut fur Software- und Systemtechnik ISST ,Mollstr. 1 ,D-10178 Berlin ,http://www.isst.fhg.de/english/index_e.html
Countries
Germany