Project goals:
The primary aim of the project is to develop, test and consolidate cooperative practice models in order to make learning factories at vocational schools accessible for continuing vocational training. The reason for this is that the existing models for vocational learning factories run by local authorities make it difficult to use them for in-company training and continuing vocational education and training. Learning factories create realistic production environments and thus enable the practical teaching of vocational skills, particularly on topics relating to digital transformation, sustainability in production and vocational orientation. The practical models to be developed provide innovative concepts for the practical implementation and testing of new forms of operation for vocational training courses in learning factories. They aim to promote the use of learning factories for continuing education and to fully exploit their potential by involving a wide range of stakeholder groups as operators.

Another sub-project focuses on the development of networks and links to existing continuing education platforms in order to make the learning factories' offerings accessible to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in a targeted manner. At the same time, a third sub-project is developing and implementing a nationally recognized university certificate "Learning Factories for Vocational Education and Training" to qualify teachers and training staff for use in learning factories. This certificate imparts practical skills for the design and implementation of further training courses and also promotes the sustainable use of learning factories as an educational platform for companies.

Progression:
At the beginning of the project, the focus is on developing practical models with various stakeholders as operators. For this purpose, the content-related needs and requirements for further education offers on the part of the companies are determined, as are the available resources and limiting framework conditions that influence the active participation of schools in the offers. These factors are used to derive and develop concepts for the practical implementation of continuing education programs, taking into account identified conditions for success from a study by Windelband et al. (2023). At the same time, the new links with existing continuing education platforms and networks will be used to advertise the continuing education offers in the learning factories of the vocational schools to the defined target group. Following the implementation of various further education courses at different target levels, an evaluation of the respective tried and tested practical models will take place. Transfer workshops, also beyond national borders, will help to disseminate the results.

Core results:

• Alternative practical models for learning factories with specific training courses on digital transformation, sustainability in production and career guidance.
• Linking with existing training platforms and networks to transfer the offers.
• Develop, establish and test university certificate "Learning factories for vocational training".