The University of Freiburg has taken over the overall management of the Higher Education@BW project. We asked project manager Jan Ihwe for his assessment.
What opportunities does the project open up for universities in Baden-Württemberg?
The opportunities of the project lie in the fact that we as universities can show how diverse and interesting continuing education at universities in Baden-Württemberg is. On the www.suedwissen.de platform, we make this visible in a bundled form and can thus show what contribution we can make to important topics that move society. I am not only interested in qualifications on issues of transformation such as digitalisation, sustainability and participation for all employees in times of change. I would be delighted if it became clear what contribution higher education can make to orientation in a complex, networked world, and thus ultimately to democracy building and peacekeeping, over and above knowledge that can be directly utilised in the workplace. We want to strengthen this visibility in society with a nationwide umbrella brand for continuing education at universities.
The project also offers a great opportunity beyond the technical platform in the network of 26 regional and specialist networkers. These colleagues aim to bring together demand and supply in their regions and subject clusters. They act as ambassadors for our cause throughout the country and can also be contacted by interested companies, organisations and individuals at any time. The opportunity then lies in the joint, complementary development of customised offers, if they do not already exist.
However, this is not just about quantity: I see a great opportunity, especially with regard to evalag's involvement, to emphasise the qualities of continuing education at universities more clearly. By developing the seal and making the awarding procedure as streamlined as possible, Baden-Württemberg can make a constructive contribution to the issue of integrating the quality assurance of certificate programmes into the existing systems of higher education quality development through to System Accreditation.
What are the biggest challenges for you at the moment?
One major challenge is that the platform is developing from a showcase for existing continuing education programmes into a lively marketplace. Our networkers have a central role to play here because they can scout topics and initiate dialogues.
Ultimately, the success of the project will be measured by the demand for university continuing education and its impact. It may also be necessary to overcome the particular interests of individual universities or types of higher education institution by convincingly demonstrating that together we are stronger than the 48 individual state universities, colleges and academies for which we work.
Another current challenge is the realisation of an interface to hoch & weit, the nationwide portal of the German Rectors' Conference for higher education. Our aim is to make the work of university staff easier by enabling their programmes to be automatically transferred to hoch & weit.
What is your impression: How is the project perceived outside Baden-Württemberg?
The project is perceived positively throughout Germany; we are also very well received because of our clear orientation towards the principles of marketing. Baden-Württemberg is definitely in a pioneering role here at the moment. This was not always the case if you look back at the history of university continuing education, which began as an adult education initiative at a number of universities, mainly in northern Germany. We are therefore extremely grateful to the state for its generous support as part of the state-wide Weiter.mit.Bildung@BW initiative. However, we would like to take this opportunity to point out that there is still room for improvement in the framework conditions for continuing education at universities in Baden-Württemberg. All universities and the state should work together on this. As part of the project, we will do everything we can to advance the field within the scope of our possibilities.