Social science education: More sustainability for skilled workers of the future
2024-10-28 The metal and electrical industry is a key sector in the sustainability transformation because it is energy-intensive and heavily dependent on global supply chains. The research project by educational scientist Prof. Dr. Harald Hantke is developing and evaluating a further education and training concept for trainers to help shape the transformation. IG Metall is a strategic partner.
Supply chain law, energy saving or circular economy: Since 2021, sustainability has been part of the training regulations for industrial clerks, electronics technicians for automation technology and industrial mechanics, among others. “Although many young people are committed to sustainability, we also see that not everyone feels involved in the transformation. For example, when sustainability in everyday working life is seen more as a requirement and less as an opportunity to shape the future,” says Prof. Dr. Harald Hantke, Junior Professor of Social Science Education.
The research project “Sustainability in professions in the metal and electrical industry” (NiME) therefore not only aims to show how (professional) action can be linked to sustainability goals. The project also wants to focus on the self-efficacy of those involved: “The trainees, but also the trainers, should experience this: I have points of contact in my job where I can contribute to sustainable transformation. After all, transformation can only succeed if people are empowered to act independently and do not feel disempowered,” explains the researcher and continues: ”For example, it is important to be able to deal confidently with complexities, contradictions and conflicts. In the context of developing teaching-learning processes, it is therefore important to identify the conditions for success in dealing with transformation in this way.”
Harald Hantke's team initially carried out document and workplace analyses as well as a scoping workshop with trainers. “We looked at the training regulations and framework curricula, for example, and identified numerous points of contact as well as contradictions between sustainability and professional practice,” reports research assistant Stella Heitzhausen.
Over the next two years, the researchers will develop and evaluate pilot workshop series with 20-40 trainers based on the train-the-trainer principle. The starting point is the findings of the Leuphana pilot project “Sustainable resonance spaces in the food industry” (NaReLe). “Our strategic partner is IG Metall, which conducts the workshops together with us,” explains Stella Heitzhausen. The initial aim is to reach 320-640 trainees over the course of the two-year research project. The completed training and further education concept will be made available via the IG Metall WAP portal at the end of the project and then implemented by IG Metall training officers.
The joint project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the European Union via the European Social Fund Plus (ESF Plus) with a total of around 500,000 euros as part of the “Sustainable at work - future-oriented training” program. 250,000 euros will go to Bielefeld University, the other half to Leuphana University.