Bridging the U.S. Skills Gap

Events

On Thursday, April 28, 2016, the UAS7 New York Office hosted a panel discussion on the topic of "Bridging the U.S. Skills Gap - A Transatlantic Discussion on Vocational Training and Best Practices" in cooperation with the German Consulate New York.

5 people in front of flags — "Bridging the Skills Gap" panelists and moderator at the German Consulate General New York.

The evening event, which took place in the auditorium of the German Consulate General in New York, was very well attended by around 100 guests. Speakers were: Dr. Christine Benz (Training Manager at Trumpf Inc.), Dr. Robin Mishra (Head of Science and Technology, German Embassy Washington D.C.), Prof. Dr. Bernd Reissert (Professor of Political Science, (focus: labour market and education policy), former President of the Berlin School of Economics and Law and former Chairman of UAS7), and Dr. Gale Tenen Spak (Vice President for Continuing and Distance Education at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NYIT). Dr. Joann Halpern (Director, Science and Innovation House New York) moderated the conference.

Background of the event: Dual vocational training is increasingly recognized by industry and education policymakers in the USA as an alternative to or entry into a 4-year university degree. However, established structures like those in Germany do not (yet) exist here, which is why a transatlantic exchange on this topic is highly desirable. The panel discussion focused not only on success stories and best practices but also on the difficulties and challenges that arise in establishing dual vocational training structures and dual degree programs on both sides of the Atlantic.

All participants agreed that dual vocational training should not be a limited, but should also provide paths and an opening towards university degrees (Bachelor's, Master's and PhDs) in the long term. Especially Universities of Applied Sciences with their industry-oriented and applied teaching and research methods as well as their already successful dual study courses can provide important ideas for this.

Manufacturing Talk Radio (MTR) filmed and commented the panel discussion:

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