After 12 weeks of training, the engineers from ILSAS, the training service provider of Malaysia's largest energy supplier, TNB (Tenaga Nasional Berhad), proudly held in their hands their internationally recognised certificate as “Solar Engineer” from the Chamber of Crafts of South Westphalia.
The hands-on “Train the Trainer” program took place in the cutting-edge workshops of the Arnsberg Vocational Training Centre under the guidance of German vocational training experts from the fields of photovoltaics, solar thermal energy and smart home. The main focus was on teaching practical skills in both electrical engineering and air conditioning systems.
As multipliers, the engineers were to acquire practically applicable technical and methodological knowledge that they could later pass on to colleagues in their home countries. The goal was to improve the quality of teaching and training in the long term, as well as giving the engineers the opportunity to get to know the advantages of German dual training system and its hands-on way of learning a particular field of competence so that they would be able to apply it in their home country.
The participants’ training took place in a German environment context over a long period of time on both a professional as well as private level. The participants lived and worked in a foreign culture. Therefore, they were specifically chosen to be part of a community in a vocational training centre where other trainees and vocational trainers meet each other on a daily basis.
Our many years of success in cooperating on international training programs are based on the knowledge that learning is always linked to the respective culture. The intercultural perspective tied in with a conscious approach has a great influence on the personal attitude towards learning. It is the strongest factor for the success of training. The participants were personally supervised, took part in intercultural competence training courses and were supported throughout their stay. Their own cultural and religious aspects found space in their daily routine.
Through numerous specialised trade visits, the engineers were not only able to gain an insight into the dual system in theory and practice, but could also observe the German work culture and enter into a dialogue with vocational training experts.
Moreover, the direct experience of the foreign culture took place with a lot of fun and enjoyment during numerous events. This laid the foundation for a cooperation between German and Malaysian vocational training experts that goes far beyond mere training.