Cross-border vocational training and study during the pandemic
Cross-border dual vocational training and university courses are a fact of life in the French-German border regions. During the Covid-19 pandemic, however, apprentices and students on such European courses were faced with huge challenges. With the borders closed, they were cut off from the partner country and as a result cross-border learning was only possible to a very limited extent. Although stays abroad could be partially fulfilled thanks to online activities, these could not replace the on-site intercultural experiences of everyday and student life. Ines Funk (Saarland University) and Christian Wille (University of Luxembourg) examine these and other experiences in a scientific study conducted on behalf of the Franco-German Youth Office (FGYO).
Crisis-proof cross-border training courses
The experiences of apprentices and students on cross-border training courses and the insights that the regional actors in cross-border vocational training provide allow some conclusions and thoughts for the future. In this respect, the authors equate the pandemic situation with a stress test, which has made it clear that the specificities of the cross-border training offer are not always sufficiently firmly anchored in political and administrative processes. The framework conditions necessary for cross-border education should, however, be secured without fail ready for any future crisis situations. In addition to operational requirements, this includes, above all, trust-based French-German cooperative relations, which became strained for a time when the borders were closed blocking joint action by the institutions responsible.
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Funk, Ines / Wille, Christian (2022): Stresstest für die Jugendmobilität im Grenzraum. Grenzüberschreitende Berufsausbildung und Studium während der Pandemie – Erfahrungen und Perspektiven [A stress test for youth mobility in the border area. ]. Panorama. Deutsch-französische und europäische Analysen 2. Deutsch-Französisches Jugendwerk, Berlin, online: Cross-border vocational training and study during the pandemic – experiences and perspectiveswww.dfjw.org/panorama-2
Funk, Ines / Wille, Christian (2022) : Enjeux de la mobilité des jeunes dans l’espace frontalier. Apprentissages et cursus universitaires transfrontaliers pendant la pandémie : expériences et perspectives [A stress test for youth mobility in the border area. ]. Panorama. Analyses franco-allemandes et européennes 2. Office franco-allemand pour la Jeunesse, Paris, online : Cross-border vocational training and study during the pandemic – experiences and perspectiveswww.ofaj.org/panorama-2
The study was supported by the German-French University (DFH-UFA) and the UniGR-Center for Border Studies (UniGR-CBS).
