CoRiCert – How Costa Rica is supported to develop action-oriented exams

Vocational training is an effective tool to combat unemployment and skills shortages and is also an important prerequisite for the competitiveness of companies. How important are skilled crafs and trades in Costa Rica and what does training in these trades look like?

Luise Maudanz (LM): In Costa Rica, as we unfortunately know from other partner countries in international vocational education and training cooperation, initial and continuing vocational education and training is not so highly regarded, so it tends to play a subordinate role, partly because the trend is more towards academisation. However, there is an awareness in Costa Rica, both socially and politically and economically, that vocational education and training is very, very important in order to develop skilled labour and reduce youth unemployment, among other things.

Against this background, Costa Rica has already implemented a number of reforms in recent decades. One example of this is the introduction of the National Qualifications Framework (Marco Nacional Cualificaciones para la Educación y Formación Técnico Profesional de Costa Rica) as a transparency instrument. This is comparable to the German Qualifications Framework but comprises fewer levels.

The Costa Rican vocational training system is divided into two areas: the formal and the non-formal sector. The non-formal sector is dominated by the national training institute (Instituto Nacional de Aprendizaje, INA for short). This is primarily concerned with enabling learners over the age of 15 to catch up on their basic education. Vocational training programmes with a dual approach are also offered. However, these are shorter qualifications.

In the Costa Rican qualifications framework, the corresponding qualifications are categorised at Técnico levels 1 to 3. The formal education qualifications are categorised at Técnico level 4 and are the responsibility of the Costa Rican Ministry of Public Education (Ministerio de Educación Pública, MEP for short) and are carried out by the vocational secondary schools (Colegios Técnicos). In 2019, the previous government decided to also offer dual training at level 4 and chose electrical engineering and web development as the first professions to be tested. In February 2022, the first cohort started dual training in these two professions.

What we in Germany understand by "skilled craft" can be learnt in both formal and non-formal vocational training. In Costa Rica, no distinction is made between crafts and industry. The electrical engineering profession also includes many elements from industry. However, we are also familiar with this from other countries, where there is no distinction between skilled crafts and industry as there is in Germany.

Yaiza Rojas Matas (YRM): For us, Arbeit und Leben Hamburg e. V., as a German trade union education provider, the representation of trade unions is of course particularly important. It has to be said that there is only weak trade union representation in the private sector in Costa Rica, whereas there are some active trade unions for teachers in the public sector, for example.

The three most important teacher unions in Costa Rica are SEC (Costa Rican Education Workers Union), APSE (Secondary School Teachers' Association of Costa Rica) and ANDE (National Teachers' Association). Of these, however, only one, the SEC, is involved in dual education on the part of the Ministerio de Educación Pública (MEP).

The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung helped us to enter into dialogue with ANDE, SEC and the SITET (Sindicato Industrial de Trabajadores Eléctricos y Telecomunicaciones) trade union from the electrical engineering sector, which is very important as we also work on the subject of electrical engineering.

As a neutral actor, we were able to initiate a conversation that had not been possible since the law was passed in Costa Rica. For example, we discussed what the role of trade unions in dual training could be and answered questions from trade unions that were not involved. This included the question of the scope of Técnico 4 training and whether dual training leads to young people being exploited as cheap labour.

Following these meetings with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, a trade union round table on dual training has now been formed in Costa Rica. Other trade unions are now also interested in getting involved. As representatives of the teaching staff, the trade unions were concerned that the jobs of vocational school teachers could be cut. Using Germany as an example, we were able to show them that this is not to be expected; rather, the tasks would change.

CoRiCert is embedded in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) cooperation between the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Costa Rican Ministry of Education (MEP). In a call for project applications under the WiSoVET guideline, the two governments described the type of project they wanted to fund. What are CoRiCert's objectives and from your point of view, how did the development and launch phase of the project (consortium formation, application, launch) take place?

LM: The objectives of CoRiCert's project description can be categorised under the key areas of "examination and certification" and "training counselling and recruitment".

In the area of examination and certification, the aim is to design and test examination and certification models with the respective instruments for Costa Rica and, above all, together with the Costa Rican partners, so that a standardised nationwide procedure can then be developed to determine professional competence.

At the moment, the law still stipulates that the final examination for dual training is carried out in the form of a written single-choice examination. In the area of training recruitment and counselling, the aim is to attract additional companies, but also educational and social partners, especially for future cohorts, to build a network and to support all stakeholders through capacity building. Cooperation between the various learning venues should also be strengthened.

We have prioritised these goals in discussions with the MEP. The examination structures have been given top priority and the second priority is to support the creation of a strategy to attract more companies, vocational schools and trainees to dual vocational training. The focus here is on attracting companies, as vocational schools and trainees are interested in this form of training.

As far as the consortium formation and application process is concerned, I have to say that the consortium was put together very quickly. The SCIVET coordination unit and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)-funded unions4VET strategy project of the German Trade Union Confederation also provided support. This is how Arbeit und Leben Hamburg e. V., we as the central office for further training in the skilled crafts (ZWH) and the University of Osnabrück came together. At this early stage, we also brought the South Thuringia Chamber of Crafts on board for the electrical engineering sector. The roles were allocated very quickly. What was positive for us during the application process was that we had no competitors and were closely supported by the Project Management Agency of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR PT for short).

The DLR PT administers the funding guidelines for international vocational training co-operation for the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Despite the rapid consortium formation and support, the process was relatively long and stretched from spring 2022 to January 2023 until we were finally able to start in February 2023. It was great that we were able to hold an online kick-off in March.

What does the cooperation with the two ministries and other stakeholders in VET cooperation look like in everyday project work? Does it differ from the work in other international vocational education and training projects?

LM: Well, the first thing you can say is that the MEP and its employees are incredibly committed and bring a lot of enthusiasm and energy to help shape our project. This makes the MEP a great and very important partner for us with various contact persons. We very quickly switched to organising monthly meetings with the MEP, which are attended by all CoRiCert-project partners.

For example, we were able to get to know representatives from different departments at MEP and identify overlaps, e.g. in the areas of quality management, evaluation, technical education and entrepreneurship.

YRM: BMBF and DLR PT also talk to the MEP every month. In preparation, I usually have a meeting with them beforehand so that they know what is important to us and how they can support us. I also meet directly with DLR PT every six weeks.

LM: The DLR PT supports us with questions and is very happy about the project development. The colleague responsible for vocational training cooperation with Costa Rica at the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training is also very supportive. On the subject of communication, I would like to add that Yaiza, as our network coordinator, is the main contact person for the MEP and also coordinates with the MEP in the meantime, writes emails, has conversations and is also very well connected via WhatsApp.

YRM: By using WhatsApp, we have adapted to the communication channels in Costa Rica. WhatsApp is not used in other international collaborations, but it is in Costa Rica. That's why we started with a business account, and it makes communication easier for us, even given the time difference.

LM: However, the political changes in Costa Rica also have an impact on our project. Sometimes there are headwinds, sometimes tailwinds. We have now met the third Director of Technical Education and Entrepreneurship at MEP (Director de Educación Técnica y Capacidades Emprendedoras, comparable to a department head in a German ministry) since the project started. Alberto Calvo Leiva is very supportive of our project.

The CoRiCert project consortium includes very different organisations: Arbeit und Leben Hamburg e.V. (a trade union education provider), the Central Office for Further Education in the Skilled Crafts (ZWH) and the University of Osnabrück. How is the project work organised in such a diverse consortium?

LM: Right from the start of the project, we agreed that we would hold two weekly jours fixes online, at which we consortium partners and our subcontractor, the South Thuringia Chamber of Crafts, would come together. In addition, the entire German project team, including the experts for web development and electrical engineering, meet twice a year in Berlin and Hamburg to coordinate their work. Of course, we also have coordination meetings on specific topics that take place outside of the fixed dates. Right from the start, everything was very transparent and we made our project plans available to each other. We can also work together very well and co-operatively on a human level.

Of course, Osnabrück University initially carried out most of the scientific analyses and conducted the associated interviews. But our experts and we from the project team then read over it again and made additions. So the Experts contributed how they perceived the situation in Costa Rica or what other challenges there were. This is a nice link between research and practice. In contrast, we at ZWH took the lead in the examiner training and created an initial draft. The other partners then added to it, so that the examiner training ended up being a joint product.

What interests do the individual organisations have in the project?

LM: All partners want to utilise the knowledge gained for future project cooperation in Costa Rica and, of course, beyond. We have learnt a lot about social partnership cooperation and how to approach the area of examination and certification. It is also very valuable that our work is included in the scientific discourse through the work of the university in the form of publications and specialist lectures, which we as ZWH and Arbeit und Leben Hamburg e. V. would not have been able to achieve.

What are the most important results of the project so far?

The most important results of the first year were :

• The scientific analysis and stocktaking in both the areas of examination and certification" and "training counselling and acquisition" was completed.
• A network was established in the area of examination and certification, which is also illustrated by the founding of the trade union round table.
• Practice-orientated exchanges with other stakeholders such as the chambers and various institutions in the free trade zones have taken place.
• The examiner training was carried out – first in October for a week in person and again online at the end of November due to high demand.
• CoRiCert organised a kick-off event in Costa Rica, which also had a very good media presence.
• The bilingual public relations work on Facebook and Linkedin has started.

How is it perceived in Costa Rica when German organisations act as facilitators in the Costa Rican vocational training system?

YRM: In Costa Rica and many other countries, Germany is associated with quality. That makes many people curious at first. On the other hand, we don't want to come with an imperialistic view and explain how things should supposedly work. So we sit together and listen and come to an understanding of learning from each other. But I also believe that many people would not have met with us if we were not from Germany. That also brings neutrality.

LM: From the very beginning, it was important to DLR PT that we support and accompany the Costa Ricans in finding their own way. With this in mind, it should also be noted that there will probably be two different approaches to the practical examination in the two professions of electrical engineering and web development. In the area of web development, the trainees themselves are to propose a project that they would like to realise in the company and which will then count as a practical examination. This could perhaps also be an approach that could be interesting for German vocational training. It is not yet clear whether the solutions developed in the project will be formalised in law.

What experiences have you had with the SCIVET tools in the project?

LM: We used the Systemic Quality Standard on the subject of examination to teach the basics of action-orientated examination. The standards are abstract enough to build a good bridge because we are not always talking about the German dual vocational training system.

Costa Rica does not yet have a competency-based examination system. So, in our further work in working groups, we will also use the templates for examination regulations that were developed in SCIVET as a basis for discussion in order to describe how the examination boards should work one day.

What hurdles have you already overcome as part of the project work and what challenges do you still face?

LM: The first challenge was that the scientific survey and the development of the examiner training programme were carried out in parallel. Although we were always able to coordinate our work, we still had to draw heavily on our experience from other countries. Involving the Costa Rican trade unions was also a challenge at the beginning, which we overcame, as Yaiza has already described.

Unfortunately, the list of outstanding challenges is somewhat longer. First and foremost is the recruitment of training companies. Of the first six companies offering dual training, five are international companies and only one is Costa Rican. Due to the low involvement of Costa Rican companies, it is difficult for us to understand the operational requirements, particularly in the field of electrical engineering. This is important in order to design realistic tasks for the examination, which should resemble real-world customer orders. In the area of web development, requirements and processes are more comparable internationally, as we were able to observe.

The ongoing involvement of training companies is also a challenge. Some companies have started training for the first time and want to decide after completing the training of the first cohort, i.e. after three years, whether they want to take on more trainees. From our point of view, it would be desirable if the companies that already have the necessary structures and experience would also take on trainees every year.

Many employees from vocational schools, chambers and companies only have limited time available, which makes it difficult to involve them in the project work. Another challenge from our point of view is that the curricula are very comprehensive. We are talking about 500 to 600 pages for the vocational schools and 300 pages for the companies. In our opinion, the complexity of these curricula could be an aspect that discourages companies.

Another challenge is that the first-generation trainees need to be prepared for the new type of action-oriented examinations. However, due to the delays caused by political developments in Costa Rica, the remaining time for this is estimated to be too short. As a result, the first cohort will still be given the single-choice exam and will only take an action-oriented exam as a test exam.

The results of the test exam are then submitted to the Higher Education Council in Costa Rica, which must approve a change in the legal requirements to a three-part action-oriented exam. This is different from what we described in the project application documents, but the BMBF and DLR PT recognise that we have adapted to the requirements in Costa Rica with these changes in the working schedule.

Environmental protection and social and economic sustainability are important issues for the skilled crafts sector. What role do environmental protection and sustainability play in the CoRiCert project?

LM: We take environmental aspects into account, for example, in the way we carry out our project by holding as many meetings as possible online and always travelling to face-to-face meetings in Germany by train. In addition, we decided from the outset that there would be a maximum of two trips to Costa Rica per year.

The far greater potential of our projects to target sustainability lies in the dimension of social and economic sustainability, in that we contribute to the recruitment of skilled labour and the reduction of youth unemployment in Costa Rica. Above all, people from disadvantaged social backgrounds are given the opportunity to enter a good profession.

How could the current project develop further and how could the collaboration be organised in the future?

LM: We have a long wish list, which was also developed in dialogue with the MEP. We would like to continue to support our partners in Costa Rica with the implementation and be available in the form of coaching or supervision. This could then also benefit organisations and economic sectors that are newly recruited for dual Vocational Education and Training and the next training cohorts.

We also see a need for further training in the work of an examination board. In addition, we could also offer training on the role and tasks of training staff in schools and companies. We would also train multipliers, as we cannot always be involved in Costa Rica. As a third pillar, we would like to have opportunities for exchange with Costa Rica so that German trainees could also do an internship in Costa Rica or Costa Rican trainees in Germany.

We would also like to offer representatives of companies, vocational schools, chambers and trade unions from Costa Rica the opportunity to travel to Germany, as we often observe that personal experience is much more beneficial than theoretical training. This could also be a key to the further involvement of trade unions. Whether and to what extent the BMBF would fund a follow-up project has not yet been decided.