Focus on Future Skills: 3rd project meeting and excursions in Berlin

At the time of the meeting, the data collection for the project was already well advanced. This was based on comprehensive theoretical research and intensive focus groups with managers of Folk High Schools/Bildungshäuser and experts. In addition to administrative matters, the Berlin meeting therefore focused on the challenge of clarifying how the findings and best practices gained could be broken down into practical and appealing information for educational centers and transferred into a collection of results.

The target result of the project is a bilingual publication (German and English) that serves Folk High Schools/Bildungshäuser as a creative orientation aid for organizational and personnel development. The contents should also be of interest to other educational institutions beyond this target group - a source of inspiration for innovative approaches in adult education.

A highlight following the project meeting was a series of excursions. As the team already knew from previous projects, such visits provide valuable impetus, promote a change of perspective and are a catalyst for new ideas. 

This time, the following three impressive locations were on the agenda:

1. Open Knowledge
   FoundationThe organization is committed to free content and open access to knowledge. The project team gained insights into the working methods, organizational structure and personnel management.
   
   
2. SuperCoop
   This cooperatively organized supermarket impressed with its high degree of self-organization. The members actively shape the work processes here. For the project team, this was an exciting approach that opened up new perspectives on collaboration and personal responsibility.
   
   
3. Flipped job market
   An innovative approach to coaching that looks at working life from a completely new perspective. An alternative to traditional recruiting methods that shows how personal commitment can be redefined in professional life.

The next step: sharing and inspiring knowledge

After these intensive and enriching days, the team is now turning its attention to the final major task: processing the project results. The publication of the impulse brochure is planned for spring 2025 and will bundle the most exciting findings and best practices in a compact and accessible form.

The Future Skills project proves how valuable the exchange and joint development of new approaches can be for the future viability of educational institutions. Berlin has not only enriched the exchange, but also sharpened the focus: for the challenges, but above all for the opportunities that the future brings with it.

Further information

• ARGE BHÖ project website “Future Skills - skills change in the training center of the future”
• Website VBLR
• Website SPES Zukuntsakademie