Costa Rican Vocational Education and Training
Vocational Education and Training (VET) is receiving increasing attention in Costa Rica due to the growing need for well-qualified workforce and high level of youth unemployment. At the same time, VET system of Costa Rica is currently struggling with an insufficient provision of adequately trained VET educators. Teacher training requires appropriate capacities and adequate academic programs, which are yet not well-developed in Costa Rica. The newly established and until now the only in Costa Rica Chair of Technical and Vocational Education situated at the Universidad Técnica Nacional in San Jose does not yet have a sufficient experience in the qualification of young scientists and lecturers in the field of VET and vocational didactics as well as a long academic tradition in the research of vocational education. However, a well-established institutionalized VET research is a fundamental prerequisite for VET to efficiently and continuously adapt to the changing technical, economic, and social developments and needs of the country. Against this background, the international research project CoRi VET aims at further development of the existing study program in Costa Rica in order to ensure the preparation of well-qualified teachers for VET institutions in Costa Rica as well as the at a further development of institutionalised VET research at the Chair of Technical and Vocational Education of the Universidad Técnica Nacional. The University of Osnabrück (UOS) and the Universidad Técnica Nacional (UTN) are working closely together to reach the intended project goals.
To achieve the project goals, the following central activities are planned:
1) Demand-oriented revision of the existing study program of the partner university in Costa Rica
In order to determine the current qualification needs, problem-centred and expert interviews with different actors in the field of VET as well as document analyses of the curricula and other regulatory documents of the presently implemented study program will be conducted. Based on these results, the existing curriculum will be revised and complemented with vocational pedagogical and subject-related didactical content.
2) Conception and implementation of the training of lecturers of the UTN
The UTN lecturers involved in the realization of the study program will be prepared by the research team for the implementation of the adapted curriculum. For this purpose, a series of workshops with a focus on the vocational pedagogical and subject-related didactical contents will be designed and conducted.
3) Implementation and evaluation of the revised curriculum
The implementation of the modified curriculum will be continuously guided by the project team. Further, to evaluate of the pilot implementation of the new curriculum, focus groups with the involved UTN lecturers and students as well as participant observations of the educational processes will be conducted.
4) Demand-oriented support of the partner university in strengthening the institutionalised VET research
In order to strengthen the VET research in Costa Rica, a continuous demand-oriented guidance regarding a further development of the Chair of Technical and Vocational Education at the UTN as well as a support in the implementation of research projects and supervision of doctoral dissertations will be provided by UOS. Furthermore, a continuing education program for young researches at UTN will be designed and implemented.
Project details and contact
Duration
01.02.2021-31.01.2025
Funding reference number
01BF20001
Project management
Prof. Dr. Dietmar Frommberger
Project team members
Appointment will take place shortly
Cooperating institutions (national and international):
Cooperating partner in Germany:
University of Osnabrück
Department of Vocational Education and Training
Contact: Prof. Dr. Dietmar Frommberger
Link: https://www.bwp.uni-osnabrueck.de/startseite.html
Cooperating partner in Costa Rica:
Universidad Técnica Nacional (UTN)
Centro de Formación Pedagógica y Tecnología Educativa (Center for Pedagogical Education and Educational Technology)
Dean of the Center: Francisco González Calvo
Link: https://www.utn.ac.cr/sedes/cfpte