DigiCon -Digital Construction for Europe: Technologies on the construction site of tomorrow in the vocational training of today Erasmus Project

Project Title

DigiCon -Digital Construction for Europe: Technologies on the construction site of tomorrow in the vocational training of today

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Cooperation between educational institutions and business; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

How are digitisation and new technologies changing work processes in industries and the competences required of skilled workers? And what should a realignment of vocational education and training look like to ensure keeping abreast with social and technological developments in the future? Our “DigiCon” project will explore these questions and provide impulses for coping with digitisation in VET – exemplarily for the construction sector.
“Digital construction” and “Construction site 4.0” – these keywords highlight the current challenges the construction industry is facing, which also need to be met by vocational training. In the future, construction specialists will have to be able to handle digital technologies and applications – from digital communication and operating mobile devices to construction robotics.

“DigiCon” is our contribution to innovation excellence in VET. The aim is to enhance the job-related digital competences of trainees, to promote the digitisation of educational institutions and to strengthen cooperation with industry and research. This will make vocational education and training more attractive and forward-thinking
With digital construction as a subject in VET, the European construction industry will have access to skilled workers with a broad understanding of ICT and precisely tailored digital skills. The young skilled workers will be innovation ambassadors in their companies. And digitisation is also changing the role of teachers – from knowledge mediators to facilitators of self-directed learning.
Participants will comprise the trainees of the participating VET institutions (400, they acquire competences in digital construction) and the teachers (60, they can use models and materials for teaching), but also companies and branch associations, authorities and regulatory bodies (220, they make the regulatory decisions). Further target groups will be teachers and learners from educational institutions outside the project partnership (as users of the model) as well as actors from business, politics and administration (they use the results of the project to further shape digitisation in VET.

„DigiCon“ will be implemented by six partners from three EU countries – under the leadership of BGZ. The three countries – Germany, Poland and Belgium – represent three typical VET systems in the EU – school-based, dual and a combination of both. This ensures that the project results will be designed for transferability in different systems across the EU.
The VET institutions and the universities will bring in many years of training experience and extensive technical expertise in the construction sector. Associated partners from industry and science support the project and will add their perspectives.
The project partners will jointly develop a model for teaching digital construction skills that is consistently geared to the requirements of the construction site 4.0. The model will comprise a set of process scenarios, learning scenarios based on those, as well as digital applications (such as augmented reality) and tools (such as the digital construction file). The learning tasks will be embedded in realistic construction processes – thus the trainees will develop a systemic understanding of the complexity of the processes and the interaction of digital and construction skills. The development of the learning scenarios and applications will take place in a participative process with learners and teachers. Interactive forms of teaching will support the trainees in shaping their learning process to a greater extent themselves. Digital communication is increasingly being used for peer-to-peer learning by working on learning tasks either as a team or with a division of labour.
At the same time, we will support educational institutions in developing and implementing their digitisation strategies – with solutions for the various design fields – didactically, in terms of training organisation and regulatory policy. The project will produce a guideline for capacity building for the institutions as well as solutions for access to learning materials and the design of e-learning – using digital construction as an example.

The main result of “DigiCon” will be a model for the consistent teaching of digital skills in the context of complex work processes, based on real work scenarios. This means that the trainees will have directly applicable skills and abilities. Further impacts will be improved teaching skills, closer cooperation with industry and with universities and research institutes and a stronger internationalisation of vocational training institutions.
The long-term benefits will be economic, social and societal: attractive training opportunities for young people, secure employment and career opportunities for young skilled workers on the European labour market, strengthened role of VET institutions and the future orientation of vocational training, improved competitiveness of the construction indus

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 241338 Eur

Project Coordinator

BGZ Berliner Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit mbH & Country: DE

Project Partners

• POLITECHNIKA POZNANSKA
• Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin
• Zespol Szkol Budownictwa Nr 1
• Berufsförderungswerk e.V. des Bauindustrieverbandes Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.
• Zentrum für Aus- und Weiterbildung des Mittelstandes