Future Skills – Kompetenzwandel im Bildungshaus der Zukunft

The aim of the project was the analysis and presentation of future requirements and challenges in personnel development, leadership and organisational development in the Bildungshaus/FHS of the fu...

The aim of the project was the analysis and presentation of future requirements and challenges in personnel development, leadership and organisational development in the Bildungshaus/FHS of the future, as well as the development of possible solutions. Particular focus was placed on identifying competences ("Future Skills"), attitudes and values that employees and leaders will need in the future to respond appropriately to social, technological, and cultural changes in the world of work. In this context, the changing needs of learners must be considered as well. The project was thus intended to make the skills requirements of the future visible, strengthen educational institutions such as Bildungshäuser as attractive and meaningful places to work and provide practical impetus for leadership, recruiting and organisational culture. And: ENCOURAGE people to break new ground and actively shape change. Creative and helpful solutions should be found for the organisational and personnel development of Bildungshäuser/Folk High Schools, which should ultimately be collected and published online in a convenient brochure (German and English) to provide guidance for these institutions. The German edition was printed as well.

The PROJECT MANAGEMENT comprised 3 project meetings (2 face-to-face, 1 online) as well as regular jours fixes/debates via video call, email and telephone. The DATA COLLECTION included the implementation of 2 online focus groups: Focus group 1 with leaders/directors of Bildungshäuser and Folk High Schools (FHS) to identify key challenges and topics and focus group 2 with experts from HR and organizational development and again managers of Bildungshäuser and FHS to discuss trends, solutions, ideas, impulses, etc. Furthermore, extensive theoretical research on relevant topics such as new work, recruiting, leadership culture and skills development, etc. was carried out. As MULTIPLIER EVENTS, there were one excursion each in Austria (including a hybrid workshop) and Germany to innovative organizations for practical insights and new perspectives. These were also open to educational institution staff. In addition, a “classic” multiplier event took place in both countries. In addition, a session at an Austrian-German networking barcamp was used to present the project. Finally, in the RESULTS BROCHURE, findings from focus groups, research and excursions were collected, processed and published.

Concrete output was the bilingual results brochure (DE/EN) which summarises key findings of the project (from focus groups, research and excursions). It contains definitions, reflection questions, practical tips and impulses for recruiting, leadership, personnel and organisational development. The identified future skills for Bildungshäuser/Folk High Schools are presented and tips on how to promote them are given. The brochure serves as a guide for Bildungshäuser, Folk High Schools and other adult educational institutions and is available online for free download. In addition, 200 copies of the German version were printed and distributed in the project partners' networks. In order to limit the scope to around 30 pages as planned, the content was deliberately designed to be compact and practical - ideal for managers with little time. As an additional result for interested parties, a more detailed long version (“Ergebnisbericht”) of the brochure is available in German with more in-depth content, further best practice examples and tools. Finally, another small output is a publicly accessible resource padlet: a collection of links to studies, podcasts, videos, literature etc. on the topic.