Die Strategie für das Lebenslange Lernen ... - EUROlocal

28
GUIDANCE FOR LIFELONG LEARNING
Network for Education and Qualification – Future for Lusatia (Brandenburg)
German – Polish Education Bridges
I. Problem
The German-Polish border region (lower Lusatia and
Lubusch district) is marked with a high rate of unemployment
because of difficult structural changes The cross-border
co-operation offers the potential of a turn for the better
from which both sides of the Oder-Neisse border could benefit.
II. Solution approach
partners together with the responsible labour offices and
local authorities. It was carried out for the first time between
December 2003 and May 2004 in Guben/Gubin. There, 19
German and 19 Polish unemployed successfully completed
their further education and received a German and a Polish
certificate. The certificates allow the people to be employed
on either side of the border because they are accepted by
both the German side and the Polish side.
Cross-border education offers, such as “German –Polish Education
Bridge”, and intercultural encounters spanning prejudices
and intolerance, support economic and cultural contacts
and “simply” good neighbourhood. They are building
a new European identity. It is also important to learn the
neighbour’s language.
Private and public educational institutions, non-profit
organisations, and community administrations work
together in the “German-Polish education and counselling
centre” (DPBBZ).
The DPBBZ has the following focal points:
• a language campaign, e.g. for learning Polish in kindergartens,
schools and through adults; but also German for
Polish citizens, e.g. for the medical profession who would
like to come to Brandenburg because of a shortage of
doctors;
• the creation of a teaching book for Polish as a foreign
language in adult education;
• the acquisition of intercultural competence which is
necessary, e.g. for successful economic relationships
(mentality, behaviour in negotiations, but also knowledge
of general economic and legal conditions);
• the initiation of cross-border further education measures
and qualifications for SMEs.
III. Outlook
At the moment we are working on extending this offer to
include more subjects. The DPBBZ supports the participating
education funding agencies with competent counselling,
language assistance and the acquisition of partner
institutions from both sides of the border.
www.lernende-lausitz.de
In keeping with the last point, the first cross-border and
bilingual further education, “Economic assistant for German/Polish
business relationships” for the unemployed people
in the border region, was brought to life by the network