Beschreibung

"The existing research on further education in Germany provides contradictory results. One reason for this is the complex structure of the further training system; another, the lack of reliable data on further education activities. This article describes in detail all aspects of surveyed items in 'NEPS Stage 8-Adult Education and Lifelong Learning' concerning further training and the underlying concept. Three types of further education can be distinguished: formal, nonformal, and informal education. Formal education refers to further education leading to generally recognized educational credentials. Formal education programs include a diverse array of fully qualifying vocational education and training degrees, such as a master craftsman's diploma or a technician's certificate, a university degree, or an officially recognized partial qualification. Nonformal education is organized in courses or training programs. Participants may or may not receive certificates of attendance upon course completion, but generally recognized credentials are not awarded. Typical examples include courses on presentation skills or a company's in-house training in accounting software. Informal learning neither provides generally recognized credentials nor takes place as an organized course. Informal learning activities may include the reading of specialized periodicals or attendance at conferences or fairs. Using the advantages of a life-course study, all three types of further education are measured in NEPS Stage 8. As people remember the acquisition of certificates fairly well, measuring formal education processes is rather simple. Measuring nonformal and informal education, however, is more demanding. In NEPS Stage 8, the main idea is to use the stimuli given in the life-course interview (e. g., current employment status) in order to help the interviewed person remember further training activities. The advantages of this strategy, the design of the data, and the analytic potential are presented in this article." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))