“There is no way around digitization and the use of artificial intelligence even in schools. A good education with modern technology is an important prerequisite for the start of professional life and thus also a prerequisite for a future-oriented economy and a future-oriented Hesse. Vocational schools, in particular, play a central role here,” said Rhein. The Prime Minister was a guest at the Frankfurt VET Center Dialogue Forum on Wednesday and discussed digitization in VET with trainees and social challenges.Approximately 2,400 students are trained at the Heinrich-Kleyer-School in mechatronics, industrial mechanics, sawing and construction, motor vehicle and two-wheeler technology, as operational railway workers and in ophthalmic optics and are supported by 121 teachers.
Pilot project for the use of augmented reality in professional training
A pilot project of the school on the theme of so-called augmented reality was also presented at the event. This technology allows you to visualize technical processes using holograms and is already being used successfully in industry. The project enables mechatronics trainees, for example, to work together across spatial distances with the help of Internet-enabled 3D glasses. For example, maintenance or repair work on the machines can be carried out abroad, with an operator in Germany supporting the specialist at the foreign location. “Digitalization is changing the education professions across the board. Due to their proximity to the employment system, vocational schools are characterized by continuous dynamics of innovation and modernization and are therefore particularly called to play a pioneering role in future digital technologies. Today we can see that the Heinrich Kleyer School is hugely successful in this,” the Prime Minister said. The “Collaborative Communication 4 Professional Education” pilot project for the use of augmented reality in professional education shows that the school makes extremely impressive use of the potential of digital media to enhance learning and makes its trainees fit for Industry 4.0 in a particularly innovative way.
The state government supports vocational school locations in many ways
“Sustainable vocational schools are critical to the future of the state,” Rhein stressed. Thus, the Hessian state government not only continuously promotes digitization in Hessian schools, but also protects all Hessian vocational school locations with the help of the location concept “The future-proof vocational school”. “This concept aims to provide training as close to the company as possible and, thanks to the associated higher quality of training, helps to secure Hesse as a company location in the long term,” explained Rhein. Since 2019, the state program “Digital School Hessen” has also been supporting the network connection and technical equipment of schools as well as further pedagogical development and teacher training. The state government’s Digital World pilot project was also launched in twelve secondary schools this school year: in a new school subject, fifth graders learned digital skills such as the basics of programming, cybercrime and responsible use of the media.
In the dialogue forum, a discussion with school groups, the Prime Minister addressed the issue of security in times of current crisis. “As a state government, it is our task to help ensure prosperity, jobs, value creation in the automotive sector and innovative strength as a basis for good social cooperation and campaigning for climate protection.”
