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KARIN LUOMI-MESSERER OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR PERMEABILITY BETWEEN VET AND HE – EXAMPLES FROM AUSTRIAI
Since the relevant legal regulations for accreditation of prior learning are rather general, the scope for exemptions varies depending on the institution, and different programmes accredit different numbers of subjects or semesters. Graduates from VET colleges can, for example, start in the second semester in one UAS but in the third semester in another UAS. Accreditation is also handled differently in various study programmes, even at the same institution: some study programmes have precise definitions of what can be accredited; in others, accreditations are based on individual agreements.19 There is no clear overview on what subjects, or on how many semesters are accredited for graduates of certain schools. Information can only be obtained from the individual study programmes, and accreditation is often handled for individual cases. This accreditation possibility has opened up opportunities for qualified candidates to save time by gaining an exemption for a semester or a whole year. However, graduates from relevant VET colleges have no formal claim to such exemptions. Due to the financing system at UAS (based on limits of study places), exemptions are only possible when study places fall vacant because other students drop out. It can also be observed that UAS lacking applicants are more likely to provide exemptions to increase attractiveness.
Conclusions In Austria, there are possibilities for permeability from VET to HE, as well as for learning outcomes from VET being accredited in HE. However, if the policy commitments are not just to be rhetorical figures of speech, but rather real intentions for change, much effort will still need to be invested to enhance permeability between VET and HE. For example, additional guidance and support to non-traditional students seem to be needed, and resources (funding, time) need to be available for developing (and testing) relevant measures and instruments. In general, the possibilities for permeability are based on the identification of learning outcomes of VET and HE programmes that are corresponding (in the case of access) or partly equivalent (in the case of exemption). However, transparent descriptions of learning outcomes are often lacking in Austria currently, and need therefore to be developed further. A crucial further question concerns whether learning outcomes acquired in VET and HE can really be considered equivalent. In any case, learning outcome descriptions have to specify clearly the level of demand or complexity, in order to enable comparing the learning outcomes from VET and HE, as a prerequisite for identifying the possibilities for permeability.
19 At the FH Joanneum University of Applied Sciences such definitions are available for the study programme on electronics & technology management, but not for any other study programme. Cf. FH Joanneum (2008).