Round Table for expert training

The Round Table for expert training is a new inter-organisational programme by IJAB and JUGEND für Europa. It is designed to promote mobility among experts and help professionalise this target group in Germany and Europe.

The Round Table is aimed largely at experts and decision-makers in the international youth work community in Germany, but it also addresses child and youth services providers that regularly deal with, or wish to engage in, international youth work and that are responsible for providing training to their paid and volunteer staff.

Content-wise, the Round Table for expert training draws on the experience gained in the inter-organisational projects Innovationsforum Jugend global (IJAB) and– Grenzüberschreitende Lernmobilität ermöglichen (JUGEND für Europa). The key issues paper relating to the latter project contains recommendations for reshaping political and pedagogical structures pertaining to expert mobility in such a way that more child and youth services experts can undergo professionalisation.

The Round Table receives funding from the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth and is scheduled to meet once a year.

Kick-off meeting of the Round Table for expert training

The first Round Table meeting took place in Bonn in April 2018. Experts and decision-makers from international youth work organisations, bilateral youth offices, coordination centres, district youth welfare offices and training providers met to discuss the development of a joint long-term and systematic expert strategy for the international youth work community and related fields in accordance with Book 8 of Germany's Social Code. Specifically, the following topics were addressed:

• Need for training and support in line with the competence model for youth workers in international youth work
• Modules on international and European youth work to be applied in basic and advanced training for experts working in informal and non-formal education
• Training for experts to promote an international and European outlook in child and youth services (and reach out to underrepresented target groups)
• Training courses on digitalisation in international youth work
• Strengthening the political dimension of training
• Development of recognition schemes for international youth work
• Better customisation of training courses
• Improving experts' language and communication