Training teachers for engineering subjects for teaching at austrian VET schools

Austria has an educational system where an engineering title is given as a professional title to graduates from a vocational and technical school after he/she has been working for three years as engineer after graduation. At the same time, there are engineers from a University of Applied Sciences or a Technical University earning either a title as Diplom-Ingenieur (FH) or a Diplom-Ingenieur. The relevant ISCED classification is given, also the proposed levels of the European Qualifications Framework. Teaching personnel for vocational and technical schools in Austria can have gained their technical and pedagogical education in several ways - either from a university earning a Magister rerum naturalium or from a University of Teacher Education earning a Bachelor of Education. Furthermore, those teaching technical subjects at a VET school start their teaching at the same time as starting a part-time course of teacher training. The International Society for Engineering Education IGIP offers a modular curriculum for those who are interested in updating their knowledge in engineering pedagogy. Participants have to be engineers with at least one year of teaching practice in technical fields. This IGIP curriculum in offered in several countries around the globe, not only in Austria. The ING-PAED IGIP register names 1070 individuals at present.