Fascinating Light - Innovation Needs People

What is reflection? How does a laser work and how can laser pulses be formed? The BMBF education initiative "FaszinationLicht" is to teach young people the basics of optical technologies in a playful way. On the Internet and at a touring exhibition, virtual and real experiments can be conducted in the field of optics. The initiative thus draws the attention of young people to an important future-oriented field with many attractive career opportunities. Strategic cooperation with partners in the education sector furthermore supports targeted initial and continuing training which is in line with the demands of companies and staff.

FaszinationLicht is the Federal Ministry of Education and Research's initiative on initial and continuing training in the optical technologies. The objective of the campaign is dynamic training of young workers in an innovative field which is important for Germany. The initiative includes local actions - such as the touring exhibition - as well as a number of other activities, e.g.

• strategische Allianzen
• studies and analyses
• expert meetings and workshops

More than 20 partner organizations operating at regional and national level have already committed themselves to the joint campaign of industry, science and politics. The regional players include primarily the BMBF-initiated Optical Technologies Competence Networks, chambers of industry and commerce, chambers of crafts, job information centres, education providers and entrepreneurs. Players at national level are associations and organizations from industry, science and education and, in particular, the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) and the Federal Employment Agency.

Since the start of the campaign in February 2003, FaszinationLicht with its numerous activities has become a synonym of lifelong learning in promising future-oriented technologies. Further elements will follow after the year 2005. The campaign is active in all areas of education. Here are just a few examples:

Kindergartens and schools

The BMBF's touring exhibition "FaszinationLicht" shows, for the first time ever in Germany, an educational, interactive exhibition in the field of optical technologies. Exhibits that can be touched, functional models and multimedia stations at the exhibition invite visitors to marvel, discover and understand. CD covers shine in all colours of the rainbow under polarization filters, tiny letters have been printed on a hair by means of lasers, a labyrinth of light challenges pupils to fiddle around. The "Light Games" are focused primarily on younger children and make them play freely with mirrors and shadows.

FaszinationLicht has so far toured shopping malls and fairs, museums and science centres, ministries and Landtage, education congresses and many other events. Over 120,000 pupils, teachers and other interested persons have already visited the touring exhibition at its 45 stops across Germany so far. Days of Optical Technologies, exhibitions, holiday games and "taster" courses complete the offer. Over 20 TV reports and hundreds of press articles demonstrate the interest of the public.

The FaszinationLicht Internet site invites everyone to participate with their own actions. Virtual experiments in the field of optics and its scientific background are also provided for different age groups on the Internet site. The stops of the touring exhibition are listed in the event calendar.

Vocational Training

In late 2003, the BMBF initiated national analyses to determine qualification demands in vocational training. One of the studies is geared to small and medium-sized enterprises operating in the field of optical technologies and reveals, inter alia, in which occupations these enterprises train their skilled workers. These occupations are, above all, mechatronics fitter, machine fitter, precision optician, industrial electronics technician, tool builder and microtechnologist. Particular attention has been paid to the qualification demands of the skilled trades where optical technologies are already being used in about 60 occupations.

Activities in cooperation with the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training are primarily focused on orienting vocational training to the new technological challenges. This also includes the development of additional qualifications, the expansion of vocational pathways and the creation of more training places.
 

Higher Education

The innovative ability of companies is often determined primarily by management-level employees with academic qualifications. The qualification demands for this target group were comprehensively studied for the first time in separate analyses for small and medium-sized enterprises and for large enterprises. Prior to this, the courses provided by institutions of higher education were studied: There are already about 900 classes annually on optical technologies offered by about 400 teachers in Germany. The study gave the regional distribution of classes and the topics, the diversity of fields of technology and application and indicated study courses, type of class and duration.

Universities of applied sciences in particular are currently developing new study courses in line with the demands of industry determined in detail in the study.

Continuing Training

Continuing training programmes in optical technologies were studied for the first time at national level in 2003 within the framework of an analysis commissioned by the BMBF. The analysis provides information for users planning to take part in continuing training as well as for providers preparing qualification measures in the area of optical technologies. A new service providing user-friendly access to the current programme offers has been established in the KURS education data base of the Federal Employment Agency on this basis.