The University of South Florida in Tampa is a large university with 47,000 students and more than 15,000 employees. It is one of the ten largest universities in the United States and regularly tops the rankings. Professor Gessler is still overwhelmed by the dazzling award-giving ceremony held for his benefit. “It took place during the graduation celebrations and 10,000 guests and university members filled the huge hall”, he says. He took the stage wearing the traditional gown and doctoral cap and was handed a black sash as a symbol of the new honor.
Congratulations from Vice President
The University of Bremen’s Vice President Diversity and International, Professor Yasemin Karakaşoĝlu, commented: “We congratulate our colleague on receiving this prestigious award from the University of South Florida. In international networking with strong partners in the area of vocational education, he brings research-based education together with the world of work. He has made a valuable contribution towards contemporary knowledge transfer both between university research and academic teaching as well as globalized society”.
Guests from Tampa come regularly to Bremen
Gessler actively promotes his subject worldwide. He is chairman of the International Research Network for Vocational Education and member of the board of the European network in this area. Since 2010 he has been regularly hosting visits of Ph.D. candidates from Tampa. They come to attend his course titled “Career and Workforce-Education” and become acquainted with the strengths of the German dual system of vocational training. “Germany is a first-class address in this respect”, he says. The young academics from Florida compile studies on the German system of vocational training and further education, comparing it with US-American structures.
Competence-oriented training
During such visits, Professor Gessler functions rather like an ambassador. He accompanies the American guests on visits to vocational schools such as TBZ Bremen-Mitte as well as local firms and training workshops like those at AcelorMittal, Mercedes, or Airbus. “The well-equipped machine parks in these workshops where apprentices learn the practical requirements of their future careers never fail to impress the Americans”, he says. The American Ph.D. candidates are also very taken by the competence-oriented curricular agreed on by schools and employers.
Lectures in Florida
Since 2014, the Professor for Vocational Education is editor of the open-access journal “International Journal for Research in Vocational Education and Training”, which involves participation of the University of Bremen, the University of South Florida and three other universities in England, the Netherlands and Australia. Its purpose is to act as a research platform on continents like Africa, Asia, and South America. The research academic is currently occupied with knowledge transfer in the area of vocational training carried out by German firms located abroad. He will soon be traveling to Shanghai in China, where more than 300 German corporations have set up operations. How do they approach vocational training there? Do they base it on the German or the Chinese model? This is the question currently occupying Professor Gessler’s attention. Later on in Tampa, he will be holding lectures on this systems comparison.
