At the heart of the agreement is the newly established Bachelor's programme in Engineering Education at THWS, which will launch in the winter semester of 2025. This programme provides students with a strong foundation in both engineering sciences and vocational pedagogy, preparing them ideally for the Master’s programme in Vocational Education at UBT. Thanks to the close coordination and cooperation agreement, students can move seamlessly from one programme to the next after completing their Bachelor’s degree. At UBT, they can further deepen and expand their expertise in subject-specific knowledge, vocational pedagogy, and technical didactics. The University School Model developed in Bayreuth, in cooperation with the State Vocational School 1 Bayreuth, ensures practical training by integrating academic knowledge with classroom experience. At the same time, students acquire the qualifications required for the subsequent preparatory service, which leads to a teaching career in vocational schools.
“We are very pleased that, together with UBT, we have been able to establish such seamless progression within our study programme,” emphasises Prof Dr-Ing Jörg Missbach, Programme Director for Engineering Education at THWS. “This not only provides our students with a smooth educational pathway but also makes an important contribution to securing the future of teacher supply in vocational education.”
The University of Bayreuth also warmly welcomes the collaboration. Prof Dr-Ing Uwe Glatzel, responsible for the Master’s programme in Vocational Education, affirms: “This new partnership is another key step towards meeting the ever-growing demand for well-trained vocational school teachers and strengthening vocational education sustainably, particularly in Upper and Lower Franconia.”
The cooperation is also met with great enthusiasm at the University Vocational School Bayreuth (State Vocational School 1 Bayreuth). Dr Moritz Dier (OStR), Coordinator for Research and Teaching, comments: “We are genuinely excited to welcome not only students from our own Bachelor’s programme but also graduates of THWS into our Master’s courses, where theory and practice are closely intertwined. The diversity of backgrounds and experiences greatly enriches our work and enables us to reflect even more deeply on practice-oriented teaching.”
With this partnership, THWS and UBT are sending a strong signal in support of training future teachers for vocational schools and are making a valuable contribution to safeguarding the quality and innovative strength of vocational education.
