The CHEMLAB

The CHEMLAB Transfer-of-Innovation project aims at providing and fostering a "European Quality Standard in Analytical Vocational Education" for young apprentices in non-academic chemical training on-the-job. To that effect, an innovative VET-concept was developed based on a combined integrative approach of theoretical education and market-orientated training close to practice on analytical strategies and up-to-date methods of handling instrumental-technical, industrial or RTD challenges with special regard to chromatography and mass spectrometry. As to the fields of application, the envisaged VET programme particularly was focused on chemical, pharmaceutical, food, cosmetical and environmental industry requirements. For this purpose, a Central Laboratory for Instrumental Analysis (called AsiA, i.e. 'Ausbildungsstätte für instrumentelle Analytik') was installed at the Technische Universität München (Germany) to coach non-academic, in-firm trainees both in theoretical and practical chemical analytical techniques. Similar institutions are available in the partner countries Georgia (Tbilisii), Greece (Thessaloniki), Poland (Poznan) and Turkey (Gebze). This multinational approach started with a partnership of institutions from the five EU member states and associated countries and was realized in close reference to the dual VET-system in Germany as a paradigm suitable to be adapted beyond.
The partnership characterized by a wide range of natural sciences educational levels still gains experience as to the demands, pre-conditions and chances of providing a flexible, transferable and innovative high quality VET concept for technical specialists in the relevant industry sectors throughout Europe.