Shaping the Future: The International Master’s Programme in Vocational Education and Innovation

The programme targeted professionals with at least one year of experience and was delivered using a blended learning approach, combining online study through a Learning Management System with four one-week on-site phases at TU Munich. The first cohort reflected the global scope: TVET organisations’ leaders, college administrators, policymakers, and industry representatives from Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America brought their heterogeneous perspectives to the course. The diverse backgrounds created a rich intercultural learning environment. Discussions explored global challenges of TVET such as its attractiveness, digitalisation strategies, and employer engagement models.

The first cohort's theses also reflected diversity and a global outlook, addressing some of the most pressing issues in TVET today. Several projects focused on international cooperation and curriculum transfer, examining topics such as providing vocational education in Palestine, the transferability of German curricula to China, and collaborating between companies and vocational schools in Croatia. Others investigated employer engagement and leadership, exploring factors influencing company participation in Kenya’s dual TVET system and analysing leadership skills development in Ghanaian TVET institutions. The theme of digitalisation was also prominent, with studies on dropout rates in online learning in Latin America, the use of adaptive learning technologies in technical education, and strategies for integrating digital tools into TVET systems. Finally, a number of theses addressed labour market and employability strategies, including green skills programmes in Brazil and South Africa, and multi-sector initiatives designed to tackle youth unemployment. Across all projects, students linked theory to practice and developed innovative solutions for TVET reforms.

It was an exquisite bunch of 12 young professionals who experienced a time of deep reflection and ideation during the Master´s programme. The programme deepened their expertise in vocational education and training, while also broadening the selective perspective through international collaboration and knowledge exchange.

Today, as Founder and Director of Oyska Technical Institute in Ghana, Ohemaa Yaa Serwaa-Kyerewaa AwuahI applies these learnings to empower young people and advance vocational education. It strengthened her confidence as a leader and continues to shape the way she approaches challenges with innovation and impact. The hybrid, part-time design of the postgraduate study course allowed her and the other participants to integrate the skills and insights gained at TUM into their referring work contexts and apply them in real life education and innovation processes.

A crucial feature of the programme was its one-to-one mentoring concept. The majority of the mentors came from the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), with GOVET playing a vital role in advocating the BMBF funded programme and securing the support of outstanding experts in international cooperation and research.  Furthermore, core partners of the German dual system such as vocational schools, companies, and training providers contributed to the mentorship group.

For the mentees, it was a chance to expand their specialist knowledge and gain new insights. The coaches provided guidance, encouraged reflection, and supported students throughout the course. Reciprocally, they benefited from inspiring exchanges with the young experts and their perspectives on the present and future of vocational education and training.

Linda Al Azzeh, a graduate, who came from Palestine, found the personal exchanges, coaching programme and job shadowing particularly beneficial for both sides:

A unique feature was the job shadowing module, in which students spent a week at a German TVET organisation observing daily practice, exchanging ideas, and benchmarking their own strategies internationally. Esther Ndichu, an associate of the AHK Nairobi, decided to complete her job shadowing at GOVET. This gave rise to in-depth discussions and interviews with BIBB experts of all divisions – research, training standards, programmes, and the institute’s top management. In turn, her talk on Kenya’s informal training system attracted wide interest within the institute. 

For many graduates, the degree marked a milestone in their careers, opening doors to leadership roles, international project collaborations, and new opportunities to influence policy and practice in TVET.

For those who continued in their initial roles, the way they approached their work changed significantly, reporting that their studies strengthened their professional identity, gave them the confidence to launch initiatives, and engage more strategically in the segment of international cooperation. Equipped with new skills, research expertise, and a new perspective, they now lead innovation projects and drive organisational change.

With the first cohort, the programme has proven its value: a flexible, practice-oriented, and internationally connected master's degree can make a tangible contribution to modernising education systems. One of its most promising features is its transferability. The structure and methodology developed for this programme served as a blueprint for future educational offerings at TUM in related fields such as adult education, lifelong learning, university teaching and learning, and educational management.

Building on this success, a new edition of the master's is scheduled to launch in 2026. In the meantime, modular certificate courses will be introduced through TUM Institute of Lifelong Learning. This will provide professionals with the unique opportunity to gain tailor-made qualifications and use them as landmarks toward the full degree programme.