This publication is part of the OECD programme of work on higher education policy and was produced with the financial assistance of the European Union.
The OECD project team is grateful for the support of Thomas Pritzkow at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support (DG REFORM), Joscha Dapper and Dr. Marko Müller at the Ministry for Science, Research, and Culture of the State of Brandenburg (Ministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung, und Kultur, MWFK), and Rainald Wurzer at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam (FH Potsdam). Together with the OECD project team, the DG REFORM, FH Potsdam and MWFK teams formed the advisory group for the project “Analysis and advice for a renewed tertiary education strategy for Brandenburg and guidance on categorisation of scientific continuing education”, setting the direction for the project and providing regular advice and feedback on the project’s activities and outputs.
The OECD project team is particularly grateful to Dr. Manja Schüle, Minister for Science, Research and Culture of Brandenburg, Tobias Dünow, State Secretary for Science, Research and Culture, and Steffen Weber, Head of Department for Science and Research within MWFK for supporting the project and taking their time to share their views and vision on the state higher education policy.
Warm thanks go also to Dr. Katja Böhler, Dr. Sonja Rademacher, Dr. Jan-Hauke Plaßmann, Dr. Matthias Kandziora, Marlen Lünsdorf, Falk-Florian Hoene, Bettina Bauer, Susanne Voß, and Volker Herrmann, senior officials at MWFK, all of whom shared their time and insights during the project’s interviews, workshops and consultation rounds of written feedback. Their expertise provided the OECD project team with valuable information that contributed to the analysis and recommendations contained in this report.
This report also benefitted immensely from interviews conducted with other state ministries, public agencies, and schools from Brandenburg. The OECD project team would like to thank the state’s Ministry for Education, Youth and Sports (Ministerium für Bildung, Jugend und Sport, MBJS), Ministry for Economic Affairs (Ministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie, MWAE) and Economic Development Agency (Wirtschaftsförderung Brandenburg GmbH, WFBB), and the Regional Directorate Berlin-Brandenburg of the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit, BA). The OECD project team thanks also to the headmasters, teachers responsible for study and career orientation and their colleagues and students from eight academic (Gymnasium) and comprehensive schools (Gesamtschule) in Brandenburg: Albert-Schweitzer Gymnasium Eisenhüttenstadt, Bertold-Brecht-Gymnasium Brandenburg an der Havel, Flämig-Gymnasium Bad Belzig, Gesamtschule Zossen, Leonardo-da-Vinci-Campus Nauen Gesamtschule und Gymnasium, Marie-Curie-Gymnasium Wittenberge, Niedersorbisches Gymnasium Cottbus, and Theodor-Fontane-Gymnasium Strausberg. All interviews with schools have been granted by MBJS and convened by the Network Study Orientation (Netzwerk Studienorientierung) Brandenburg, to whom the OECD project team is deeply thankful.
Special thanks go also to the Presidents and Vice-presidents of Brandenburg’s eight public higher education institutions – Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, European University Viadrina Frankfurt/Oder, Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf, University of Potsdam, Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences, University for Sustainable Development Eberswalde, University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, and Technical University of Applied Sciences Wildau – and their staff and students who actively participated in the interviews and workshops organised along the review process.
The OECD project team would like to further thank social partners for their participation in interviews and workshops including representatives from Brandenburg’s chambers of industry and commerce (Industrie- und Handelskammer, IHK) IHK Potsdam, IHK Ostbrandenburg and IHK Cottbus; chambers of crafts (Handwerkkammer, HWK) HWK Potsdam, HWK Frankfurt (Oder) and HWK Cottbus; employer associations Landesverband Freie Berufe Land Brandenburg e.V., Unternehmerinnennetzwerk Brandenburg, and Vereinigung der Unternehmensverbände in Berlin und Brandenburg e.V.; the trade union Industriegewerkschaft (IG) Metall Bezirk Berlin-Brandenburg-Sachsen, and Arcelor-Mittal Eisenhüttenstadt GmbH, BASF Schwarzheide GmbH, Induka Service GmbH, IOI Oleo GmbH, Leipa Group GmbH, PCK Raffinerie GmbH, Phoebus IT Consulting GmbH, QCW QualifizierungsCentrum der Wirtschaft GmbH, voestalpine Wire Germany GmbH. All interviews with business stakeholders were convened and organised by Manuela Wehrle from Region + Projekt, to whom the OECD project team is deeply thankful.
This report was prepared by the OECD’s Directorate for Education and Skills with contributions from external experts (Roger Smyth and Manuela Wehrle). Margarita Kalamova was the project leader responsible for co-ordinating the review and its main author. Colleagues from the Directorate for Education and Skills, Hannah Ulferts and Mila Staneva, contributed to Chapters 3 and 5, and 4 and 6, respectively, Clara Krämer provided initial research assistance, and Shizuka Kato compiled a comparative study of policy measures and institutional initiatives of relevance to Brandenburg’s higher education system. Manuela Wehrle contributed to Chapters 2 and 7, while Roger Smyth provided valuable insights and feedback to the overall publication. The authors also wish to thank Andrea-Rosalinde Hofer and Nora Brüning (Directorate for Education and Skills) for their input and advice.
Thomas Weko, Senior Analyst and Team Leader, Higher Education Policy team, Paulo Santiago, Head of the Policy Advice and Implementation Division in the Directorate of Education and Skills, and Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills, reviewed the publication.
Mark Foss edited the report; Anne-Kathrin Ende translated the report from English into German; Cécile Bily, Cassandra Morley, Marika Prince and Stephen Flynn provided administrative support to the project. Cassandra Morley and Rachel Linden assisted with the editorial and publication processes.