Assessment of Electro-mechanic Technician Qualifications in the Context of European Transparency Tools

This study explores the applicability and transferability of tools developed for the realization of comparability and transparency of qualifications across Europe. It relates to the implementation of the European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) and the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) in the automotive sector. Method: This study was carried out according to the case-study model in order to investigate further operationalization and transferability of the previously developed VQTS matrix in Automotive Electro-mechanics to different national contexts. The working group of this study consists of 34 car service employees from Germany, Turkey and Italy. Findings: The data analysis indicated that the participants were moderately motivated to learn English as a foreign language (M=92.62). There was not a significant gender-related difference in students' motivational orientations. Furthermore, female students' self-efficacy scores were significantly higher than those of the male students. Lastly, a positive correlation was found between students' motivational orientations and self-efficacy beliefs. Implications for Research and Practice: According to the findings of the study, the qualifications required for the work processes of the automotive electro-mechanic technician profession and the knowledge, skills and competencies required by these qualifications were confirmed by the service employees to a great extent.