Integration of work based learning in engineering education

Developing a new engineering educational set-up, which integrates formal education and productive work is a new challenge. The best way to learn and understand a theory is trying to see whether you can apply the theory in engineering problem solving. Therefore it is obvious to try to combine the academic learning process and engineering problem solving. This has been one of the fundamental reasons for the existing problem based learning concept (PBL). In the light of the experiences from this PBL concept some further development makes it possible to integrate work based learning in academic engineering education. This presentation gives some examples on how this is being implemented now and discusses further improvements by combining engineering education, continuing professional development and productive engineering.