[kictanet] GERMANY SECRET WEAPON

Thu Mar 14 11:40:12 EAT 2013

Not sure if it's a brand bubble, and as I said, I haven't lived in Germany
for a decade.

German engineering is known to be excellent, but I think the German motor
industry went through a bit of a crisis years ago because the cars were
just too good. Japanese firms learned to build good, reliable cars much
cheaper - they weren't that excellent, but then there's a level of
excellence that might not be necessary for an ordinary consumer with a
limited budget. I'm sure the industry has adjusted for this by now. For
tech manufacturing, the southern German area - Bavaria - is worth looking
at.

Like Facebook says: it's complicated. I think the vocational training
system is well worth looking at to see what inspiration Kenya can take to
professionalise the fundi/jua kali industry gradually.

Anecdotally: My parents build a new house last year. Comes with all sorts
of exciting things: solar panels, the fireplace will heat the water supply
when it gets too hot, the house is so well isolated that you HAVE to air
out the rooms to let out moisture, the cooker switches itself off on its
own if there's no pot on it etc. When I visited, I stood kinda dumbfounded
in the shower in front of the water tabs wondering how on earth to make the
water come out and felt massively stupid. Engineers!! :)

On 14 March 2013 11:29, Ali Hussein <ali at hussein.me.ke> wrote:

> This is interesting..
>
> Is there a 'Brand Bubble' emerging here? What we perceive as German
> excellence and what is the reality. I'm really curious. We know that for
> example German Engineering is held in the highest regard - precision
> machine tooling (even the Chinese use a lot of German Machinery to
> manufacture computers, cell-phones etc) or is this just a perception and
> the reality is very different?
>
> My question then is what can we learn from this? We know that the rush to
> turn all our polytechnics to universities is not sustainable. But what is
> the threshold? What is the right mix of tertiary and universities?
>
> Ali Hussein
> CEO | 3mice interactive media Ltd
> Principal | Telemedia Africa Ltd
>
> +254 773/713 601113
>
> "The future belongs to him who knows how to wait." - Russian Proverb
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On Mar 14, 2013, at 11:10 AM, Norbert Wildermuth <norbert at ruc.dk> wrote:
>
>  Being a German living abroad (in Copenhagen, Denmark), where I have been
> teaching at three universities in media studies and communication since
> 1996, I agree very much with the points that Andrea raises. Unfortunately
> the German Academic system is less profession oriented than your input
> seems to suggest Charles.****
>
> ** **
>
> best regards****
>
> ** **
>
> Norbert****
>
> ** **
>
> *From:* kictanet [
> mailto:kictanet-bounces+norbert=ruc.dk at lists.kictanet.or.ke<kictanet-bounces+norbert=ruc.dk at lists.kictanet.or.ke>]
> *On Behalf Of *Andrea Bohnstedt
> *Sent:* 14. marts 2013 09:25
> *To:* Norbert Wildermuth
> *Cc:* KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
> *Subject:* Re: [kictanet] GERMANY SECRET WEAPON****
>
> ** **
>
> Charles, could you send me the data source for that percentage that two
> thirds of German students work as apprentices? I think that highly
> unlikely, not the least because you typically finish A levels (the German
> Abitur) at age 19, and university studies take around five years (I haven't
> lived in Germany for ten years, but at least back then, there were few
> universities that offered the anglophone division of undergraduate and
> postgraduate studies, so you usually go the whole distance).
>
> Some university students may undergo other vocational training (one of my
> friends trained as a carpenter before she studied to become an architect),
> but I doubt it's two thirds.
>
> It's not correct to say that the government arranges apprenticeships. What
> Germany does have is a relatively well developed vocational training system
> that is a combination of on-the-job training and parallel classroom
> training - and this can be anything from banking to carpentry to car
> mechanics etc.
>
> Germans like to regulate things, so the whole system is very regulated.
>
> The German university system has actually often been accused of producing
> students that are academically overqualified and of not much use in
> practical issues. In the anglophone system, in contrast, you can pick up
> the academic basicsin your undergraduate years and then gain practical
> experience - unless you do want an academic focus, in which case you
> continue studying.
>
> I think the takeaway for Kenya would be not to keep proliferating
> universities, but to focus more on creating a parallel system of vocational
> training and maybe polytechnics with a far more practical focus. That way,
> you could harness the energy and skills in the jua kali sector. Mind you, I
> don't think this is an either-or - for a diversified economy, you need both
> the high-end academic and research sector and also the vocational training
> sector.
>
>
> Andrea ****
>
> On 14 March 2013 08:15, charles nduati <charlesnduati2002 at yahoo.co.uk>
> wrote:****
>
> Hi Listers,****
>
> ** **
>
> I don't know if you are aware that Germany is the only country in Europe
> that hasn't so far experienced economic meltdown. There trick is that two
> thirds of Germany University students work as apprentices which
> are arranged by the government. In other words, their education policy is
> that you acquire skills first then sharpen them with degrees later.****
>
> ** **
>
> For me, all I want is whichever coalition that can implement these kind of
> policies that are already tried and tested.****
>
> ** **
>
> me two cents****
>
> ** **
>
> ** **
>
>  ****
>
> CHARLES N. NDUATI
> DIRECTOR,
> REVENUE GENERATION AND ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT -KENYATTA UNIVERSITY
> MOBILE:254-722728815
> EMIAL:charlesnduati2002 at yahoo.co.uk,cnduati at gmail.com,****
>
>
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> --
> Andrea Bohnstedt <http://ke.linkedin.com/in/andreabohnstedt>
> Publisher
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> ****
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> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform
> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
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> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
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> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform
> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
>
> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth,
> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do
> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
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-- 
Andrea Bohnstedt <http://ke.linkedin.com/in/andreabohnstedt>
Publisher

www.ratio-magazine.com
www.africa-assets.com
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