TU Dortmund University Awarded UNESCO Chair
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Together with TU Dortmund University, UNESCO has set up the “UNESCO Chair on TVET and Competence Development for the Future of Work”. Chair holder is Professor Thomas Schröder. This means that 13 UNESCO Chairs in Germany are now contributing to the implementation of the global Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.
“The network of UNESCO Chairs unites brilliant minds throughout the world in order to develop sustainable and creative solutions for the challenges of our times,” says Professor Maria Böhmer, President of the German Commission for UNESCO. “It plays a key role in the implementation of the global Sustainable Development Goals by offering ideas, innovations and mutual support. I’m very pleased that the new UNESCO Chair is dedicated to technical and vocational education and training with an international perspective and will contribute to enhancing the importance of this highly topical issue in the network.”
Approach helps implement Sustainable Development Goals
The Chair is responsible for the further development of technical and vocational education and training research as well as instruction for vocational teachers at national and international level. It fosters practice-oriented dialogue between academia and politics in order to advance the development of vocational training systems worldwide. The Chair cooperates particularly closely with universities in East and Southeast Asia. Professor Schröder’s work is thus in line with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York in September 2015.
Reformed training systems thanks to transnational cooperation
“The award of the UNESCO Chair is an acknowledgement of TU Dortmund University’s contribution so far to the study and development of international technical and vocational education and training systems,” says Professor Thomas Schröder. “It also includes a mandate to continue this work, whereby we will also take into account the goals of the United Nations.” Professor Schröder moved from Tongji University (Shanghai) to the Faculty of Education, Psychology and Sociology at TU Dortmund University in 2016. In East and Southeast Asia he set up a university research platform and supported transnational research projects that led to reforms in the training of vocational teachers in Thailand and Laos as well as to the establishment of the Regional Association for Vocational Teacher Education in Asia.
Through their work, the UNESCO Chairs heighten cooperation with universities, other research institutions and social actors in countries of the Global South, in Germany and in Europe.
Background
Over 750 UNESCO Chairs in more than 110 countries are working together in a global network to anchor the UNESCO’s goals in science and education. Germany hosts 13 UNESCO Chairs. They are characterized by excellent research and teaching in the UNESCO’s fields of activity. The principles of their work include international networking, especially North-South and North-South-South, and the fostering of intercultural dialogue. UNESCO Chairs contribute worldwide to the creation, dissemination and use of knowledge for the advancement of sustainable development.
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Location & approach
The campus of TU Dortmund University is located close to interstate junction Dortmund West, where the Sauerlandlinie A 45 (Frankfurt-Dortmund) crosses the Ruhrschnellweg B 1 / A 40. The best interstate exit to take from A 45 is "Dortmund-Eichlinghofen" (closer to Campus Süd), and from B 1 / A 40 "Dortmund-Dorstfeld" (closer to Campus Nord). Signs for the university are located at both exits. Also, there is a new exit before you pass over the B 1-bridge leading into Dortmund.
To get from Campus Nord to Campus Süd by car, there is the connection via Vogelpothsweg/Baroper Straße. We recommend you leave your car on one of the parking lots at Campus Nord and use the H-Bahn (suspended monorail system), which conveniently connects the two campuses.
TU Dortmund University has its own train station ("Dortmund Universität"). From there, suburban trains (S-Bahn) leave for Dortmund main station ("Dortmund Hauptbahnhof") and Düsseldorf main station via the "Düsseldorf Airport Train Station" (take S-Bahn number 1, which leaves every 20 or 30 minutes). The university is easily reached from Bochum, Essen, Mülheim an der Ruhr and Duisburg.
You can also take the bus or subway train from Dortmund city to the university: From Dortmund main station, you can take any train bound for the Station "Stadtgarten", usually lines U41, U45, U 47 and U49. At "Stadtgarten" you switch trains and get on line U42 towards "Hombruch". Look out for the Station "An der Palmweide". From the bus stop just across the road, busses bound for TU Dortmund University leave every ten minutes (445, 447 and 462). Another option is to take the subway routes U41, U45, U47 and U49 from Dortmund main station to the stop "Dortmund Kampstraße". From there, take U43 or U44 to the stop "Dortmund Wittener Straße". Switch to bus line 447 and get off at "Dortmund Universität S".
The AirportExpress is a fast and convenient means of transport from Dortmund Airport (DTM) to Dortmund Central Station, taking you there in little more than 20 minutes. From Dortmund Central Station, you can continue to the university campus by interurban railway (S-Bahn). A larger range of international flight connections is offered at Düsseldorf Airport (DUS), which is about 60 kilometres away and can be directly reached by S-Bahn from the university station.
The H-Bahn is one of the hallmarks of TU Dortmund University. There are two stations on Campus Nord. One ("Dortmund Universität S") is directly located at the suburban train stop, which connects the university directly with the city of Dortmund and the rest of the Ruhr Area. Also from this station, there are connections to the "Technologiepark" and (via Campus Süd) Eichlinghofen. The other station is located at the dining hall at Campus Nord and offers a direct connection to Campus Süd every five minutes.
The facilities of TU Dortmund University are spread over two campuses, the larger Campus North and the smaller Campus South. Additionally, some areas of the university are located in the adjacent "Technologiepark".
Site Map of TU Dortmund University (Second Page in English)