AI in Vocational Education and Training: What International Cooperation Brings to Chambers of Crafts

In this interview, Dr. Maribel Illig, Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Crafts Ostwestfalen-Lippe zu Bielefeld and Head of its Vocational Training Centre, speaks about the role of international networks in vocational education and training. The conversation focuses on the chamber’s membership in the UNESCO-UNEVOC network, exchange on current challenges such as technological change and sustainability, and the use of artificial intelligence in vocational education and training and in the professional development of VET staff.

This interview was conducted on 05 June 2026.

Dr. Maribel Illig, Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Skilled Crafts Ostwestfalen-Lippe zu Bielefeld and Head of its Vocational Training Centre. Picture: Chamber of Skilled Crafts Ostwestfalen-Lippe zu Bielefeld

The Chamber of Skilled Crafts Ostwestfalen-Lippe zu Bielefeld has been a member of the UNESCO-UNEVOC network since 2024. What kind of network is it and what are its goals?

Dr. Maribel Illig: The UNESCO-UNEVOC network is a network for vocational education and training. It brings together so-called centres of excellence, or VET centres. These can belong to four different categories: public authorities, ministries, VET providers, or universities. Naturally, the network is open to members of the United Nations. Institutions are approached or invited, can then apply, and may be admitted. The goal is to improve vocational education and training as part of the sustainability agenda and to exchange ideas on international challenges which, because of major technological change, are in fact very similar across the world, so that we can improve together.

Why did the Chamber of Skilled Crafts Ostwestfalen-Lippe zu Bielefeld join the network?

Dr. Maribel Illig: International cooperation is fundamentally part of the mandate of chambers of skilled crafts in Germany; this is already laid down in the Skilled Crafts Code. We have had a chamber partnership with two French chambers of skilld crafts for more than 40 years. In the past, we were involved in many activities such as apprentice exchanges with Norway, with France of course, and with other countries as well. Unfortunately, many of these activities slowed down during the pandemic. We are currently working on reviving them.

In Ostwestfalen-Lippe, we are convinced that networking is a major part of success. You cannot achieve as much alone as you can as a team. And the major issues we are facing today, as I mentioned earlier, technological change and the green transition, have a significant impact on vocational education and training. That is why it is so valuable to work in networks, not only internationally but also locally, and to bring these levels together as effectively as possible.

We also have a strong interest in advancing vocational education and training in Germany and achieving the best possible outcomes for our member companies. My task as head of the Vocational Training Centre is to strengthen companies’ competitiveness. In our view, this can only be achieved through high-quality initial training, continuing training, and further training.

Partners from the Network at a UNEVOC-conference. Picture: Chamber of Skilled Crafts Ostwestfalen-Lippe zu Bielefeld

Can you give some examples of what you have learned from other partners in your international network?

Dr. Maribel Illig: What is always interesting is that, even if it sounds almost banal, other countries often face the same or very similar challenges. When it comes to teaching young people, it is striking how similar generations are across the globe. Everywhere, the question is: how do we reach young people? What opportunities are there? How can we reach people in rural areas through e-learning programmes or other formats so that these regions are not left behind?

This is a huge issue particularly in places such as the Caribbean, where many countries are island states. We listen with great interest to how they deal with such challenges and ask ourselves what we might be able to implement here. This also includes questions such as: Is AI already being integrated into teaching? How are others doing it? How is sustainability being advanced in other countries?

In Germany, this is already very structured through Education for Sustainable Development in VET as part of the National Action Plan. You learn many small things—and sometimes you also learn to reflect on yourself and ask why your own structures are the way they are, and why they may in fact work well as they are.

Last year, you took part in a co-action initiative on the use of artificial intelligence in vocational education and training. How did this project come about and what goals did it pursue?

Dr. Maribel Illig: It actually came about in quite an interesting way. Colleagues from Magdeburg at the UNESCO-UNEVOC Centre approached me because they were organising an expert congress on artificial intelligence. This is one of their focus areas in vocational education and training. They asked whether I would like to contribute. My initial response was that I did not think we were yet far enough along to make a truly substantial contribution.

But afterwards I started thinking about what I actually needed and what my teachers needed in order to become more confident in this field. So I picked up the phone again and suggested that we create something together: an online webinar, a self-learning unit offering an introduction to artificial intelligence. Many teachers had told me, “I do not even know where to start.” Some were hesitant, others felt that the topic involved risks, and many simply did not know how to get a foothold.

That was the starting point for the idea: we wanted to create something that would be internationally accessible, open source, and usable even in places without high internet bandwidth. We deliberately did not want to produce a highly polished webinar with elaborate visuals and animations. Instead, we wanted a simple and accessible format. It was created using LiaScript. We then brought in our partners from Sri Lanka and Mauritius and spoke with teachers in the different countries to find out where the main barriers actually were.

And in fact, the hurdles were very similar in all three countries—Germany, Sri Lanka, and Mauritius. Some teachers were already well ahead and said, “Of course, no problem.” Others said, “I simply cannot find a starting point, and I feel my learners are overtaking me.” Based on that, we developed a webinar that is now available online and can be used by anyone. Its purpose is simply to provide teachers in vocational education and training with an easy entry point into the topic of AI.

Workshop about the use of AI for VET-trainers conducted in Sri Lanka. Picture: Chamber of Skilled Crafts Ostwestfalen-Lippe zu Bielefeld

How is this online course structured?

Dr. Maribel Illig: The course is built around a practical example. Participants follow a teacher in electrical engineering on her journey of getting to know AI and thinking about how she might use it. This makes the whole topic as practical and accessible as possible.

How can a teacher use AI in practice? Do you have any examples?

Dr. Maribel Illig: There are different possibilities. In vocational education and training, we need to look at two levels. The first is the actual work process, because we teach in an action-oriented way. That means we have to examine what work processes look like in the different trades. Depending on the trade, AI plays a different role.

If I look at precision mechanics, for example, the whole issue of predictive maintenance comes into play where there is machinery involved. In such a case, I would speak with the provider of our CNC machines and ask whether they can provide a software interface or project data. That can then be integrated into teaching, for example by using a prompt for an AI tool to analyse machine data. That is the side connected to the work process.

The second level is how I can simplify or improve my teaching. How can I enrich my lesson preparation with AI? And the third level, if we are being completely honest, is that we also need to talk with learners about which AI tools actually make sense. The best way to find out is by trying them out. And then you may realise that ChatGPT is not necessarily the ideal tool when it comes to highly specialised precision-mechanics answers.

What matters is being able to reflect on and assess the answers AI gives. We all know that AI can sound very convincing while still telling you complete nonsense. People need to be able to evaluate the answers or results they are presented with. That is, I think, a very important lesson participants need to learn. Because at the end of the day, in the exam they will be on their own without AI, and then they have to have understood the material. It is another tool that should be used, certainly—but people also need to be able to assess its output, and that is extremely important.

In which languages is the online course currently available?

Dr. Maribel Illig: The course is available in English. But because it is browser-based, translation with Google Translate works well. Here in Germany, for example, our teachers simply completed the course using Google Translate. And that works just as well in Sri Lanka.

How can other stakeholders benefit from this work?

Dr. Maribel Illig: Quite simply by making it available to their teachers. This is particularly important when you look at developing countries, where teachers often need support. In some cases, they do not have the same level of equipment or infrastructure that we have in Germany. But they are just as motivated. In my experience, they are every bit as committed and passionate about teaching young people as teachers here are.

For them, this can be a helpful way to learn how to approach the topic, how to make use of it, and where to find additional content or links they can access without a paywall.

Can the course also be used by vocational school teachers and in-company trainers?

Dr. Maribel Illig: Yes, absolutely. As an inter-company vocational training centre, we are in a sense an extension of the company workshop. We are part of in-company training, so the course is naturally very suitable for in-company trainers as well.

It is also useful for vocational school teachers. In Germany, there is already quite a lot available for them, often with a much stronger pedagogical focus. But the in-company perspective is not yet covered as well, and I think this course provides a very good starting point in that respect.

Working lunch in the context of the co-action initiative. Picture: Chamber of Skilled Crafts Ostwestfalen-Lippe zu Bielefeld