'Die gestellten Fragen sind die eigentliche Leistung von QUEM'. Resümee eines Transformationsprogramms

From 1992 to 2007 a considerable amount of German and EU funding was put into development projects described as Qualification Development Management (German acron ym: QUEM) and aimed to support the quality of vocational qualification structures in the former GDR. QUEM was sponsored by the ABWF (Study Group f or Corporate Continuing Education Research). In this article the author, a scientist workin g on QUEM, sums up the acti vities in the programmes and projects which wer e funded. He identifies two phases. Whereas un til the year 2000 pro jects were ba sed on the idea of catc hin g up on mod ern isa tio n, fro m 20 01 Q UEM turne d into an i nnov at ion -shaping factor, with its programme Lernkultur Kompetenzentwicklung (competency development as a culture of learning). QUEMs achievement was to introduce a re-orientation towards a new learning culture, emphasising the endogenous potential of different regions. The author believes that the programme was crucial in advancing an overall view of the development of vocational training as part of life-long learning, revolving not only around competencies acquired by individual learners but also those acquired by organisations.