Description: Among the five quality assurance aims of the Copenhagen Declaration the following two will be intensively pursued in the Leonardo founded research project (2005-2007): An improvement of general and vocational education of teachers and trainers and the best possible use of resources. Quality development in order to improve the learning offers for teachers and trainers will remain a focal task.Quality management systems (QM) are increasingly introduced in VET-institutions. The previous experiences with QM show that they are suitable for industry and administration, however, less suited for the genuine tasks of Vocational Education and Training. Consequently the organisations and their structures can be optimised with QM systems such as ISO 9000:2000 and EFQM. This is, however, not true for the quality of learning offers.The discussion around quality development in the nineties has turned out that it is not useful to set the approaches of quality assurance against those of quality development. It rather matters to balance quality development (of learning offers) and quality assurance (ensuring the learning offers) in the best possible way. This is the primary objective of the research project: A quality development system for initial VET in the metal sector which is suitable to improve and safeguard the quality of learning offers.Due to the influence "informatization" the metal sector is particularly affected by a process of change of decreasing production and the increase of knowledge-intensive and service-oriented tasks and the respective requirements for competency. Consequently new learning offers are created, occupational and qualification profiles are changed and new curricula are at present conceived in initial vocational training. The quality of learning in the VET institutions will be the decisive factor.Presentation: After a brief project overview (aims, workplan, research methods) the first results will be presented: 1) Analysis report on the status of the introduction and use of quality management and assurance systems in VET institutions (metal sector), 2) Guide on the suitability of QM elements for the quality improvement of the learning offers in vocational training (in the metal sector), 3) Quality indicators for the assessment of the quality of learning offers in the metal sector. Seven countries (UK, Germany, Spain, Austria, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Slovenia) are participating at this research and development project. Methodology: The following sub-goals are defined for the research and development project:1. Analysis of the development status of the introduction of industrially marked quality management systems in VET.2. Assessment of the analysis results with regard to work orientation and by considering a reference framework for quality assurance of the Technical Working Group (TWG).3. Development and optimization of quality indicators with work orientation for the assessment of the quality of learning offers for the metal sector.4. Development and testing of a quality development system (QDS) for school instruction and on-the-job training (micro level).5. Adjustment of the organisation of the VET institutions to the QDS.6. Development and introduction of methods for the safeguarding of an optimal functioning of the QDS. Linking and anchoring of the QDS with the quality assurance structures at institutional level (ISO 9000:2000; EFQM; Q2E; LQS; …).7. Providing aids for the VET school management for a quality-related control at the level of VET organization (medium level).8. Safeguarding of sustainability of the QDS. Expected outcomes of the project:· The named outcomes 1-3 (see description)· Quality development system (QDS) for the school instruction and on-the-job training has been conceived and tested. Quality indicators developed and optimized.· Organizational models for professional educational institutions are developed and coordinated with the application of the QDS.· Manuals for the coordination of quality development system with quality management elements at the institutional level.· Recommendation paper for the quality-related organization and control of learning offers in VET schools are finalized and accessible.· An information gateway for QM systems for schools and for the access of products - especially for the application of QDS - has been set up and accessible.