The Austrian Institut für Bildungsforschung der Wirtschaft (ibw) conducts research and development in different fields of vocational education and training. ibw’s projects all take an interdisciplinary approach in addressing issues and questions relevant to the business world. ibw has two business units: In its business unit “Research”, ibw examines issues related to skills needs and the organisation of education and training. Particular focus is given to empirical educational and training research, the evaluation of education and training programmes, political instruments and schemes, to feasibility and acceptance studies, as well as to international comparative studies. In its business unit “Development and Consulting” ibw provides conceptual services aimed at meeting the needs of companies, individuals and policy-makers. Special attention is given to the preparation of target group-specific information on vocational education and training pro-grammes (print and online products), to the development of psychological instruments for staff selection, recruitment and consultancy, to the provision of conceptual services in the field of apprenticeship training, including the development of new apprenticeships and their training curricula, the elaboration of tests and assignments for the final apprenticeship and master craftsperson examinations, as well as various to other services for companies. ibw also enjoys an excellent reputation on the international level. It is a member of the ReferNet of Cedefop - the EU’s Centre for the Development of Vocational Training. The reports centring on the structures and recent developments in Austria's vocational education and training system contribute significantly to positioning the Austrian system in an international context. Furthermore, ibw has also been a partner and promoter of a great number of EU projects, in particular in the Leonardo da Vinci Programme. The presentation will focus on the following questions: 1) How is information researched/data gained for the various projects? 2) Which information networks are there? How can they be used? 3) Which research methods are applied? 4) How is information brought to its end users? 5) How is information managed and effectively used?

The presentation will focus on the work of ibw and the methods used for carrying out the various projects. Emphasis will be placed on the information management, the resources used and the information networks the ibw is part of.

The presentation shall sketch ibw's working methods in respect to gathering data and information and shall give a picture of the way information is managed.