For the fifth time in a row, Chemnitz Adult Education Centre has successfully passed testing in accordance with the LQW quality management system (learning-oriented quality testing in initial, continuing and further education) and thus acquired a fresh certificate - valid from 3 February 2025 to 2 February 2029. This was preceded by a four-year testing phase from February 2021. The systematic work of the entire team with a focus on the development and assurance of quality is the basis for the self-report to be prepared, which formed the basis for the final assessment.
The conclusion of the Europe-wide LQW testing centre "con!flex" is extremely positive. Among other things, the wealth of content is emphasised as "remarkable". "This makes it clear," says the 50-page report, "that the VHS stands out from many other testing organisations". Where often only "administrative structures are described", "the self-report almost reads like a position paper on the educational understanding of VHS Chemnitz." It also shows "an agile organisation on the one hand" and "a clearly defined routine on the other". Overall, according to the experts, the self-report "makes the organisation's high capacity for reflection visible".
Regular quality testing is mandatory for the Chemnitz Adult Education Centre in accordance with Section 5 of the Saxon Continuing Education Act. It has been carried out since 2005 according to the special quality management system learner-orientated quality testing in training and further education - LQW for short. In the standardised procedure, eleven quality areas and two self-selected strategic development goals are assessed in four-year test phases. Among other things, the areas of teaching and learning processes, infrastructure, management, controlling and customer communication are assessed using specific education-related indicators. The Adult Education Centre earned its first LQW seal in 2009.
Chemnitz Adult Education Centre has successfully completed a total of five testing phases to date. In the 20-year series of successes, the current assessment stands out once again.
"The audit and the experts' suggestions provide us with a valuable external perspective," says Grit Bochmann, Director of Chemnitz Adult Education Centre. "The LQW guidelines serve us both as a compass and as a yardstick to systematically steer our own approach to quality assurance and the targeted further development of the adult education centre. We see the reassessment as an acknowledgement of the team performance of all VHS employees over the past four years. The extraordinarily positive assessment by the LQW assessors is not only a sign of appreciation from an authoritative source, but also an incentive for us to constantly reflect on and further develop the quality of our programmes and services."
And this task begins immediately, because: After testing is before testing. The next phase began on 3 February 2025, the first day of validity of the new certificate. The aim of the Adult Education Centre's activities is to provide Chemnitz's residents with a sustainably good education.
Note: The new certificate can be viewed by the public in the entrance area of the adult education centre on the 4th floor of the TIETZ.