The threefold approach builds on the following three pillars, three equally important sources of knowledge:

1. Theory

   Theoretical knowledge presented through activity-oriented teaching methods, encouraging the students apprentices to respond creatively to the subjects, in methodologically prepared group-work and exercises, also in artistic disciplines.

2. Practice

   The training is fully integrated into practice, which means that the students / apprentices are guided by tutors at the work places during the entire period of training.

3. Art

   Artistic subjects and exercises. In the different artistic disciplines, we do not have in mind the theoretical-academic knowledge, but rather a practical and practicing approach, which provides familiarity with the challenges that the students/apprentices come across in the artistic work processes. The use of art in vocational training has three important aspects:

   • as a tool for the development of personal and social skills
   • as a methodological link between theory and practice
   • as an enlivening element for creating attractive and learner-conducive environments at the training centres and work places.

The dual system of training, combining theory and practice, is a very important part of most of the national vocational systems in Europe, particularly in Germany, Norway, Denmark and Austria. However, the transfer of theoretical knowledge to the challenges in practical work situations is problematic, as is making the so-called tacit skills available for theoretical knowledge. The introduction and use of art subjects and exercises in vocational training has proved to be a fruitful link between theory and practice and will be explored and documented in many aspects during the project's lifetime.

Work in the educational, therapeutic, and the health and social areas is now described as interactive work professions in the vocational training research discourse (Büssing/Glaser 2003). The characterising feature of these professions is the particular forms of actions, as well as interactions between people. The main objective here is not a means-to-an-end process, it is rather a question of a particular kind of competence connected to the dealing with emotions:

• attentive observation of the client's feelings, and treating them with empathy,
• ability to deal with one's own emotions, as well as being able to regulate and manage emotions in a suitable way, and
• emotional compassion and an ability to act out of "intuition" in professional work situations.

Our experience shows that the above-mentioned personal and social skills are typical skills developed and practiced in artistic exercises and in the working processes of art:

• ability to observe and to concentrate, moving between activity and reflection
• courage to enter into an open process and to let your aims grow out of a constantly changing situation (e.g. painting, theatre work, etc.)
• phantasy, patience, perseverance
• purposeful creativity closely linked to action, discovering one's own limitations and strengths
• flexibility
• communication and dialogue

In these art processes, key qualifications will be developed with great potential for transfer to all kinds of educational and social work. We want to develop this model further and make it available to all professions working in the education and health and social sectors.