In the photo (from left to right): Prof. Dr. Hans-Günther Roßbach, Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Hans-Peter Blossfeld, MdB Thomas Silberhorn
At the beginning, Prof. Blossfeld presented the framework of the NEPS and gave an overview of all the institutes and facilities involved in the project. Thereby, he emphasized the competencies and experiences that are necessary for the implementation of the NEPS, acting together to build a mosaic to which everyone contributes his or her individual piece. Professor Blossfeld also briefly outlined one of the substantial advancements of the study: According to these plans, the NEPS is going to attend more closely to the educational and professional careers of teacher trainees, to pupils at special needs schools, and is going to consider the development of vocational competencies and their contribution to future careers. Finally, he summarized the endeavors and the progress made so far to turn the NEPS into a Leibniz institution and gave thanks to Mr. Silberhorn for his support since the beginning of the project. After an interesting discussion forum with NEPS employees, Mr. Silberhorn summed up his impression in the following way: “The National Educational Panel Study makes a big contribution to the fact-based discussion, and that is crucial.”