Focusing on multipliers
Education is one of the BFU’s core competences alongside research, advice and communication. This may seem surprising at first glance – what do education and accident prevention have in common? The interdisciplinary education team at the BFU specialises in passing on prevention knowledge in a clear and comprehensible way and demonstrating workable and efficient strategies to reduce accident risk.
The BFU lacks the resources to address the general public directly, instead opting to work with groups of people who pass on to others what they have learned. In technical terms, they are called multipliers.
From the caretaker to the traffic instructor
Switzerland has numerous traffic instructors who teach children how to cross the road safely. In addition, the BFU’s educational offering is primarily aimed at teachers, technical specialists (e.g. traffic engineers or caretakers), sports coaches, driving instructors, safety delegates and safety managers in companies. The main advantage of these multipliers is that a large audience can benefit from the BFU’s knowledge and expertise, e.g. through practical accident prevention tips or a safe infrastructure.
Comprehensive approach to education
The BFU provides both basic and further learning opportunities. Put simply, education refers to initial education and further education to everything that follows. In order for the multipliers to perform their role, they first need to acquire the appropriate expertise. To this end, the BFU offers a broad-based educational offering that includes specially tailored course modules.
It is important to consider the multipliers’ occupational backgrounds when developing the various learning opportunities. Teachers must first and foremost familiarise themselves with the nuts and bolts of prevention – the methods with which they convey this knowledge to their students are a part of their job. In contrast, caretakers with hands-on occupational training do not require as much technical instruction but do profit from tips on how to prepare and pass on their acquired expertise in a target group-oriented manner.
Fewer accidents through varied methods
In addition to many other methods and formats, courses and tuition are central components of the BFU’s educational offer. Whenever possible, the BFU aims to incorporate prevention topics into the existing basic and further learning opportunities provided by established institutions.
The overarching aim is competence-oriented tuition: the multipliers should be able to implement or impart their expertise directly. Education experts can choose from a variety of methods ranging from a teacher-centred approach, dialogue-based learning and role models to educational games and coaching. To this end, the BFU develops specific education and communication resources, with e-learning and digital media playing an increasingly important role.
