Presentation at the 20th Ingenieurpädagogische Jahrestagung

ABSOLUT II research on technical supervisor in driverless public transport: a presentation on roles, responsibilities and qualifications at the 20th Ingenieurpädagogische Jahrestagung.

On 8 May 2026, Astrid Dirks and Maximilian Rothfeld from Dresden University of Technology presented the latest findings from the ABSOLUT II research project at the 20th Ingenieurpädagogischen Jahrestagung in Frankfurt am Main. The presentation focused on the question of which tasks and skills are required for technical supervision in the context of autonomous shuttles in public transport.

Under the title ‘Driverless in Public Transport – The Structure and Competencies of Technical Supervision in the Age of Digital Mobility’, the presentation examined a key aspect of future mobility: whilst autonomous on-demand shuttles open up new possibilities for connecting rural and peri-urban areas to urban public transport, they also give rise to new requirements in terms of monitoring, control and responsibility.

The paper by the Technical University of Dresden, Institute for Vocational Education and Vocational Didactics, focuses in particular on technical supervision. In future, this role is intended to involve monitoring several autonomous shuttles from a control centre and intervening to provide support where necessary. This raises the question of what specific tasks this new role entails and what competencies are required to perform it professionally.

The presentation outlined the research design and the findings to date. Particular emphasis was placed on the development of a competence matrix that can be used to systematically describe the tasks, requirements and areas of competence involved in technical supervision. In this way, the research makes an important contribution to addressing the question of how training and competence development can be structured for new role profiles in automated public transport.

The presentation met with great interest from the specialist audience. Both immediately afterwards and during subsequent breaks, a lively exchange took place, featuring numerous queries and in-depth discussions. Deputy project manager Manuel Meyer was also present as a guest at the presentation and expressed his delight at the positive response and the intensive professional exchange. The response made it clear that technical supervision, as the interface between automated mobility, vocational training and safe public transport operations, is a forward-looking and highly relevant topic.

The insights gained from the conference will be incorporated into further research within the ABSOLUT II project. They will help to further refine the competence requirements for technical supervision and to specifically develop the vocational education perspective on autonomous mobility in public transport.