The Pädagogischer Austauschdienst is the sole public organisation in Germany working on behalf of the Federal States to promote international exchange and cooperation in the school sector. The PAD is a department of the Secretariat of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany (Kultusministerkonferenz).

The Kultusministerkonferenz aims to further strengthen international cooperation in this sector. Thus, it is assuming responsibility for raising standards in the education sector and for safeguarding international mobility. School exchanges have an extremely positive impact on the quality of learning and learning environments. As a result of participating in exchanges and other collaborative schemes, individuals greatly develop their technical, linguistic and intercultural skills, as well as their personal skills.

The PAD carries out its role in cooperation with the various states in the Federal Republic of Germany, the Auswärtiges Amt, the EU Commission and other national and international partners from the school sector. The PAD is DIN-certified: DIN EN ISO 9001:2008.

The PAD’s remit and responsibilities include:

• Providing information and advice for people and institutions in the school sector

• Linking and supporting people and institutions in the school sector

• Planning, implementing, evaluating and developing programmes

• Designing and developing new exchange programmes

• Providing information for their target audience as well as members of the public who are interested in the schemes