Latest news on European Research in Learning and Work [L&W] - August 2019

In this edition of the L&W Newsletter you should note in particular several calls for papers relating to international conferences: the Stockholm conference of research on VET, the conference on adult education in global times in Vancouver, the conference for gamification research in Levi, the TVET conference in Pretoria (see Conferences) and the Workshop on 'peerness' in empowering refugees in Tampere (see Networks and Organisations); also a call for applications for the Winter School on studies in adult education and lifelong learning in Würzburg (see Programmes and Projects) and calls for contributions to the Handbook of research on TVET and to a Special Issue on the history of VET (see Publications). And not to overlook the invitations: to participate in an Open survey on creativity and innovation management (see Programmes and Projects) and to list current PhD graduates in JVET (see Networks and Organisations)!

Special thanks to all who contributed information for this edition, and also to our partners CR&DALL, CVER, ILO Employment Policy Department, PASCAL International Observatory, UFHRD, UNEVOC, VET&Culture and VETNET for providing input and sharing the L&W Newsletter via their mailing lists and web portals.

The L&W Newsletter focuses on transnational research activities across Europe in the field of human resource development (HRD) and vocational education and training (VET), centred on major categories: conferences, networks and organisations, programmes, projects and publications. The next edition will appear in early October 2019. You are invited to submit short texts (100 to 200 words, including links to web pages, but without attachments) - please by 30 September 2019 at the latest!

The L&W Newsletter reaches you via a mailing list of experts in and beyond Europe. You can also view the latest edition in the relaunched WIFO Gateway and download the L&W Newsletter in PDF. Please pass the Newsletter on to your colleagues and networks.

With best wishes
Sabine Manning
Research Forum WIFO
Editor of the L&W Newsletter
Contact: [email protected]

Please note: My second email address is now [email protected] (replacing the former second address <sabine.manning[at]wifo.b.shuttle.de>).

Conferences

Stockholm conference on VET: Call for papers
The 8th Stockholm International Conference of Research on Vocational Education and Training will be held 4 & 5 May 2020. The conference is organized by the research group Vocational Education & Training at Stockholm University, and is part of the core events of the European Network for Vocational Education and Training (VETNET). The conference welcomes papers dealing with a variety of research problems of relevance for the advance of vocational education and training. It is a forum open to a diversity of theories and methodologies. Selected contributions will be published. The conference is held on board Birka Cruise to the island of Åland, Finland. Participation is limited, so you are encouraged to submit your proposal as soon as possible.  Important dates are: Deadline for abstracts: 31 October 2019. Confirmation of acceptance: 29 November 2019. Deadline registration: 15 March 2020. Paper submission: 20 April 2020. Conference fee: 0.- Participants pay only for the cost of the stay. For more information visit the conference site: https://stockholminternationalvet.com/ or contact the organizers Professor Lázaro Moreno Herrera ([email protected]) and Associate Professor Marianne Teräs ([email protected]).
(Posted by Lázaro Moreno Herrera)

Adult education in global times: Call for papers
Researchers from eight international organisations (including ESREA) will meet in Vancouver (Canada) 4-7 June 2020 at the International Research Conference "Adult Education in Global Times" (AEGT2020). Proposals are invited for papers, research roundtables, panels, posters and symposia on any aspect of adult learning and education anywhere in the world. Our goal is to provide a forum that represents the range and diversity of contemporary scholarship in the field. Papers are reports of completed research and will be published in the online conference proceedings. Three types of paper proposals are invited: (a) empirical research, (b) model or theory development, and (c) theorizing from the literature. Deadline for submitting proposals: Monday, September 30, 2019. Further details are available at the conference website.
(Info received from CR&DALL Site Digest for 06/06/19)

GamiFIN 2020: Call for papers

4th annual international  conference for gamification research, GamiFIN 2020, in Levi, Finland, 1-3 April 2020
Gamification is a multi-faceted phenomenon that affects many domains of human life. We therefore welcome submissions related to this ludic transformation of reality under several domains and related to various keywords, including Education: e.g. gamification in education, serious games, game-based learning, games & math; and Work: e.g. organizational gamification, gameful work, gamification in leadership. Submissions deadline for papers: October 20, 2019. Accepted papers will be sent for consideration for publication in CEUR Workshop Proceedings in the GamiFIN Conference volume. The Call for papers is available at the conference website. If you have any questions related to the conference, please contact: [email protected]
(Info received from Laura Mitchell <[email protected]> via UFHRD mailing list)

Update on TVET conference 2020
Conference on promoting occupational skills and research for sustainable TVET, 26.-28.3.2020 in Pretoria, South Africa
The Department of Technology and Vocational Education at Tshwane University of Technology is hosting this conference concerned with the improvement of TVET in South Africa. The conference welcomes national and international researchers and practitioners. Conference topics include teaching and learning, digital skills development, articulation between learning venues, formal and informal learning pathways and reskilling, among others. Submission of papers: July 31, 2019. More information can be found at the conference website. Please contact the organizers if a late submission is intended!

(Posted by Antje Barabasch <[email protected]>)

IVETA Europe conference
Europe's second regional conference of the International Vocational Education and Training Association (IVETA) will take place in Sofia, Bulgaria October 14-15, 2019. The theme for this conference is "Bridging the Gap Between TVET and Employment Worldwide". Two related global crises are happening simultaneously: high levels of youth unemployment and a shortage of job seekers with relevant vocational work skills. Young people and their parents consider TVET as a second-class education; employers believe that new graduates are not adequately prepared for entry-level positions in the vocational sector, but rarely invest in TVET; TVET providers state that the new graduates are ready to work, although they know that curriculum and school equipment most often differ a lot from the world of work. Conference themes include: Collaboration between VET providers and industry; Dual education; Development of skills; Learning opportunities for educators and learners; The role of policy makers in VET development; Academic education and VET – both perspectives; Empowering VET teachers with educational resources; Sharing good practice in VET; Career development in VET. Early Bird registration before 31 August 2019. For further information please visit the conference website.
(Info received from UNESCO-UNEVOC TVeT Forum digest - 26 June 2019)

NOTE: Forthcoming and recent events related to European research in work and learning are listed on the WIFO Conference page [www.conferences.wifo-gate.org].

Networks and Organisations

Workshop on 'peerness' in empowering refugees
Anja Heikkinen and Lorenz Lassnigg are organizing an open workshop on 'Peerness' as solidarity in empowering refugees and migrants into employment: social progress or 'organized irresponsibility' (a la Ulrich Beck)? at the 16th ETMU conference "Solidarity, Participation and Politics" in Tampere 14.-15.11.2019. A vast number of programmes and projects in Europe are targeted to enhance the employment and employability of people with refugee and migrant backgrounds, especially women. They predominantly search for best practice which could be transferred to other contexts, and potentially adopted into European employment, education and social policies. At the same time 'peerness', voluntarism and experiential expertise have gained increasing momentum in education and training, especially in work-related and vocational education. Also the initiatives promoting the employment of people with refugee and migrant backgrounds increasingly focus on learning, guidance and mentoring by their peers, with whom they can (experientially) identify. The workshop invites academic, artistic and experiential presentations discussing policies and practices of inclusion and exclusion in vocational education, which increasingly take place as promoting peer guidance and voluntarism. Please find details of the workshop on the conference website. The deadline for abstracts is 11.8.2019.
(Info received from Anja Heikkinen <[email protected]>)

Listing PhD graduates in JVET

At the last management committee meeting of the Journal of Vocational Education and Training (JVET), we decided that we would publish the names of PhD graduates in JVET once a year. Many journals do this and it is a great idea… This would include theses at community colleges or further education colleges or TAFE (Technical and Further Education), teacher development in TVET (or whatever the name is in your country). We want to start with the 2018/2019 academic year. We intend to publish the name of the graduate, the title of the thesis, the names of the supervisor and committee members (depending on how these things are done in your country) and the abstract. If you are interested in this, could you please send me these details for your graduates in the 2018/2019 academic year by 1 August 2019?  Contact: Leesa Wheelahan PhD <[email protected]>
(Message received from Leesa Wheelahan 2/06/19)

NOTE: References to research networks in the field of European work and learning are available on the WIFO page Networks at a glance [www.networks.wifo-gate.org]. Contact: Sabine Manning

Programmes and Projects

Winter School 2020 in Würzburg
Winter School "International and Comparative Studies in Adult Education and Lifelong Learning", 3rd to 14th February 2020 at the University of Würzburg, Germany
The Winter School is geared to masters and doctoral students and colleagues from the field of adult and continuing education. The Programme is structured for two weeks, preceded by an online preparation phase. The first week is about international strategies and theories for international adult education. In the second week the participants will work together in small comparative groups on selected topics in adult education and lifelong learning. Please apply by 15th September 2019 under go.uni-wuerzburg.de/lifelonglearning. For more information about the programme, the application and the possibilities of travel subsidies please look at our website or contact us: [email protected]
(Posted by Lisa Breitschwerdt/ Lifelong Learning Würzburg <[email protected]>)

Open survey on creativity and innovation management
The European CIM project invites participation in an online survey on creativity and innovation management. Creativity and innovation are widely recognised as among the most important driving factors of our modern economies. However, there are only a few approaches to develop creativity and innovation management. Also missing are systematic educational approaches to promote related skills and competences at the interface of academia and business. This is the starting point of the Erasmus+ project CIM (https://cim-project.eu/), in which 15 organisations from 9 countries collaborate in a European consortium of higher education institutions, enterprises and networks. CIM aims to develop new teaching and study approaches for creativity and innovation management based on joint learning formats which connect higher education institutions and business organisations. The project starts with a European-wide survey on Creativity and Innovation Management in business and academia. Interested stakeholders are invited to participate in this survey. It will take about 15 minutes to fill in. You will find the survey at: https://survey.bupnet.de/index.php/713147
(Posted by Susanne Lattke <[email protected]>)

NOTE: Contributions are invited to update the Overview of European research projects [www.projects.wifo-gate.org], provided as part of the WIFO Gateway. Contact: Sabine Manning

Publications

Call for chapters: Handbook of research on TVET
Handbook of Research on Technical and Vocational Education and Training. Editors: Prof Moses Makgato (Tshwane University of technology, South Africa, [email protected]; [email protected]) and Prof Antje Barabasch ( Swiss Federal Institute For Vocational Education And Training, Switzerland, [email protected])
This book aims at providing knowledge in respect to workforce preparation, digital skills development, teaching and learning in TVET, the flexibility and articulation of TVET to respond to work integrated learning, reskilling and upskilling to avoid skills mismatches. We seek topical issues to inform policies and practices based on recent studies. The target audience will be academics from both universities, TVET and ACET colleges, policy makers in TVET, professionals and researchers working in the field of vocational education and training, communities and environments. Chapters concerned with TVET development in Africa or the Global South are particularly welcomed. Proposals Submission Deadline: August 10, 2019. Full Chapters Due: October 25, 2019. Submission Date: December 20, 2019. The deadlines for the book will be adjusted. Please contact the editors for more information and all inquiries.
More information can be found on the website.

(Posted by Antje Barabasch <[email protected]>)

Call for papers: History of VET
Journal of Vocational Education and Training - Special Issue: History of Vocational Education and Training. Guest Editors: Philipp Gonon (University of Zurich, Switzerland) and Thomas Deissinger (University of Konstanz, Germany)
We invite papers that seek to advance our understanding of the culture and history of VET, and help to support our forward thinking and understanding in the field both theoretically and/or empirically. Contributions might address, but are not limited to, the following issues: The evolution of national VET systems; Apprenticeship as a model of the past and the future; Curriculum, knowledge and skills in VET in  a historical perspective; Theorizing history of vocational education; Convergent and divergent developments in the field of VET in different countries; The role of new pathways into and out of VET; The history of transferring VET models to other countries. Deadline for submission of 500 word abstracts: 31 August 2019. For further details see Call for papers.
(Info received from Matthias Vonken c/o Forschungsnetzwerk VET&Culture <[email protected]>)

Disciplinary struggles in education
Heikkinen, Anja; Pätäri, Jenni; Molzberger, Gabriele (eds.). Disciplinary Struggles in Education. Tampere University Press 2019. Available online at  http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-359-002-1
This new book looks at education through the many meanings of 'discipline'. The word 'discipline' can mean either a field of science, control, or order. The book consists of articles that focus on historical changes in educational knowledge, questions of power and morality, and internal struggle within the field. This book discusses disciplinary struggles in education from three perspectives. The chapters in the first section analyse the disciplinary character of educational practice and institutions. The second section focuses on the justification of educational knowledge in transmission between theory and practice. The contributions of the third section problematise the aims and functions of educational practice and theory which are critical for understanding the implications of disciplinary struggles in education for the future. Although the chapters focus on certain historical periods, forms and contexts of education, they provide insights which are useful and relevant for a wider discussion in the eclectic and diverse theories and practices of education. The authors are social and educational scientists from Finland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Russia and Brazil. For more information please contact the editors: Anja Heikkinen ([email protected]), Jenni Pätäri ([email protected]), Gabriele Molzberger ([email protected])
(Info received from Anja Heikkinen and Gabriele Molzberger/ Forschungsnetzwerk VET&Culture)

Wiley Handbook of VET
David Guile & Lorna Unwin: The Wiley Handbook of Vocational Education and Training: A collection of the theories, practices, and policies of vocational education and training written by international experts. Wiley-Blackwell 2019. ISBN: 978-1-119-09872-0 [Details]
The Wiley Handbook of Vocational Education and Training offers an in-depth guide to the theories, practices, and policies of vocational education and training (VET). With contributions from a panel of leading international scholars, the Handbook contains 27 authoritative essays from a wide range of disciplines. The contributors present an integrated analysis of the complex and dynamic field of VET. Drawing on the most recent research, thinking, and practice in the field, the book explores the key debates about the role of VET in the education and training systems of various nations. The Handbook reveals how expertise is developed in an age of considerable transformation in work processes, work organization, and occupational identities. The authors also examine many of the challenges of vocational education and training such as the impact of digital technologies on employment, the demand for (re)training in the context of extended working lives, the emergence of learning regions and skill ecosystems, and the professional development of vocational teachers and trainers.

(Info received from Lorna Unwin <[email protected]>)

VET system in Spain
Marhuenda Fluixá, Fernando (ed). The School-Based Vocational Education and Training System in Spain: Achievements and Controversies. Springer (October) 2019 [Details]

This book discusses the developments in policy and practice in the field of formal, non-formal and continuing vocational education and training in Spain since 1970. It describes how VET has been transformed and become one of the country’s main areas of pedagogical innovation, and also examines current developments, such as the role of non-formal vocational education and training, the accreditation of vocational qualifications acquired in the non-formal system, and the adoption of dual apprenticeships that bear little resemblance to central European dual systems. Written by respected researchers in these fields, the first section is informative and analytical, offering a description of the system and comments based on academic literature and research. The second section illustrates the research on relevant issues, portraying empirical data from different regions in Spain, as well as nationwide data. Explaining and interpreting data on the basis of the authors’ different theoretical frameworks, the book provides a comprehensive, updated and accurate overview of VET and relevant research in Spain, as well as their relation to European and global developments.
(Contributed by Fernando Marhuenda <[email protected]>)

Benefits of vocational versus general education
Eve-Liis Roosmaa, Liisa Martma & Ellu Saar (2019). Vocational upper-secondary education and participation in non-formal education: a comparison of European countries. International Journal of Lifelong Education, Vol 38, Issue 3 [Details]
The question of whether the potential short-term advantages of vocational qualifications are offset by disadvantages in later life is an important issue for policy debates. This paper analyses how the choice of vocational or general upper-secondary education affects future prospects of participation in non-formal education (NFE). It presents a comparative analysis of European countries in six different types according to the skill specificity of the vocational education and training systems, using the 2014 Labour Force Survey data. Our results confirm the trade-off between short- and long-term benefits of vocational education. In countries with higher specificity of vocational education, the difference in NFE participation between vocational and general upper-secondary education at the beginning of the work career is higher compared to countries where specificity is lower. However, the same difference also appears in countries where general upper-secondary education dominates. Unexpectedly, the differences between the two educational groups in training participation did not diminish over the life-course but increased for the 30–34 year olds. The results highlight that in countries where general upper-secondary education dominates (type 6) those with vocational education are more likely to participate in NFE than in countries where school-based systems exist (type 5).
(Info obtained from publishers' page)

Skills policies in the EU
Kathryn Telling, Martino Serapioni (2019). The rise and change of the competence strategy: Reflections on twenty-five years of skills policies in the EU. European Educational Research Journal, Vol 18 Issue 4 [Details]
The principal aim of this article is to provide a historical overview of 25 years of competence policy in the European Union, highlighting connections between past and current initiatives and outlining possible scenarios for the decades to come. The article presents the social investment turn in social policy as the critical political background against which the emergence of a competence strategy in European Union education policy should be analysed and understood. The competence strategy, it is argued, finds its roots in a renewed attention at the European Union level for harmonising educational outputs and labour market demands. While trying to produce a schematic history of the emergence and change of the competence strategy, the article does not seek to offer strict definitions of competence itself; instead, it conveys the nebulous and context-dependent nature of the concept.
(Contributed by Kathryn Telling <[email protected]>)

Refugees and the labour market
New blog of Skills Panorama on "Refugees and the labour market: role of skills in facilitating access" by Ramona David and Martin Wagner 16/04/2019 [Details]
Cedefop has been investigating the potential of skills based pathways to refugee protection in collaboration with the International Centre for Migration Policy Development. The aim of this initiative is to increase the evidence base in support of designing and implementing complementary pathways mechanisms for admitting adult refugees from a first host country (within or outside the EU) to an EU country, while taking into account, and making use of, VET, skills and the qualifications, and linking them to the labour market needs. Read more on the Skills Panorama blog here.
(Info received from SKILLSNET e-bulletin: May - June 2019)

Comparative analysis of European NQFs
Matteo Sgarzi, Horacy Debowsky: Including non-formal sector qualifications in National Qualification Frameworks. Céreq. Training and Employment n°137 May 2019 [Details]
A comparative analysis of 7 European NQFs reveals different patterns of inclusion of non-formal sector qualifications awarded outside the traditional educational context. However, all countries have in common the quest to achieve a good compromise between providing incentives for inclusion and maintaining overall framework coherence. The publication is available for downloading on the website.
(Info received from Céreq news n° 16, Summer 2019 c/o Isabelle de LASSUS <[email protected]>)

Outcomes of ILO centenary conference
This year's 108th Session of the International Labour Conference adopted the ILO Centenary Declaration on the Future of Work.  Selected outcomes of the conference include the following reports: # Lifelong learning: Concepts, issues and actions. This paper introduces readers to the debates surrounding LLL and provides a useful introduction to the concept and the challenges that need to be addressed. # Skills for a greener future: Key findings. This report is a ground-breaking piece of empirical research and modelling, providing new insights into the likely impact of  occupational skills on declining and growing industries by 2030 based on two global quantitative scenarios. Evidence of good practices collected in the surveyed countries demonstrates how skills development can underpin the green transition. # Quality apprenticeships: Addressing skills mismatch and youth unemployment. This policy brief presents an overview of quality apprenticeships promoted by the ILO through outlining their key characteristics, benefits and challenges, as well as examining the building blocks and policy pointers for developing a successful quality apprenticeship system.
(Info received from July/August 2019 Employment Newsletter <[email protected]>)

NOTE: References to publications on European research in learning and work are provided by the WIFO pages on Books [www.books.wifo-gate.org],  Journals [www.journals.wifo-gate.org] and Articles [www.articles.wifo-gate.org].

Impressum

Editor of the L&W Newsletter: Dr Sabine Manning, Research Forum WIFO;
Email: [email protected]  (or:  [email protected]);
Address: Neue Blumenstr. 1, D-10179 Berlin, Germany;
Editions of the L&W Newsletter: six times a year, every two months (at the beginning of February, April, June, August, October, December);
Deadline for contributions to the L&W Newsletter: end of January, March, May, July, September, November;
Details and Archive of the L&W Newsletter [www.news.wifo-gate.org];
See also our update on Data Protection.