Latest news on European Research in Learning and Work [L&W] - February 2018

Particularly worth noting in this edition are calls for papers or proposals relating to: the  eucen Conference in Bergen, the WCCI Conference on Education, the International Human Capital Conference in Selangor (see Conferences), the EAN conference in The Hague, the TIY Workshop on Youth Transitions in Mannheim, the VET&Culture workshop in Zurich (see Networks and Organisations), the International Spring School in Kerkrade (see Programmes) and the journal Empirical Research in Vocational Education and Training (see Publications). And not to overlook: the vacancies at the Hertie School of Governance (see Networks and Organisations).

Many thanks to all who contributed information for this edition and who sent helpful feedback. The L&W Newsletter reaches you via a mailing list of about 1500 experts in and beyond Europe. It focuses on transnational research activities in the field of human resource development (HRD) and vocational education and training (VET), centred on major categories: conferences, networks, programmes, projects and publications. The next edition will appear in early April 2018. You are invited to submit short pieces of news (texts of 100 to 200 words, without attachments, but including links to web pages) - please by 31 March 2018 at the latest!

Should you prefer to read the current edition online, you can find it on the L&W website (www.news.wifo-gate.org) under February 2018. Please pass the Newsletter on to your colleagues and networks. Special thanks to our partners CR&DALL, CVER, 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!

With best wishes
Sabine Manning
Research Forum WIFO
Editor of the L&W Newsletter

Conferences

Call for contributions: 50th eucen Conference
We are pleased to announce the Call for Contributions for the 50th eucen Conference in Bergen (Switzerland), 06 - 08 June 2018. The title of the conference is: Times of Transition - The role of University Lifelong Learning. Our conference wants to explore the future role and opportunities of ULLL in the following three main categories: Professional transitions, Personal transitions, Digital transitions. Abstracts will be accepted until 16 March 2018. For your convenience, the full Call for Contributions is availabe on the conference website. Abstracts must be submitted online to the new eucen Studies website. Go to the "Current Call" section and fill in the online form there.
(Info received from CR&DALL Site Digest for 18/01/18 <[email protected]>)

WCCI 18th World Conference on Education
World conference of WCCI (World Council for Curriculum and Instruction) on the Role of Education for Global Citizenship in Promoting Social, Economic and Environmental Justice, at the Hotel Villa Maria Regina, Rome, Italy, July 14-20, 2018
WCCI is a transnational educational organization committed to advancing the achievement of a peaceful world community through collaboration, curriculum and instruction projects: dialogues on educational and social issues of a global nature; the exchange of ideas, concerns and solutions to problems and person-to-person contacts and professional relationships. It is a non-governmental organization in special consultative status with the Economic Council of the United Nations and UNESCO. The purpose of the conference is to inspire and engage educators and researchers around the world in an exploration of the processes and effects of global education in advancing economic, social and environmental justice by way of training and producing global citizens who are informed, sensitive, competent and active members of their local and global communities, who take part in the global governance process, who seek sustainable and just solutions to global problems, and who advocate policy changes for the attainment of a just world. Extended application deadline: 1 April 2018. Only for European participants! For more information please contact: WCCI CEE Secretariat, Ms. Reka Schmieder <[email protected]>

(Posted by Iván Zádori <[email protected]>)

Call for papers: Workforce renewal in an era of global change
International Human Capital Conference. Taylor's University Lakeside Campus, Selangor, Malaysia. 28-29 November 2018
Taylor's University is proud to host this International Conference on Human Capital, exploring one of the key drivers of economic growth globally, in ASEAN and in Malaysia. A universal consensus on the need to build workforce skills to support economic development is reflected in policy documents of international agencies like the OECD, ILO, IMF and World Bank, supra-national regional bodies like ASEAN, APEC and the EU, as well as governments of nation states. All stress the importance of forecasting future skills needs to ensure that education and training systems are suitably aligned with labour market needs, to avoid skills gaps, shortages and mismatches. Yet there is still confusion at the practical level as to what constitutes human capital, and how best to develop the future and current workforce to meet evolving labour market needs in a period marked by increasing uncertainty and accompanied by profound restructuring. This conference provides an opportunity for academics and representatives of business and government to debate the issues. Find full call for papers soon at:  https://university.taylors.edu.my/
(Posted by Jonathan Winterton <[email protected]>)

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

27th EAN conference on accountability in access
We are happy to announce the 27th Annual Conference of the European Access Network (EAN), due to take place on 6th-8th June, 2018 at the University of Applied Science in The Hague, International City of Peace and Justice, The Netherlands. Conference theme: The Power of Accountability in Access, Retention and Success. We would like you to join us in thinking and learning about how we can progress to our next steps in the future. For more information about the conference and for your input about the program, send an email to <[email protected]>. Registrations and call for proposals will open in early 2018. For further details please look up CR&DALL page.
(Info received via CR&DALL Site Digest for 14/12/17)

Call for papers: TIY workshop on youth transitions
The 26th annual workshop of the European Research Network on Transitions in Youth (TIY) will take place in Mannheim, Germany, from 5 to 8 September 2018. The workshop will be hosted by the Mannheim Centre for European Social Research (Mannheimer Zentrum für Europäische Sozialforschung, MZES), University of Mannheim. The theme of this year's workshop is: Youth Transitions in Challenging Times. The Network Committee invites authors to submit contributions concerning the area of youth transitions, especially - but not exclusively - the transition from education to the labour market and its intersections with other life-course domains from both single-country and comparative perspectives. Abstract submission deadline: March 15, 2018 (via mail). For further details please visit the Workshop website: http://www.mzes.uni-mannheim.de/tiy2018/
(Info received from Maarten Wolbers c/o <[email protected]>)

Save the date for VET&Culture workshop
The VET&Culture workshop 2018 will be hosted at the University of Zurich, 17-18 September 2018, on the theme "Opening and extending vocational education". This workshop combines perspectives of 1) a historicising dimension of vocational education, 2) an open understanding of vocational education, including higher education, further and adult education, and 3) informal and non-formal aspects of the education system. We consider that apprenticeship and VET are distinct approaches towards initial education that have been opened and extended in various directions over time: Higher education took on vocational education models. Vice versa, vocational education development tends to adapt to structures of higher education. Privatisation and marketisation have emerged as well as utilitarian approaches towards labour market skills. Informal learning and recognition of competences have widened the perspectives on vocational education. In this workshop, we will discuss the variety of opening and extending tendencies within vocational education. Presentations will alternate with round tables combined with a planned field visit. Contact: Philipp Gonon ([email protected])
(Info received via VET&Culture Network c/o Matthias Vonken <[email protected]>)

Update: Asia-Europe conference
Please find featured below the registration details and conference programme for "Lifelong Learning Policies and Adult Education Professionals - Contextual and Cross-Contextual Comparisons between Europe and Asia", to be held over 16-17 February 2018, at the Julius-Maximilian University, Wuerzburg, Germany. Details can be found at the CR&DALL Site and on the website of the Professional Network for Adult Education and Lifelong Learning (Compall).
(Info received from CR&DALL Site Digest for 12/01/18)

Vacancies at Hertie School of Governance
The Hertie School of Governance is an international teaching and research centre in Berlin that prepares students for leadership positions in government, business, and civil society. An interdisciplinary focus and policy orientation distinguish the university's research agenda. A broad range of research projects and cooperation with partner institutions in Germany and abroad are further features of research at the Hertie School. Research in the field of educational governance focusses on the comparative analysis of reforms in education and training systems in Europe and beyond in view of contemporary challenges such as those posed by social inequality, migration, or digitalization. The Hertie School is currently seeking candidates for a PhD scholarship in educational governance (> Details) and a research associate position in educational governance (> Details).
(Posted by Lukas Graf <[email protected]>)

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]. Major online resources related to European research networks include the ECER VETNET Proceedings (www.ecer-vetnet.wifo-gate.org) offering a complete and up-to-date collection of conference papers submitted since 1998, and the Overview of selected HRD conference papers (www.ehrd-papers.wifo-gate.org).

Programmes

Call for application: International Spring School
The ICO International Spring School 2018 to be held at Rolduc Abbey, Kerkrade, March 19-23, 2018 [website]
Are you a PhD candidate in the domain of educational sciences? We are pleased to invite you to come to the ICO International Spring School (ISS) 2018. The ICO ISS2018 is a conference and an international educational event for all PhD candidates who do research in the domain of learning, instruction and education. The primary aim of the ICO School is to learn: learn from the keynote speeches, the various workshops organized by experts in their field, and by presenting and discussing issues with regard to your own  PhD project. The second aim is to socialize and form a network in an international scientific community. The ICO ISS2018 is a valuable event for all PhD candidates, independent of the stage of your research project. During the ISS you will attend two keynote speeches and two workshops organized by international experts, and you will give a presentation of your own research. As a participant, you are also expected to review the presentations of your peers. Registration is open until 19 February, 2018. We are looking forward to meeting you in Kerkrade!
(Posted by Caroline Vonk <[email protected]>)

NOTE: Contributions are welcome for the next edition of the Directory of Doctoral Dissertations (www.ddd.wifo-gate.org), provided as part of the WIFO Gateway, which focuses on European research in the field of vocational education (VET) and human resource development (HRD). Please provide information on expected or newly completed doctoral dissertations investigating issues of HRD, VET or work-related adult education, according to the following pattern: 1*Theme of dissertation (original language AND English); 2*Year of (expected) completion or publication; 3*Author (name and email address); 4*Tutor (name and email address); 5*Institution of tutor (name and home page). Contributions should be posted by email to the editor ([email protected]).

Projects

Track-Vet project
Developing, assessing and validating key cross-cutting competences in formal initial and continuing VET (TRACK-VET) - Erasmus+
Céreq is involved in setting up a partnership with six other institutions for the Track-Vet project, funded as part of the Eramus+ strategic partnership. The main aim of this project is to provide evidence-based support to national governments and agencies, EU agencies and key stakeholders involved in designing policies on developing, assessing and validating key cross-cutting competences. The TRACK-VET project is being carried out by a partnership consisting of seven institutions in: Austria, France, Latvia, Norway, Poland and Slovakia. On 05-06th December 2017, the TRACK-VET project kick-off meeting took place at the premises of the Warsaw School of Economics. During the meeting TRACK-VET partners discussed research methodology to be applied in the project, including: definitions of the key terms and concepts, structure of the country reports and data collection methods. Each partner presented the state of art and recent developments regarding transversal key competences in VET in their countries. The TRACK-VET project will last 32 months (September 2017 - April 2020). More information about the project will soon be made available on the project website: track-vet.eu
(Info received via Céreq news, n° 10, Winter 2018 c/o <[email protected]>)

Eramus+ project: Retail sector competencies for all teachers (ReCall)
Teaching self and social competencies in VET has great relevance to achieve employability in all European countries. These competencies have been taught insufficiently in vocational education so far. Therefore, four teaching-learning arrangements have been implemented in advance for vocational schools/further education colleges to develop self and social competencies of young people. These materials were evaluated very positively by teachers. However, the practical implementation of the teaching-learning arrangements have shown that their distribution largely depends on the teachers' readiness to use them. The complexity and novelty of the developed teaching-learning arrangements discourage the teachers sometimes from integrating them as an integral part of their lessons. Consequently, the focus of the project has been directed to the professional development of VET teachers. The teachers' awareness of teaching self and social competencies should be increased. Scepticism about the existing material should be reduced so that teachers lose their reservations. Three universities - the University of Cologne, the Pedagogical University of Krakow and the University of Bergamo as project partners - as well as three vocational schools, from Poland, Italy and Germany, belonged to the project consortium. The digital training is now available online and costless as OER in the languages English, German, Polish, and Italian. Access: http://www.recall-ttt.uni-koeln.de/en
(Contributed by Christian Hofmeister <[email protected]>)

Digital opportunity traineeship initiative
In this "digital" year, the European Commission also put forward the Digital opportunity traineeship initiative. This will provide cross-border traineeships for up to 6,000 students and recent graduates between 2018 and 2020. The budget is around 10 mln euros, and it aims to give students of all disciplines the opportunity to gain digital experience in fields demanded by the market. LLLP's member, the Erasmus Student Network, has put in place a project that will serve as a main platform to promote it. Find more details here! Also, the LLLP is proud to announce that we will be hosting a trainee in the framework of this new scheme as of January 2018!
(Info received from LLLPlatform <[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. The overview focuses on transnational research projects, mainly supported by EU programmes, in the areas of human resource development, vocational education, work and learning. Please send the following information to the editor ([email protected]):  (A) exact title and acronym (short name) of the project; (B) name and email address of the coordinator or main contact; (C) address of the website (or info page/ flyer) of the project. Contact: Sabine Manning

Publications

Call for papers on test motivation
The journal Empirical Research in Vocational Education and Training calls for papers on test motivation and test conditions in domain-specific assessments in VET: https://ervet-journal.springeropen.com/tmtc. In particular, scholars are invited who investigate the effects of test motivation and conditions in VET domains. Papers are required until the end of April 2018. All information is available here: https://ervet-journal.springeropen.com/tmtc.
(Posted by Christoph Helm <[email protected])

New issue of IJRVET: Vol. 4, Issue 4
The International Journal for Research in Vocational Education and Training (IJRVET) has published a new regular issue containing the following topics: Tove Mogstad Aspøy and Torgeir Nyen discuss the effects on the VET system of a recent Norwegian attempt to organise alternative training primarily as workplace training; Volker Rein discusses the conceptual intersections of VET and academic Higher Education on competence,  and analyzes comparatively competence-oriented instruments for the classification and the transparency of learning outcomes and their application in the education practice of  dual study programmes with vocational reference qualifications; Kristina Kühn investigates the enhancement of social competence for disadvantaged young people based on the example of the "Werkschule Bremen" educational course; Peter Changilwa Kigwilu and Winston Jumba Akala investigate how Catholic-sponsored community colleges in Nairobi utilise the existing physical facilities and teaching and learning resources for effective implementation of Artisan and Craft curricula; and Larissa Freund and Michael Gessler present their book review on "Vocational Education and Training in Times of Economic Crisis" that was published in the series "Technical and Vocational Education and Training: Issues, Concerns and Prospects" with Rupert MacLean as Editor-in-Chief and Matthias Pilz as editor of the volume. Please find the articles on http://www.ijrvet.net.
(Posted by: Larissa Freund <[email protected]>)

IJRVET Yearbook 2017 now available
Starting in 2018, the International Journal for Research in Vocational Education and Training (IJRVET) publishes an annual Yearbook including all electronic articles which appeared in the previous year. The first printed Yearbook (2017) is now available on Amazon (Amazon.com - Amazon.co.uk - Amazon.de - Amazon.fr - Amazon.es). An open access version of the Yearbook 2017 can be downloaded on ResearchGate. IJRVET provides open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the science community and the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge and the further development of expertise in the field of Vocational Education and Training (understood in a wide sense and also known as e.g. TVET Technical Vocational Education and Training, Professional Education and Training, Career and Technical Education, Workforce Education). See further details of this post and also the special post "Great start" highlighting the new Yearbook.
(Posts by Michael Gessler <[email protected]> and Pekka Kämäräinen <[email protected]> on vetnet website)

Building apprentices' skills in the workplace
Philipp Grollmann, Hilary Steedman, Anika Jansen and Robert Gray: Building apprentices' skills in the workplace: Car Service in Germany, the UK and Spain. December 2017. CVER Research Paper No CVERDP011. [Details]
This paper analyses how employers in three countries, Germany, the UK and Spain experience and view apprenticeship. The focus is on a single occupation - Vehicle Maintenance and Repair (Car Service) based on case studies and a representative employer survey carried out in the three countries. Apprenticeship is well-established in Germany and is strongly promoted by the UK government. In Spain, Car Service courses are full-time college courses which include a workplace internship. German and UK firms are satisfied with the practical and theoretical content of apprenticeship programmes, but case study evidence reveals that the workplace training element of apprenticeship makes heavy demands on firms' resources. Spanish courses demand less of employers, but skills are less well-developed. While German Car Service firms train more apprentices than they immediately require, UK firms under-invest in apprenticeship, citing the heavy time demands on experienced employees. The UK should consider a different financing model for technical apprenticeships. In addition, increased labour market regulation and employer cooperation could encourage investment in apprenticeship.
(Info received from CVER Newsletter <[email protected]>)

Why returning to VET?
Erika Edith Gericke. Why Returning to VET? Results of a Qualitative Comparative Study about English and German Car Mechatronics. International Journal for Research in Vocational Education and Training, [S.l.], v. 4, n. 3, p. 206-225, nov. 2017. [Details]
Educational choices, especially the influence of class on these choices have been a subject of lively international debate. However, thus far, there has been little international and comparative research with respect to vocational and education training (VET) decision making from a subject-oriented perspective. This paper considers occupational-biographical orientations of English and German car mechatronics and focuses on the roles of learning and gaining vocational qualifications. Drawing on the concept of occupational-biographical orientations, the paper describes three types of orientations based on analyses of findings from 11 autobiographical-narrative interviews with English and German car mechatronics. The interviews clearly showed that occupational-biographical orientations explained different views on the necessity of returning to (continuous) vocational education and training. They also demonstrated that subjective perceptions of the national VET system fostered particular occupational-biographical challenges, which supported or hindered existing learning attitudes. Overall, the findings suggested that occupational-biographical orientations exerted the most important influence on learning biographies and decisions to return to (continuous) VET.
(Contributed by Erika Gericke <[email protected]>)

Supporting change in VET
Cathal de Paor. Supporting change in VET: teachers' professional development and ECVET learner mobility. Empirical Research in Vocational Education and Training, 2018, 10:1 [Details]
While mobility between countries has become very much a part of higher education programmes, VET learners have not participated to the same extent. The possibility which the European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) offers in terms of the transfer, recognition and, accumulation of learning outcomes may help to change this. However, this requires a considerable involvement from teachers, given the role they need to play in preparing for such mobility in terms of learning outcomes, learning activities and assessment. This paper considers the professional development needs of teachers with regard to this, drawing on the results of an Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership, QUAKE, geared towards teacher professional development and learner ECVET mobility in a number of European countries. The project provides the basis for an explanatory case study (Yin 1994), and the case results being considered here are drawn from the views expressed by Irish VET teachers. The results highlight the need for a greater connection between VET teachers' professional development and their routine work with learners. ECVET mobility can contribute to this connection, providing the context where the professional development becomes an integral part of the teaching and learning process, thereby ensuring a more successful adoption of educational change.
(Details obtained from ERVET website)

Apprentice or student?
Regine Grytnes, Martin Grill, Anders Pousette, Marianne Törner, Kent J. Nielsen. Apprentice or Student? The Structures of Construction Industry Vocational Education and Training in Denmark and Sweden and their Possible Consequences for Safety Learning. 2017. Vocations and Learning. Open Access [Details]
There is a notable difference in occupational injury rates in the two Scandinavian countries, Sweden and Denmark, with the latter having a 40% higher rate of fatal occupational injuries in the construction industry. This study explored differences in the vocational education and training (VET) systems between Sweden and Denmark that may be important for students' safety learning and practice during VET. In both countries, students participate in full-time education, and the curriculum includes school-based as well as company- based training. However, during company- based training, Swedish students retain their student status, whereas Danish students are employed as apprentices. From a perspective of viewing safety as a social practice developed through interactions of different social and institutional bodies, the analysis points to this difference in employment status as important for their safety practices and also for the teachers' position to influence safety learning and practices during company-based training. An analysis of interview and survey data focusing on how VET students enact safety 'knowings' across learning sites, suggests how different forms of connectivity models in VET promote various forms of safety learning among students.
(Details obtained from Vocations and Learning website)

NOTE: Updates on publications provided by the WIFO Gateway include the WIFO Bookshelf [www.books.wifo-gate.org], a collection of references to publications focusing on cross-European issues of work and learning, and "From the Journals" - Overview of articles on cross-European issues in VET and HRD research [www.articles.wifo-gate.org], selected from European and international Journals related to education research [www.journals.wifo-gate.org].