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

In this edition of the L&W Newsletter you should note in particular several calls for papers relating to international conferences: the 22nd GeNeMe Conference "Communities in New Media" in Dresden, the TVET Conference 2020 in Pretoria (see Conferences) and the Cedefop/OECD symposium on apprenticeship (see Networks and Organisations); also a call for applications for the IPEP Winter School 2019 in Verona (see Programmes and Projects); calls for contributions to the Edited book for UFHRD and the Handbook of research on TVET (see Publications), and calls for proposals for the VET Research Award 2019 and the new EMCC Research Award (see Networks and Organisations). And not to overlook: the vacancy announcements for positions at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (see Networks and Organisations)!
Special thanks to all who contributed information for this edition, and also 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!

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 August 2019. You are invited to submit short texts (100 to 200 words, including links to web pages, but without attachments) - please by 31 July 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]
(or: [email protected])

Conferences

GeNeMe 2019: Call for papers
The 22nd GeNeMe Conference "Communities in New Media/ Gemeinschaften in Neuen Medien" will take place in Dresden, 9-11 October 2019. GeNeMe addresses online communities at the interface of several disciplines such as computer science, multimedia or media technology, economics, education and information science. As a forum for the interdisciplinary dialogue between science and industry, the conference serves the exchange of experience and knowledge between participants from a wide range of disciplines, organizations and institutions. Please find the major topics of the conference in the Call for Papers. We meet on 09.10.2019 for the pre-conference in the Dresden International University (DIU) and on 10./11.10.2019 in the Hygiene Museum Dresden (DHMD), and look forward to an inspiring conference! All contributions accepted for the conference as a result of the double-blind review will be published at TUDPress (with ISBN) as Open Access publications on Qucosa. This applies to all submitted formats (except posters). The indexing is via Scopus and Qucosa. The Proceedings from 2018 can be found as an Open Access publication on the server of the SLUB. Greetings from Dresden! Nina Kahnwald, Eric Schoop and Thomas Köhler - the conference organizers.
(Info received from Thomas Koehler <[email protected]>)

TVET Conference 2020: Call for papers
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, among others, teaching and learning, digital skills development, articulation between learning venues, formal and informal learning pathways and reskilling. Submission of papers: June 2019. Early Bird registration by August 31, 2019 (R 6000). Regular registration: after 31 August, 2019 (R 6800). More information can be found on the flyer (please email editor via [email protected]).
(Info received from Antje Barabasch <[email protected]>)

Update on #EDEN2019
EDEN is pleased to announce its 28th Annual Conference hosted by the VIVES University of Applied Sciences in Bruges 16-19 June 2019: "Connecting Through Educational Technology - In search for contemporary learning environments". A detailed programme is now available. It includes plenaries, parallel sessions with paper presentations, workshops, training, moderated poster and demo sessions and the synergy strand, ensuring digital interactivity and cooperation on the social web. Registration is open. The registration fee includes access to all conference facilities, electronic Conference Proceedings, welcome cocktail, lunches and refreshments during the conference days, but the fee does not include accommodation and the conference dinner. For young scholars, a special discount will be applied. Finally, good news for everyone who can't make it to the conference: as in previous years, all plenary sessions of the Annual Conference will be streamed on EDEN's YouTube channel - you will be able to follow the conference welcome, all keynote speeches and the closing remarks from the comfort of your chair. Please visit the Conference website.
(Info received from EDEN Annual Conference Secretariat <[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

Call for papers: Cedefop/OECD symposium on apprenticeship
The joint Cedefop/OECD symposium on apprenticeship brings together policy makers, practitioners and researchers from around the world to consider new research and practice exploring the future of apprenticeship provision. The symposium will take place at the OECD Conference Centre, Paris, 7 October 2019. Apprenticeship provision has a long history of enabling the transitions for young people from education into sustained skilled employment. Dependent on deep employer engagement, apprenticeships have proven to be an effective means of ensuring that the formative education and training of learners is well aligned to actual labour market needs. Deadline for submitting abstract and CV: 3 June 2019. Here is the Call for Papers.
(Info received from VETNET c/o Michael Gessler; source: vetnetsite)

VET Research Award 2019: Call for proposals
At the European Vocational Skills Week 2019, taking place in October in Helsinki, the European Commission will again award examples of excellence in research in vocational education and training (VET). The VET Research Award 2019 aims to reward a VET researcher who has made an outstanding contribution to innovative VET research on diversity and inclusion. Researchers and other VET professionals are kindly invited to propose a researcher to be nominated for the VET Research Award using this link. Deadline: 10 June 2019. The award is open to a young researcher (especially welcomed!), an experienced researcher or an intergenerational team of reserachers. Self-nominations are not possible. Please look at the document here to find out more about the submission process, the selection procedure and the criteria. If you have any questions, please contact [email protected], chair of the Evaluation Committee.
(Posted by Barbara Stalder via VETNET/ vetnetsite)

Update on EMCC Research Award
The European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) International are launching a new Research Award. To be eligible for the Award, the research must address the topics of coaching, mentoring or supervision. Entries will be judged on the following criteria: Significance/implications for theory and practice; Originality and innovation; Appropriateness and application of the methodology; Analysis and presentation of the data (if applicable); Quality of the literature review. Additional guidelines can be downloaded here. The closing date for submissions has been extended to 4 June 2019. Visit the EMCC International website: www.emccouncil.org. For any information concerning EMCC International Research please contact Kevin Brush at [email protected]
(Info received from Irena Sobolewska <[email protected] via UFHRD mailing list)

Professorship in digital VET
EPFL (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne) has launched a call  for an open rank professorship on the digital transformation of vocational education and training (VET). We are looking for someone with an interdisciplinary profile, with a PhD in learning sciences and strong expertise in computer sciences or vice versa and of course interest/experience in VET. Speaking German would be an additional asset. The candidate would belong to our school of computer science (ranked #8 worldwide in the recent QS rankings 2019), but also our  new Center for Learning Sciences.  The call is here. In addition, my lab is also looking for 3 postdocs or senior researchers, one in digital VET, one in learning sciences or learning analytics and one in educational robotics. These positions are described here.
(Posted by Pierre Dillenbourg <[email protected]>)

Vacancy announcement: Adult education
The Chair of Adult Education is currently searching for a Research Associate to join our international team at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany, starting from October 1, 2019. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to realize a doctoral dissertation project in the area of Adult Education/ HR/ Vocational Education and Training/ Coaching. The position is initially limited for 3 years and part-time employment (20 hours/week). FSU offers attractive fringe benefits. To view the full job announcement please visit http://www.eb.uni-jena.de/en/News.html  Additional information about the position may be obtained by contacting: Professor Dr. Käthe Schneider <[email protected]>
(Posted for L&W Newsletter)

Review of Crossing Boundaries conference in Valencia
On May 2nd and 3rd, 2019, the 3rd Crossing Boundaries in VET conference took place in Valencia, Spain. The thematic focus of the conference was: "Pedagogical Concerns and Market Demands". 65 papers were presented and over 100 people attended the conference. There was considerable participation of Spanish researchers, from the universities of Coruña, Santiago, Tarragona, Castellón, Barcelona, Palma and Zaragoza, as well as VET practitioners and policymakers. The conference attracted researchers from Europe, South Africa, India, Malaysia, Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil and the USA. The conference was perfectly organised by Prof. Dr Fernando Marhuenda and his team. The Faculty of Philosophy and Educational Sciences and the Department of Didactics and School Organization from the University of Valencia, as well as its research group Transitions, and the Bankia Fundación para la Formación Dual financed the conference. The conference had a huge echo in the media: national and local newspapers and radio stations, as well as the local TV, reported on the event. The Proceedings of the conference are available for downloading online and can be ordered as a book through amazon.com. Save the date: The next Crossing Boundaries conference will be in Switzerland from 08 to 09 April 2021.
(Info received from VETNET c/o Christof Nägele - source: vetnetsite)

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

IPEP Winter School 2019
The 2019 Winter School on International Perspectives on Education Policy (IPEP) will take place at the University of Verona, Department of Human Sciences, November 10th - 15th, 2019. Application deadline: September 13th, 2019. This Third IPEP Winter School will provide an opportunity to learn about and discuss: #the nature and role of 'theory' in understanding educational policy, #the relationship between global, national and institutional governance in education, #the strengths and limits of document analysis, discourse analysis and educational ethnography to investigate education policy, #current discourses on new technologies, their consequences and educational responses to them, and #urgent education policy issues in the countries represented by the participants. Lectures and discussions on theories and methods will be supplemented with hands-on experience on education policy analysis. For further information please visit the IPEP website or contact the organisers at [email protected].
(Info received from CR&DALL Site Digest and CR&DALL page)

ETF webinars on video pedagogy
As part of its work to support improvements in teaching and learning and digital and on-line learning, the European Training Foundation (ETF) has been investigating the potential of digital video to support Vocational Education and Teacher Professional Development. The ETF has commissioned research into practice and impact, and has produced resources to support practitioners - a directory of resources, handbooks and case studies. The ETF has now published a Research Report, two practical manuals and a Directory of Resources on a platform dedicated to Video Pedagogy. In order to provide an introduction to this work, the ETF will offer two webinars led by experts in video pedagogy. The first webinar will focus on the use of video in teacher education and professional development (June 12), whilst the second one (June 18) will focus on the use of video in vocational teaching and learning. You are invited to join and participate in one or both of these webinars, which will be conducted in English. Location: https://connect.funet.fi/videopedagogy/ Contact: Julian Stanley ([email protected]).
(Info received from <Alina Codrescu <[email protected]>)

GoodVET - Indicators of Good VET practice for refugees
The GoodVET project is a transnational Erasmus+ Project carried out by the Chair of Economic and Business Education at the University of Cologne in Germany in cooperation with the University of Roskilde in Denmark, the University of Bergamo in Italy and the University of Innsbruck in Austria. The GoodVET project is currently developing an application-oriented handbook for the adequate integration of refugees into VET. The handbook is based on quality indicators, which are scientifically founded and tested for practical applicability. For this purpose 20 best-practice-examples were identified out of 120 VET programmes for the integration of refugees in the four participating countries. These 20 best-practice-examples based on quality indicators will be presented to the public, especially VET providers. In addition to this handbook, an online based analysis tool will be developed, which gives the different European vocational training institutes and practitioners the opportunity to reflect and optimise their own integration activities. The analysis tool will again be developed on the basis of practical experience and quality indicators. All results of the project will be published in October 2019 and made available on the project homepage. The project is co-funded by the European Union. More information can be found at: http://www.goodvet.uni-koeln.de
(Posted by Junmin Li <[email protected]>)
 
Developing a sustainable culture for change in VET
In 2019-2021, a group of researchers at the Danish School of Education, Aarhus University will carry out the project "Sustainable Culture for Change in VET", financed by The Velux Foundations. The aim of the project is to contribute to developing a sustainable culture for change at VET institutions in the four countries Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. The projects include (1) developing methods for experience gathering and evaluation at the participating VET institutions, (2) qualifying the VET teachers and managers for applying the results of the evaluations in quality developments and improvements, and (3) establishing organizationally embedded strategies at the institutions in consideration of the particular national and educational conditions. The project will be presented at ECER in Hamburg, 2019. For more information, please visit www.sustainablecultureforchange.com Contact: Vibe Aarkrog, [email protected].
(Contributed by Vibe Aarkrog)

KOPROF project
Konturen der Professionalisierung in der beruflichen Weiterbildung (Contours of professionalisation in continuing education and training)
The University of Würzburg and PH Ludwigsburg have carried out research on professionalism in German adult education. KOPROF shows that organisations of adult education respond with innovation to current challenges. Please view the KOPROF results, featuring 4 video-presentations, on the  project page (article by Reinhard Lechner, Lisa Breitschwerdt, Regina Egetenmeyer). The KOPROF team did several presentations on the topic - professionalisation of adult and continuing education organisations in Germany - in Europe, for example in Estonia and in Serbia. We hope that the tendencies of the results concerning Germany may be interesting for the international reader.
(Based on information received from Reinhard Lechner <[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

Edited book for UFHRD: Call for contributions
"HRD in modern organisations: Innovation, creativity and disruption". Editors: Jim Stewart, Mark Loon and Stefanos Nachmias - University Forum for Human Resource Development (UFHRD)
We are celebrating UFHRD's 20th anniversary by publishing an edited book, envisaged with Palgrave Macmillan, to further commemorate this momentous event. The details of the edited book and how you can contribute to it are as follows. Key objectives: #Evaluate how HRD influences creativity and innovation from a multi-level perspective; #Discuss how HRD can inform learning in the workplace; #Analyse the role of HRD to address the needs of the digital revolution in an attempt to create quality of jobs; #Evaluate how HRD can provide solutions to future work-related needs; #Analyse how HRD contributes to the development of dynamic capabilities for innovation and change. We invite expressions of interest from colleagues contributing to the 2019 conference, and also welcome prospective contributors beyond the conference. Please submit an extended abstract between 600-700 words by 1 Sept 2019. Potential publication by mid 2020. For further information please contact Mark Loon ([email protected]).
(Info received from Mark Loon)

Handbook of research on TVET: Call for chapters
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])
Proposals submission deadline: June 20, 2019. Full chapters due: October 25, 2019. Submission date: December 20, 2019. This book aims at providing knowledge relating to workforce preparation, digital skills development, teaching and learning in TVET, 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 readers will be academics from both universities, TVET and ACET colleges, policy makers in TVET, professionals and researchers working in the fields of vocational education and training, communities and environments. Chapters concerned with TVET development in Africa or the Global South are particularly welcomed. The deadlines for the book will be adjusted. Please contact the editors for more information and all inquiries. More information on the Call for Chapters can be found online.
(Info received from Antje Barabasch <[email protected]>)

Craftsmanship and employability in Romania
Pantea, Maria-Carmen (2019). Precarity and Vocational Education and Training. Craftsmanship and Employability in Romania. London: Palgrave [Details]
This book explores how the changing nature of work interacts with and influences young people's views on their future. Although initial vocational education and training (VET) is regarded as a panacea for poverty alleviation, youth unemployment and economic growth, the views of young people have been largely ignored. Based on interviews and focus groups with over 250 young people in Romania's VET, the author identifies three ideological layers that frame young people's views. First, there is a highly normative layer of 'conventional' aspirations for stability and predictability. Second, young people in VET (as well) seem influenced by neoliberal beliefs in agency and short termism. Ultimately, a layer of low expectations crystallises unvoiced concerns over a troubling future. The book argues that in Romania, as elsewhere, policy making starts from the presumption that certain groups (notably the young people in rural areas, those from foster care and the Roma) have a semi-skilled employment destiny and have their citizenship reduced to economic utilitarianism. Against this background, and bearing in mind the European experience, this book calls for a recalibration of the emphasis on VET in Romania, with increased awareness at young people's social worlds.
(Contributed by Maria-Carmen Pantea <[email protected]>)

VET and transitions in Nordic countries
Special issue "Vocational education, transitions, marginalisation and social justice in the Nordic countries". Guest editors Mattias Nylund and Per-Åke Rosvall. EERJ, Vol 18(3), 2019 [Details]
This special issue presents five studies focusing on two key aspects of vocational education and transitions in the Nordic countries in relation to social justice: (a) impacts of policies and reforms on transitions and (b) content, practices, curriculum and equality. Besides the five research papers, the special issue also contains an introduction by guest editors Mattias Nylund and Per-Åke Rosvall, and a paper by Professor James Avis placing the Nordic examples in a wider context. Collectively, the articles outline important similarities and differences between the countries and contribute to our understanding of the 'academic–vocational divide' and the impact of neo-liberal steering on vocational education and transitions. The articles also aim at developing bridges between different empirical contexts and theoretical 'languages' that may support efforts to understand and contextualise the current development of vocational education and transitions in the Nordic countries. The issue can be downloaded here.
(Contributed by Mattias Nylund <[email protected]>)

New issue of IJRVET: Vol. 6, Issue 1
The International Journal for Research in Vocational Education and Training (IJRVET) has published a new issue. The first regular edition of 2019 contains the following topics: Karen Struthers and Glenda Strachan investigate the views of young women in Australia in male-dominated trades; Ursula Beicht and Günter Walden analyze the transition to company-based vocational training in Germany by young people from a migrant background; David Sjöberg, Staffan Karp and Oscar Rantatalo ask what students who perform in 'secondary roles' can learn from scenario training in vocational education; Alessia Eletta Coppi, Alberto Cattaneo and Jean-Luc Gurtner explore visual languages across vocational professions; and Joy Papier conducts a book review on "Teachers and teaching in vocational and professional education". Please find all articles on http://www.ijrvet.net.
The editorial team of IJRVET would also like to remind you of the IJRVET Yearbooks (all articles in one document): IJRVET Yearbook 2018 (open access) and IJRVET Yearbook 2017 (open access). IJRVET Yearbooks (print) are available from Amazon (com, de, es, fr, it, uk, jp) and other retailers.
(Info received from IJRVET Editorial Office <[email protected]> and Pekka Kämäräinen <[email protected]>)

Young migrants' transition to company-based training
Beicht, U. & Walden, G. (2019). Transition to company-based vocational training in Germany by young people from a migrant background - the influence of region of origin and generation status. International Journal for Research in Vocational Education and Training, 6(1), 20-45 [Details]
For young people with a migrant background in Germany transition from school to company-based vocational training is much more difficult than for non-migrants. The paper investigates if and how far the chances of transition to company-based vocational training and the acquisition of different school leaving certificates depend on the migration generation and the region of origin of young migrants. Multivariate analyses on the basis of data from the German Educational Panel Study (NEPS) were conducted.  For all  origin groups worse chances in comparison to non-migrants were detected. But there are differences in the disadvantages of opportunity between the various groups. Young people from a Turkish or Arab background have the lowest chances in general education and vocational training. As generation status rises, disadvantages diminish for all origin groups, but with different magnitudes. A clear upwards-directed integration can be observed solely for the East European origin group. The results of the  analyses indicate a clear need for action on the part of German policy makers and German society to reduce the educational disadvantages suffered by young migrants.
(Contributed by Ursula Beicht <[email protected]>)

International online collaboration of vocational educators
Sarah Cornelius & Blair Stevenson (2019). International online collaboration as a boundary crossing activity for vocational educators. Journal of Vocational Education & Training, Vol. 71, Issue 2 [Details]
Vocational educators cross boundaries between practices in schools, colleges and workplaces, renegotiating their identities as professionals in a particular vocation and as educators. In order to support learners entering the global workforce, they also need opportunities to cross boundaries via international practice. However, opportunities for international and intercultural learning are often limited, particularly for trainee vocational educators. This paper highlights an online collaborative process (COLIGE) designed to develop competencies for global education. The COLIGE process has been evaluated through the lens of boundary crossing. Participants were trainee vocational educators undergoing their professional teaching qualification in Scotland and Finland. Action research was undertaken during this three-year project to explore participants’ experiences and evaluate the learning mechanisms observed during the activities. Findings suggest activity though all four learning mechanisms (identification, coordination, reflection, transformation), although they were not universally experienced. Difficulties faced by learners are discussed and point to the potential for transformation of practice without sequential engagement with all learning mechanisms.
(Info received from Sarah C. Cornelius <[email protected]>)

Young people spending time abroad
A European indicator, constructed in part using data from Céreq’s Génération survey, shows that France is fairly well positioned when it comes to the time the country’s students spend abroad in the course of their studies, even though the 2020 target has not yet been achieved. On the other hand, very few of the young people in vocational secondary education or apprenticeships go abroad as part of their education or training. However, these indicators do not reflect the full diversity of the experience abroad acquired in the course of their studies by the young people who left the education system in a given year. For more information please go to Céreq page. Further reading: Young people spending time abroad: European targets partially achieved, but access remains unequal, Training & Employment, n° 136, 2019.
(Info received from Céreq news n° 15, Spring 2019 c/o Isabelle de LASSUS <[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.