This is the latest edition of the L&W Newsletter, distributed directly to more than 1400 experts in and beyond Europe. As always, 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. Many thanks to all who contributed information for this edition of the L&W Newsletter! Particularly worth noting are four calls for papers relating to: the RWL9 in Singapore and the VET Congress in Bremen (see Conferences), the INAP conference in Ballarat and the ReNAdET conference in Cyprus (see Networks).

The L&W Newsletter reaches you via a mailing list of over 1400 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 2015. 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 2015 at the latest!

Should you prefer to read the current Newsletter edition online, you can find it on the website (www.news.wifo-gate.org) under February 2015. Please pass the Newsletter on to your own colleagues and networks - thanks!

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

Conferences

Call for Papers: Researching Work and Learning
9th International Conference on Researching Work and Learning (RWL9) 9-12 December 2015, Singapore
We cordially invite you to contribute to RWL9 by sharing your knowledge, experience and insight with international conference delegates. Researching Work and Learning is the leading international research conference series serving the field of workplace learning and providing a critical platform for researchers and professionals. The conference theme of RWL9 is "Work and Learning in the Era of Globalisation: Challenges for the 21st Century". Topics include (but are not limited to): Work and Learning in Small/Medium Sized Enterprises; Work and Learning in Low Wage, Low Skill, Contingent or Precarious Employment; Continuing Professional Development and/or Learning; The Role of Institutional Infrastructure in Learning through Work; Life Stages, Careers, Work and Learning; Job Design, Organisational Culture and Structure; Equity or Meritocracy in Work and Learning; Educational Leadership and Shifting Workforce Paradigms; Methodological Approaches to Researching Work and Learning; Organised Labour/Union Perspectives on Work and Learning; Socio-Cultural and Cultural-Historical Work Activity Research; Transnational Labour/Migration, Work and Learning. We welcome submissions for individual papers, symposia, round table and poster presentations. Deadline for abstracts is 3 March 2015 (Monday). More information on RWL9 is available at www.rwl2015.com. If you have any queries about this Call for Papers, please contact us at [email protected].
(Info received from Sze Min <[email protected]>)

Call for Papers: Crossing Boundaries in VET
International Research Conference "Crossing Boundaries in Vocational Education and Training: Innovative Concepts for the 21st century", 2nd - 4th September 2015, University of Bremen, Institute of Technology and Education (ITB), Germany
The European Research Network in Vocational Education and Training (VETNET) in cooperation with the International Research Network in VET-Research (IRN-VET) invite you to submit paper proposals. The focus of the conference is on Systems, Institutions and Practices. Systems (Level 1): Socio-culturally different VET systems have evolved along conceptual lines. Institutions (Level 2): Formal and informal regulatory systems have formed within the different VET systems. Practices (Level 3): In the institutions or systems of rules, practices have been established to cope with the central questions of teaching, learning, and competence development. The three levels are influenced by conceptual ideas, terms, and constructs. How do these conceptual ideas take shape, what are their boundaries, for what background are they valid, what are the underlying assumptions, what developments are evident, and which are fit for the future requirements of the 21st century? With reference to at least one of these levels we invite researchers from the VET field as well as from adjacent disciplines to submit paper proposal (500-1000 words) until February 27 2015. Please send your abstract to [email protected]. For more information please visit our website: http://www.vetnet-congress.eu
(Posted by Michael Gessler <[email protected]>)

Call for papers: International Conference on Management
The Athens Institute for Education and Research (ATINER), a world association of academics and researchers, organizes its 13th Annual International Conference on Management, 29-30 June & 1-2 July 2015, Athens, Greece. Please submit a 300-word abstract before 9 March 2015, by email ([email protected]), addressed to Dr. Sharon Claire Bolton, Head, Management Research Unit, ATINER & Head, The Management School, University of Stirling, UK. Please include: title of paper, full name(s), current position, institutional affiliation, an email address and at least 3 keywords that best describe the subject of your submission. Decisions will be reached within four weeks of your submission. Should you wish to participate in the Conference without presenting a paper, for example, to chair a session, to evaluate papers which are to be included in the conference proceedings or books, to contribute to the editing of a book, or any other contribution, please send an email to Dr. Gregory T. Papanikos, President, ATINER & Honorary Professor, University of Stirling, UK ([email protected]). For more information please go to http://www.atiner.gr/management.htm
(Info received via UFHRD mailing list c/o Monica Lee <[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

Call for papers: INAP conference
The INAP Network on Innovative Apprenticeship invites you to the forthcoming conference in Ballarat (Australia) September 1-2, 2015. The theme of the conference, hosted by the Federation University Australia, is "Architectures for apprenticeship: Achieving economic and social goals". The following topics will be addressed: Governance, including stakeholders' roles and responsibilities; Didactics (teaching & learning); What makes a high quality apprenticeship?; Economic investment and benefit of apprenticeship; School to work transition and youth employment; Status of apprenticeship as a career path; Apprenticeship's contribution to social justice. Abstracts are due by March 15th 2015. Ballarat is an historic town, related to the 1850s Australian Gold Rush, about 100km from Melbourne.  VET-related visits will be organised for the day before the conference (31st August), and a tourist trip the day after the conference (September 3rd). The working language is English. In order to cover some of the organisational costs there will be a fee (provisional, yet to be confirmed) of 200 Euro/ $300 AUD for people presenting papers and 170 Euro/  $250 AUD for others. Conference proceedings including summaries of papers will be handed out to all people attending. Enquiries can be made to [email protected]. More information about INAP http://www.inap.uni-bremen.de/ including Call for Papers
(Info received from Ursel Hauschildt <[email protected]>)

Call for papers (ReNAdET): Professionalisation of adult educators
"The role of higher education in the process of professionalisation of adult educators" - 4th Biennial meeting of the ESREA Research Network for Adult Educators, Trainers and their Professionalisation (ReNAdET) 11-13 November 2015, Cyprus, organised by the Open University of Cyprus (OUC)
The purpose of ESREA-ReNAdET biennial meetings is to bring together researchers, policy makers and practitioners from the field of adult education to present and exchange their ideas on the roles of adult educators and trainers in Europe as well as to discuss issues relevant to their professional status and development. This biennial meeting focuses on the important yet less discussed role of higher education institutions in both delivering academic programmes that provide relevant cognitive and professional skills and competences to future adult educators, and in being more actively involved in the current dialogue with regard to the professionalisation paths of adult educators and trainers. A limited number of papers (max. 50) will be presented. An interactive workshop on the theme "Teaching Narratives" in higher education institutions will also be organised. Deadline for submission of paper proposals: 14th June 2015. A website for the conference registration will be opened in May/June 2015. It will be accessed from the RENADET website (www.esrea-renadet.net). For questions and expression of interest, please contact Maria Cravani ([email protected]) or [email protected]
(Info received via ESREA-ReNAdET mailing list)

VETNET - Proceedings of papers for ECER 2014
Papers from last year's VETNET programme at ECER (European Conference on Educational Research) at Porto have been published in the online Proceedings 2014 available at: http://www.ecer-vetnet-2014.wifo-gate.org/. In addition to the submitted papers, the proceedings include references to papers published elsewhere, particularly in the new International Journal for Research in Vocational Education and Training (IJRVET). This double-blind peer reviewed open access journal, available at http://www.ijrvet.net/, is the official organ of the European Research Network in Vocational Education and Training (VETNET). Among the papers of the 2014 ECER Proceedings, several offer insights into major issues of VET research across Europe, in particular work process knowledge, mobile learning and accompanying research (Kämäräinen et al.), problem-solving skills (Hämäläinen et al.) and broadly based skills profiles (Kaiser). The annual Proceedings for ECER 2014 are part of a resource base providing a complete record of annual VETNET proceedings since 1998 (www.ecer-vetnet.wifo-gate.org).
(Contributed by: Sabine Manning)

Update: Who's who in transnational European VET and HRD research
The Directory of Professional Contacts (www.dpc.wifo-gate.org), maintained by the Research Forum WIFO, serves as a Who's who, offering up-to-date information on more than 200 contacts across 30 countries in the field of transnational European VET and HRD research. Each person included in the DPC is both a producer of transnational research and an active transnational networker. The criteria for inclusion in the DPC and and the references to individual professional work are explained in the introduction. They relate to evidence of transnational activities presented in WIFO resources of European collaboration such as the Bookshelf, Overview of articles, Conference page, ECER VETNET Proceedings and Overview of HRD conference papers, Networks at a glance and Overview of projects. The DPC is updated continuously as part of European collaboration in VET and HRD research.
(Contributed by Sabine Manning)

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

Course on Common Nordic Challenges in VET
The course "Common Nordic Challenges in Vocational Education and Training", 10 ECTS for Nordic students, is a developmental project funded by Nordplus. The course takes place in week 17, from 20 to 25 April, in Oslo (see details). Akershus University College arranges this course at Master's level dealing with the challenges Vocational Education and Training experience in a Nordic and international comparative view. The purpose of this course is to develop knowledge of current challenges concerning the theory and practice dimension of vocational education in Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway through comparisons, also outside of the Nordic countries. The course will discuss questions concerning how to develop vocational competence. What can be learnt in schools and what can be learnt in companies? What are the risks and benefits? How to improve cooperation between schools and working life? The course aims at discussing all these questions in a comparative view. The course is designed for Master students with experience from or interest in vocational education or students in vocational teacher education in Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway. Students must have completed a Bachelor’s Degree or the equivalent. While admission to the present course is already closed, it is planned to arrange a Nordic VET Master course once a year, and each year in a new Nordic country.
(Contributed by Vibe Aarkrog <[email protected]>)

Call for Paper: Cultures of Programme Planning
We are pleased to inform you about the Call for Paper for the international conference "Cultures of Programme Planning in Adult Education" and the short questionnaire "profiles of programme archives". The conference will take place in September 2015, 28th to 29th in the city of Hannover, Germany. It is organized by the Leibniz University Hannover (Prof. Steffi Robak), the German Institute for Adult Education in Bonn (Dr. Marion Fleige, Dr. Klaus Heuer) and the Humboldt University, Berlin (Prof. Aiga von Hippel, Prof. Bernd Käpplinger, Prof. Wiltrud Gieseke). It is a joint activity by the expert group on programme planning. The deadline for submission has been extended to February 20th 2015. Please submit your abstracts to [email protected] or to [email protected] by February 20th, 2015. We will get back to you by March 15th, 2015. Conference website: http://www.die-bonn.de/institut/dienstleistungen/servicestellen/programmforschung/conference2015/default.aspx
(Call received via ESREA mailing list on behalf of ReNAdET)

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

CARER+ final conference
The CARER+ project (http://carerplus.eu/) organises its main conference in Paris, France (Venue: Palais du Luxembourg) on 27th of March, 2015, focusing on digital competence development in the field of care and social care. It will be a one day free & open event with online registration. The Conference will be the meeting place of active policy-makers, researchers of digital competence development and practitioners of social care systems. If you are interested in presenting a policy initiative, an innovative practice or research project related to digital competences of carers or ageing-well in the digital world, please contact Eva Suba <[email protected]>.
(Posted by Eva Suba, EDEN)

Outcomes of ConVET partnership project
The European partnership project "Connectivity in Vocational Education and Training" (ConVET) was recently concluded. The ConVET partnership involved various VET organisations (universities, vocational teacher training centres, VET providers and organisations from the world of work) of different countries (Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy and Finland), which were interested in developing a common understanding of school-workplace connectivity, conceptualised as a current challenge for the entire VET system. Various activities were successfully carried out during the two years period of the ConVET project, including comparative curricula analysis, exchanges of good practices and inspiring discussions about current challenges and possible solutions dealing with school-workplace connectivity. ConVET has constituted a significant opportunity of reciprocal knowledge for all the partners and it has contributed to reinforcing collaboration between researchers and VET providers across the different countries. As a result of the entire project, a shared list of key points and recommendations to support school-workplace connectivity in VET was drafted. All outcomes and documents were consolidated on the ConVET website (www.projectconvet.eu), which is available for everybody who is interested.
Contact persons: Prof. Dr. Carmela Aprea (SFIVET) [email protected]; Dr. Viviana Sappa (SFIVET) [email protected]
(Posted by Carmela Aprea)

Conclusion of FLin€VET partnership project
The Leonardo da Vinci partnership project FLin€VET (Exploring Conceptions of Financial Literacy in the European VET Context) aimed to analyse and compare if and how Financial Literacy is actually represented in existing national VET programmes and to offer an arena for discussing the adequacy of existing Financial Literacy conceptions. To address these aims, the project brought together a group of partners with different missions and expertise in VET from Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy and the UK. FLin€VET was successfully concluded in September 2014 after a two-year term. The main activities were the development of a Financial Literacy framework, the analysis of national curricular documents, the performance and analysis of stakeholder interviews with national key actors in VET and in the Financial Literacy debate as well as the development of key recommendations for fostering Financial Literacy in curriculum development, intervention design and teacher education. In a final panel discussion in Frankfurt, our Financial Literacy framework was discussed with four experts and stakeholders from the Financial Literacy debate. For further information, please consult the project website: www.flinevet.eu.
Contact persons: Prof. Dr. Carmela Aprea (SFIVET) [email protected]; Seraina Leumann Sow (SFIVET) [email protected]
(Posted by Carmela Aprea)

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

Interactive Research on Innovations in VET
Joanna Burchert, Aimée Hoeve, Pekka Kämäräinen: Interactive Research on Innovations in Vocational Education and Training (VET): Lessons from Dutch and German cases. International Journal for Research in Vocational Education and Training Vol 1, No 2, 2014 [Details and Download]
This article focuses on parallel examples of interactive research (IR) in vocational education and training. The Dutch cases were based on a national innovation project in the field of vocational education and training (VET) and with a focus on hospitality and the construction industry. The German cases are part of an EU-funded project "Learning Layers" and both from the construction sector. The authors interpret IR as a process that brings together practitioners and researchers with the aim to implement an innovation. The Dutch project aimed to create hybrid learning environments. The German project supported the introduction of digital media in training centres and affiliated networks. The process of innovating thereby turned into a learning process for all persons concerned: original ideas of the concerned concepts matured, boundaries between research and practice were crossed and new, sometimes surprising ideas for further development emanated. These experiences draw attention towards the processes of research and innovation instead of only documenting results in the sense of summative evaluation. The article was written at a time when both projects were still at the phase of 'work in progress'. The authors agreed on a mutual follow-up when the projects are reaching their final or more mature stages.
(Contributed by Joanna Burchert <[email protected]> and Pekka Kämäräinen <[email protected]>)

Comparative study on training policies - request for collaboration
Kim, Hae Na: Comparative Studies: Youth Unemployment, Education and Training Policies in Germany, South Korea, Spain and the United States. Paper presented at the 15th International Conference on HRD Research and Practice Across Europe, Edinburgh 4th and 6th June 2014. UFHRD Conference Archives [Details]
The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of training and education polices in reducing youth unemployment and provide insight into this global problem by analyzing and comparing situations in Germany, South Korea, Spain and the United States. This study is based on literature reviews using web based and database search. Research questions are (1) what are the education and training policies among selected countries to reduce youth unemployment? What are the characteristics of these training policies? (2) How are these policies and training programs implemented to reduce the mismatch between youth qualification and the demands of the labor market and to search for more effective training programs? The findings are that diverse government supported education and training may help to promote a smooth transition into employment and to reduce youth unemployment, although vocational education might not be a cure-all.
Now, the author wants to collaborate with scholars and professionals who have expertise and experience about the dual training system in Germany, Switzerland or Spain to develop this paper further. Please contact the author by email, [email protected].
(Contributed by Hae Na Kim)

Comparative study on advancement potential among managers
Wohkittel, Joseph. Perceptions of high advancement potential among managers in European countries. Paper presented at the 15th International Conference on HRD Research and Practice Across Europe, Edinburgh 4th and 6th June 2014. UFHRD Conference Archives [Details]
The purpose of this study was to identify behaviors associated with predicted advancement potential among managers in seven European countries; Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Archival multisource feedback data were used for this project, all of which were gathered using the same platform.  Once identified, the behaviors were compared across the countries studied and against those noted in the United States.  In each of the countries, a step-wise logistic regression procedure yielded a statistically significant model.  There were six managerial behaviors predictive of high advancement potential in the U.S., three in France, three in Germany, two in Sweden, and six in the United Kingdom.  Results indicate that unique behaviors were associated with predictions of high advancement potential in each of the countries studied.  The conclusion was that U.S.-based models of behaviors predictive of advancement potential are not useful in the countries studied.
(Contributed by Joe Wohkittel <[email protected]>)

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].
 

Impressum

Editor of the L&W Newsletter: Dr Sabine Manning, Research Forum WIFO ([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;
Circulation of the current L&W Newsletter: about 1400 experts in 40 countries (mostly Europe);
Details and Archive of the L&W Newsletter [www.news.wifo-gate.org].
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