Newsletter for European Research in Learning and Work [L&W]

Edition: December 2011 [www.news.wifo-gate.org][Impressum]

[Conferences] [Networks] [Programmes] [Projects] [Publications]

Dear Colleagues

This is the latest edition of the L&W Newsletter, which will reach you via a mailing list of over 1200 experts in and beyond Europe. As usual, 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 Newsletter!
Particularly worth noting in this edition are the calls for papers related to three major conferences to take place in 2012, the outcomes of several network events in 2011, a questionnaire by the  VET and Culture Network, the new edition of the Directory of Masters programmes and updates on two major European projects.
The next edition of the Newsletter will appear in early February 2012. You are invited to submit short pieces of news (text of 100 to 200 words, without attachments, but including links to web resources) - please by 31 January 2012 at the latest!

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

Conferences

Universidade Lusíada de Famalicão and CLEGI (Centro Lusíada de Engenharia e Gestão Industrial) are honored to announce the organization of the 13th International Conference on Human Resource Development Research and Practice Across Europe: 'The future of HRD -  2020 and beyond: challenges and opportunities’ to be held from 23rd to 25th May of 2012. We are delighted to be hosting this conference on behalf of the University Forum for Human Resource Development (UFHRD) and the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD). More information about the Conference is available at: http://hrdconference.fam.ulusiada.pt/. Submissions are invited for about 15 Streams covering very different perspectives on the HRD field, also including "vocational education, training and workplace learning". Details on Streams: http://hrdconference.fam.ulusiada.pt/?page_id=110 ; Submission guidelines: http://hrdconference.fam.ulusiada.pt/?page_id=82. Submissions should be sent before December 15 to: hrdconference@fam.ulusiada.pt.
UFHRD 2012 will be located in Famalicão, a small city between Porto and Braga in the North of Portugal, about 20kms from Guimarães, a historical Portuguese town, which in 2012 will be the European Capital of Culture [http://www.guimaraes2012.pt/index.php?lang=2]. There are also beaches fairly near. We hope to count on your collaboration to make HRD 2012 Europe a great occasion. Come and enjoy yourself with us!
(Posted by: Eduaro Tomé eduardo.tome@clix.pt)

International Conference on Policies & Work Market Demands - Stockholm 23-25 May 2012
Challenges and potentialities for Vocational Education and Training - Voices from research. 
This conference & research workshop intends to be a forum where the voice of research could be heard concerning controversial issues/questions such as: # What are the new challenges and potentialities arising from the implementation of the European qualifications Framework (EQF) and the National Qualifications Frameworks (NQF)? # To what extend could early carrier choice hinder further professional and personal development? # What is the place of apprenticeship in this new context? # What models of curriculum design are likely to be more successful in this new context? # What indications can be found of how professional identities are shaped in order to face the new challenges? # What identities are constructed by and for VET students? Proposals for papers, symposia and round tables are welcome. Deadline for abstract submission: 10 of February 2012; deadline for registration: 15 of March, 2012; Conference fee: approx. 3.000 SEK. As part of the conference, a social program including visits to sights in Stockholm – known as 'Venice of the North' – will be offered. The conference website will be available shortly. Organisers: Stockholm University - Professor Lázaro Moreno Herrera/ Associate professor Viveca Lindberg; Contact: PhD candidate Ennie Paul (ennie.paul@utep.su.se).
(Info from: Lázaro Moreno Herrera lazaro.moreno@edu.su.se)

Call for papers: ECER 2012 incl. VETNET programme - Cadiz (Spain) 17-21 September 2012
The European Educational Research Association and the University of Cadiz, Spain, invite Educational Researchers to participate in and to submit proposals for the European Conference on Educational Research 2012 (Emerging Researchers’ Conference: 17– 18 September 2012; Main Conference:  18 – 21 September 2012; ). The conference theme "The Need for Educational Research to Champion Freedom, Education and Development for All" will provide a focus for the keynote addresses and for other invited events. However, proposals for contributions are welcome from all fields of educational research. 
The European research network in vocational education and training (VETNET) particularly invites proposals related to its major research areas (see network page: http://www.eera.de/networks/network2/). VET contributes to satisfy not just education and development for all (the motto of this year's conference), but it also equips apprentices and students with the education necessary to enter the labour market as both workers and citizens. Given the current effects of the financial crisis upon both citizenship and working conditions, VET has perhaps a greater relevance than in other circumstances among educational research.
Participants are invited to hand in up to two abstracts for papers, posters, workshops, round tables and symposia - deadline: 01 February 2012 (all proposals to be submitted online!). 
ECER 2012 website: http://www.eera.de/ecer2012/
(Posted by Fernando Maruenda )

Research conference on employer engagement in education - papers/videos now available
Slides, papers and videos from the Education and Employers Taskforce second research conference on employer engagement in education are now available.  The conference was held at the University of Warwick in October, 2011 and explored themes relating to employer engagement in education, from primary level through to higher education provision.  In particular, it focused upon school, college and university based approaches which engage employers to support student learning, progression and institutional performance.  Key topics included: work-related learning (WRL) from key stages one to five across the curriculum and in HE; STEM and Modern Foreign Languages; work experience; pupil mentoring; employee governors; WRL learning programmes; impacts on employers and employees - staff recruitment, development, engagement and corporate reputation.  Please click here to access the slides, papers and videos: http://www.educationandemployers.org/research/research-conference-2011/.
The Taskforce also summarises key academic and public research reports/articles on the theme of employer engagement in education.  Stay in touch with UK and international research in the field by subscribing to our occasional research mail by emailing James.Dawkins@educationandemployers.org with 'TFRM Registration' in the subject line and your contact details.
(Posted by: James Dawkins)

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]. 
[Back to Newsletter]

Networks

The VET & Culture Network collects initial information about the situation of VET as a discipline and in teacher training. Information on this network activity, including the questionnaire, is available at: http://www.peda.net/veraja/uta/vetculture/intellectual?vp=singlemodule&m_id=2265091&sp=viewpost&p_id=43856
The following questions, focused on the individual situation at universities, are included in the questionnaire: 1) What is the position of VET in your university/context? 2) What degrees or teacher training programmes exist in your university/context? 3) What changes are taking place? 4) What reasons do you consider to be behind the changes? 5) Are there reactions to changes? 6) Any other comments or suggestions on how to proceed.
Comments and replies to the questionnaire about the status of VET in universities are continuously welcome. Contact: christina.duesseldorff@uni-due.de. The responses will be analysed in order to provide feedback and discussion to the network. 
(Basaed on information from: Anja Heikkinen Anja.Heikkinen@uta.fi via the Newsletter of the VET and Culture network)

International Network on Innovative Apprenticeship - Outcome of 4th INAP Conference in Beijing, May 2011

(1) Presentations of the 4th INAP Conference available
The International Network on Innovative Apprenticeship (INAP), founded in 2006 at the University day on Vocational Education and Training (VET) at the university of Bremen, held his conference from the 25th to 27th May 2011 in Beijing, in succession to Vienna (A) (2008) and Turin (IT) (2009). The papers submitted and accepted by the conference committee show a huge worldwide interest in questions on innovative apprenticeship and the INAP-network. Beside the keynote speeches, the conference was organized in four parallel workshops addressing topical questions in VET: Developing Curricula and Qualification Systems, Learning and Development Theories and Models, Multiple Roles of Universities, Schools and their Teaching and Training Staff, Measuring Competence Development. An open plenary session and a special Asian meeting, organized by the Asian Academic Society for Vocational Education and Training (AASVET) in coordination with INAP were important elements of this congress in Beijing. All presentations can be downloaded at http://www.inap.uni-bremen.de/presentations2009.php
The forthcoming INAP Conference will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2013. 

(2) Conference Proceedings 4th INAP Conference published
The conference proceedings of the 4th INAP Conference have been published. The title of the conference ‘Assuring the Acquisition of Expertise: Apprenticeship in the Modern Economy’ indicates the need for apprenticeship to deliver on its promise of workplace skills and for it to develop and change as world economies develop. The book is a summary of papers presented and discussed at the Beijing Conference, paying special attention to the following four key topics: Developing curricula and qualification systems; Learning and development theories and models; Multiple roles of universities, schools and their teaching and training staff; and Measuring competence development. 
The book is now available for € 19,95 (plus € 3,00 postage; reduction of € 5,00 for conference participants). It can be ordered at http://www.ibb.uni-bremen.de/Publikationen.384.0.html
(Received from: Ursel Hauschildt uhauschildt@uni-bremen.de)

Follow-up of joint network meeting on the Future of Adult Educators in Tallinn, November 2011
Greetings from the participants of the joint seminar of ESREA ReNAdET and the VET and Culture network on "The Futures of Adult Educator(s): Agency, Identity and Ethos" at Tallinn University 9.-11.11.2011- it was a great success! The final programme, including details of sessions, presenters and themes, can be looked up on the conference page (http://www.esrea-renadet.net/scientificprogramme.htm). Follow-up information is due to be published on both the ReNAdET website (http://www.esrea-renadet.net/) and the VET and Culture website (http://www.peda.net/veraja/uta/vetculture). A publication will follow later.
(Received from: Anja Heikkinen Anja.Heikkinen@uta.fi via the Newsletter of the VET and Culture network)

Network VETpet
The University of East London has developed a network 'VETpet' 'Vocational Education and Training; Professional Education and Training' which has served as an umbrella for a range of local and European projects. This has included work on VET and specific social and ethnic  groups, older workers, and women entrepreneurs. If you are interested in learning more about our network or interested in exploring opportunities to develop bids and projects, contact Marg Malloch, email: m.e.malloch@uel.ac.uk
(Posted by: Marg Malloch)

VETNET - Review of ECER Proceedings 1998-2010
Papers presented for the VETNET programme at ECER (European Conference on Educational Research) have been collected for 15 years, as a valuable resource of shared knowledge about vocational education in Europe (www.ecer-vetnet.wifo-gate.org). A two-part review for the period of 1998 to 2010 (altogether 428 papers) is now available at: http://www.b.shuttle.de/wifo/p-sum.htm). In the first part, selected charts present "ECER VETNET authors and countries at a glance", including the authors with the most papers, the largest transnational teams, the countries investigated in the papers and finally the number of authors from each country highlighted on a map. 
The second part of the review offers charts and comments on the question "How European are ECER VETNET papers?" (see L&W Newsletter of October 2011), highlighting the following outcomes:  A third of all papers are European, in that they examine European or EU issues or compare European countries. Only 6% of all papers were produced by transnational (i.e. 'European') teams. Most papers relate to countries from Western and Northern Europe, while Central and Eastern Europe is the area least presented. Altogether, the analysis revealed that a lot still needs to be achieved before we can regard the Proceedings as a truly European resource!
(Contributed by: Sabine Manning)

VETNET - Proceedings of papers for ECER 2011
Papers of this year's VETNET programme at ECER (European Conference on Educational Research) have been published in the online Proceedings 2011 available at: http://www.ecer-vetnet-2011.wifo-gate.org/. Several of these papers offer insights into major issues of VET research across Europe, in particular the development and evaluation of practice-based learning, for instance via Praktika, and of work based learning within in-company learning arrangements (papers by Deitmer/ Hofmaier/ Kämäräinen), the evaluation of exchange visits of foreign apprentices (Köth et al.) and the links between vocational training and higher education in selected European countries (Nikolai et al.). Further papers, related to individual countries, add new aspects to major issues such as (vocational) learning, competence development, work experience, careers, and teachers in VET. Among the keywords addressed in 2011 for the first time are access (access to work and education - Lasonen et al.), ascender (ascenders from vocational training to professional work - Stamm et al.), cooperation (regional cooperation of SMEs with VET instititions - Stenström), drop out (drop out in vocational education - Helms) and placement (work placements/ placements in higher education - Huchette/ Eraut). An updated index of all keywords and core themes identified in the Proceedings papers of 1998 to 2011 is available at: http://www.b.shuttle.de/wifo/p-index3.htm.
(Contributed by: Sabine Manning)

NOTE: Further information on research networks in the field of European work and learning can be obtained from the WIFO page Networks at a glance [www.networks.wifo-gate.org].
[Back to Newsletter]

Programmes

The next round of selection of students for our Master's Degree Program in Adult Education and Developmental Work Research (entirely conducted in English) started 21st of November. The application period will end on the 31st of January, 2012. The program is offered by the Center for Research on Activity, Development and Learning CRADLE at the Institute of  Behavioural Sciences (IBS) of the University of Helsinki. It is based on cultural-historical activity theory and trains competent developers and interventionists in workplaces, organizations and other communities. The program selects 12 students every second year to ensure close individual supervision and collaboration in a compact academic community. Study at Finnish universities is free of charge, also for students coming from abroad. For more information, see: http://www.helsinki.fi/atmo/brochure_2011.pdf and http://www.helsinki.fi/atmo/
(Received from: Yrjö Engeström yrjo.engestrom@helsinki.fi)

Directory of Masters programmes in Europe
The new edition of the Directory of Masters programmes in Europe, available as part of the WIFO Gateway (www.master.wifo-gate.org), has been released. Following a widely circulated request for information (see L&W Newsletter of October 2011), the Directory presents 110 Masters programmes related to the area of learning and work, in particular HRD and VET, in 23 European countries. It is interesting to note that nearly all programmes added or confirmed last year are still on offer, which suggests that they have become an established part of postgraduate studies and professional fields across Europe. The latest programmes include the following themes: Adult education and developmental work research (Finland), Counselling (Malta),  International vocational education (Germany), Training of trainers (Romania), Vocationomics (Germany). The whole thematic spectrum of programmes can be looked up in an index arranged according to five areas: Education/ LLL; Vocational education; Human resource development; Business/ Human resource management; Organisation/ Work. 
A final comment: Nearly all responses to this year's request were updates of existing programmes, while hardly any new programmes were announced. Whether this might be interpreted as a lack of feedback or a lack of new programmes remains an open question. In any case, have a look at the Directory and check whether all the programmes you know in this field are included - your feedback would be welcome!
(Contributed by: Sabine Manning)
[Back to Newsletter]

Projects

The EDucation Against Marginalisation (EDAM) project is a Grundtvig Multilateral project involving eight partners from The Netherlands (co-ordinator), Romania, Italy, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Greece and Belgium, with Switzerland as a silent partner. The perspective of the project is to enhance the effectiveness of adult education in terms of improving social inclusion of the participants. Therefore, as a first step, a framework was developed defining social inclusion and the role of adult education as well as describing the state-of-the art of adult education in the eight partner countries. Based on this framework, a survey has been conducted among participants in adult education in the eight partner countries, followed by the development of several products. First, an on-line evaluation tool is set up for managers as well as teachers, to monitor the quality of their adult education programs in terms of increasing participants' social inclusion. Second, in order to inform policy makers concerning the possibilities and outcome of adult education on the regional, national as well as European level, a toolkit is produced. Third, given the important role of the teacher to support participants in improving the quality of their daily life, a prototype for a teacher training program is developed and piloted. For more information, visit our website: www.socialinclusion.eu
(Posted by: Maurice de Greef info@arteduc.nl)

MATURE - Continuous Social Learning in Knowledge Networks
MATURE is a four year project (2008-2012) which is being undertaken as part of the European Seventh Framework programme. The aim of MATURE is to develop technology-based tools to support knowledge-maturing processes within organisations, and is based on the idea that organisational agility has become critical for economic competitiveness.  It is managed by FZI Research Center for Information Technologies, a technology transfer centre at the University of Karlsruhe, Germany, with twelve core partners in the consortium. Pontydysgu and the Institute for Employment Research at the University of Warwick are two of the partners and they have a focus on supporting guidance practitioners in their use of labour market information (LMI). For more details, see http://careerstalk.org/ This website has been designed to provide leading-edge ideas for careers work. For more information about MATURE see the project website at: http://mature-ip.eu/
(Posted by: Alan Brown Alan.Brown@warwick.ac.uk)

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 (sm@wifo-gate.org):  (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 and editor: Sabine Manning)
[Back to Newsletter]

Publications

Kea Tijdens and Maarten van Klaveren (2011): Over- and underqualification of migrant workers. Evidence from WageIndicator survey data. University of Amsterdam, AIAS Working Paper 110
http://www.uva-aias.net/publications/show/1467
This paper aims at unravelling the incidence of skill mismatch of domestic and migrant workers employed in 13 EU countries, using data of the WageIndicator web-survey. The results show that one of five workers assesses to be overqualified (20%). Overqualification occurs less often among domestic workers than among migrant workers. Overqualification occurs substantially more often in the old EU countries compared to newly accessed countries, regardless of being a domestic worker or a migrant. Of all migrant and domestic groups, the chance of being overqualified is highest for migrants working in EU15 and born in EU12. The chance of being overqualified increases with educational attainment and decreases with the corporate hierarchical levels and skill level of the job. It increases for recent labour market entrants, for workers with an employment spell, for female workers, for migrants who arrived at an adult age in the host country, thus challenging the transparency of credentials in the host country. The hypothesis that workers with presumably poor language abilities are more likely to be overeducated was not supported.
(Posted by: Kea Tijdens K.G.Tijdens@uva.nl)

Book launch: "Work and Education in America – The Art of Integration"
Antje Barabasch and Felix Rauner (eds) have published a first comprehensive academic volume on vocational education and training (VET) or career and technical education in the United States, featuring insights into a variety of issues in this field of research. The international reader will find an up-to-date synthesis as well as a critical analysis of the relevant history, philosophy, governance, legislation and organizational structures. The coverage is structured according to the benchmarks applied to, as well as the theoretical discussions around, VET. The topics covered all have a strong contemporary relevance and include education versus qualification, the American community college, the issue of localization versus globalization in governance, vocationalism in higher education, career guidance and career counselling, and apprenticeships in the U.S.
This book supports the assertion of the relevance of career and technical education — both for the individual and the labour market. Scholars, policy makers and practitioners interested in issues of vocational education and training, technical education, and career education will find this collection of critical and reflective discussions very useful in any analysis of the features. The book is published in the Series of technical and vocational education and training series (Springer, Dodrecht) and is available at:
http://www.beck-shop.de/Barabasch-Rauner-Work-Education-America/productview.aspx?product=9004533
(Received from: Ursel Hauschildt uhauschildt@uni-bremen.de)

NOTE: Books with a focus on cross-European issues of work and learning are presented on the WIFO Bookshelf [www.books.wifo-gate.org]. In addition, the WIFO Gateway provides a classified collection of European and international Journals related to education research [www.journals.wifo-gate.org].
[Back to Newsletter]

Impressum

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 1200 experts in 40 countries (mostly Europe);
Details and Archive of the L&W Newsletter [www.news.wifo-gate.org].
[Back to Newsletter]