Particularly worth noting in this edition are calls for papers relating to the VET Congress in Bern/Zollikofen, the Conference on Comparative Adult Education in Würzburg and the ECRM on Research Methodology in Dublin (see Conferences) , the EDEN Research Workshop in Oldenburg and the ProPEL International Conference in Linköping (see Networks), the Access4All Conference in Bergamo (see Projects) and the International Journal for Research in Vocational Education and Training - IJRVET (see Publications).

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 October 2016. 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 30 September 2016 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 August 2016. Please pass the Newsletter on to your own colleagues and networks. Special thanks to our partners CR&DALL, PASCAL International Observatory, UFHRD, UNEVOC, VET&Culture and VETNET for 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 papers: "Unleashing the creative potential of VET"
5th Congress on Research in Vocational Education and Training: Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training SFIVET Bern/Zollikofen, Switzerland, 14-16 March 2017
For the fifth time, the Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (SFIVET) invites researchers to engage in an exchange of research findings and to reflect on VET issues. "Unleashing the creative potential of VET" captures the essence of innovation across disciplines in relation to VET. It is about finding new and unexpected solutions for current challenges, questioning conventions, taking controlled risks and crossing boundaries. Renewal and change require creative minds that contribute at all levels at the workplace to better life conditions and economic success. The setting free of creativity in VET includes new approaches to teaching and learning across different learning locations, enabling individuals to steer their life courses according to personal priorities and in correspondence with labour market needs, the adaptation of educational organizations and institutions and their provision of credentials following a trend of increasing labour market mobility, transferability of degrees, permeability of educational institutions as well as governance structures that enable all of that. See http://www.sfivet.swiss/vet-congress-2017 for further information, including Call for Papers.
(Posted by Christian Imdorf <[email protected]>)

Call for papers: Comparative adult education 2017
The 6th Conference of ISCAE (International Society for Comparative Adult Education) will take place in Würzburg/Germany, February 16-18, 2017. It will be held in conjunction with the Winter School on "Comparative Studies in Adult and Lifelong Learning" (seeProgrammes: COMPALL). Comparison means to explicitly identify and analyze similarities and differences in two or more countries/contexts and includes the attempt to understand why the differences and similarities occur, and what they tell us about adult education in these countries and/or in "own and other" contexts. The aim of the ISCAE conference is to provide a forum to collect, share, and discuss practices, concepts, evaluation, and research studies. A one page abstract (500 to 600 words) should be sent to [email protected] no later than September 15, 2016. For detailed information go to the conference page.  
(Info received from ESREA|ReNAdET Mailing list)

ECRM 2017 call for papers
16th European Conference on Research Methodology for Business and Management Studies (ECRM 2017) 22-23 June 2017 Dublin, Ireland
The ECRM 2017 conference will bring together researchers from a range of disciplines and sectors to share expertise and novel approaches in business and management research methods. The focus of the conference this year is on the research issues and advancements in the networked society with an overall theme of Reframing Research Methodology in the Networked World. ECRM is interested in contributions on the subject of research methods used in business and management research. The main focus of the paper should be on the research method. Abstract submission deadline 01 December 2016. For more information, please go to: http://www.academic-conferences.org/conferences/ecrm/ecrm-call-for-papers/
(Info received from Sue Nugus <[email protected]> via UFHRD mailing list)

ASEM Forum "Lifelong learning: 21st century skills"
Danish School of Education, Aarhus University, Copenhagen/ Denmark, 3-5 October 2016
There is an urgent need to discuss this topic. In the contemporary economic crisis we need new visions for skills and effective models for lifelong learning. The forum seeks to engage representatives from all 32 European member states and 19 Asian countries under the auspices of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) to discuss and construct concepts and practices for lifelong learning. At the forum, researchers, policymakers and practitioners will discuss contemporary possibilities of developing 21st century skills for lifelong learning, key concepts for policies and practices in Asia and Europe and what role researchers and policy makers should play in creating lifelong learning opportunities for all in Asia and Europe. You can find more information in the programme. For full details see conference page: http://asemlllhub.org/
(Info received from CR&DALL Site Digest for 07/28/2016 [Info])

Update: International conference 'Competence theory, research and practice'
The international conference 'Competence Theory, Research and Practice', which will take place on October 19-21, 2016, in Wageningen, the Netherlands, is in full preparation. There will be keynote speeches by Yvette van Wagtendonk (KornFerry) on how competence management contributed to the realisation of core values and key strategic objectives in the food retail company Jumbo, by Reinhold Weiss (BIBB) on the status of competence research in Germany, which has invested in a large amount of competence modelling and measurement projects in vocational and higher education, and by João Santos (European Commission), on the New Skills Agenda and the development of key competences within the European Union. The edited book 'Competence-based Vocational and Professional Education. Bridging the Worlds of Work and Education', currently in print with Springer, will be launched during the conference. The book comprises 50 chapters of over 85 authors about theories, national approaches, educational systems aspects, and developments in competence domains, and is available at the conference for a reduced price. There will be 7 parallel streams of sessions, consisting of 24 symposia sessions of 3 to 4 paper presentations, and 20 sessions of 3 independent paper presentations. Authors are invited to prepare their papers, and conference proceedings will be available during the conference. For more information and registration see www.competence2016.nl.
(Posted by Martin Mulder <[email protected]>)

Update: EAPRIL conference 'Challenges of the digital era for education, working and learning'
We kindly invite you to our next EAPRIL conference, which will take place in Porto, Portugal from 22 to 25 November 2016. EAPRIL is the European Association for Practitioner Research on Improving Learning, both in education and professional practice, and brings together research and practice as well as educational and professional learning. Our upcoming 2016 conference will focus on the implications of the digital era on learning, working and practitioner research. Our keynote speakers Prof. Diana Laurillard and Prof. Alexander Gröschner will speak on the use of digital platforms and video in learning and teaching practice respectively. The EAPRIL Conference is known to be highly interactive and inclusive to researchers and practitioners alike, offering a great platform for interaction and discussion. On 22 November we will organise a pre-conference for newcomers to practitioner research as well as visits to Portuguese schools and companies. On 24 November, a special corporate learning day will be organised, parallel to the EAPRIL conference, which focuses specifically on professional and workplace learning. We would like to invite all practitioners and practitioner researchers working on educational and learning themes to participate in our conference. Registrations will open 6 August. Please visit our website for more information: https://eaprilconference.org
(Posted by Laure Mostinckx <[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

I9th EDEN Research Workshop
Call for contributions: "Forging new pathways of research and innovation in open and distance learning", Oldenburg 4-7 October 2016
Building on its success of the research workshop in Oxford, EDEN is pleased to announce its Ninth Research Workshop organised in collaboration with the Institute of Education and the Center for Lifelong Learning at Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg in Oldenburg, Germany. The themes highlight the need for all levels and branches of educational systems to embrace new directions in their organisational management, research and practice, while observing their historical background and professional heritage. Submissions that relate to the Workshop Scope and one or more of the Workshop Themes are invited by the deadline: August 31, 2016. For further details please go to http://www.eden-online.org/2016_oldenburg/
(Info received from Oldenburg Secretariat <[email protected]>)

3rd ProPEL International Conference
Call for papers: "Professional practice, learning and education: social and material entanglements" 14-16 June 2017, Linköping
The conference will be hosted by Linköping University, Sweden, and organised in collaboration with the University of Technology Sydney, Australia. Both institutions are members of the ProPEL International Research Network, based at the School of Education, University of Stirling. The ProPEL Network promotes leading edge research and knowledge exchange in issues of professional and vocational learning, practice and education. The conference welcomes research that applies contemporary practice oriented, sociomaterial theories and innovative research methodologies. The aim is to critically explore the emergent nature of professions, professional practice and knowledge, and systems of professional education. For 2017 we particularly encourage papers that explore the role of and relations between professional education and work in meeting contemporary challenges in professional practice.
Participants may propose individual papers, symposiums, roundtables and poster presentations. For further information, please contact Prof. Madeleine Abrandt Dahlgren <[email protected]> and visit website.
(Info received from CR&DALL Site Digest for 06/23/2016)

ECER, 22-26 August 2016: VETNET program
ECER 2016 "Leading Education: The Distinct Contributions of Educational Research and Researchers" will take place at University College Dublin 22-26 August. VET researchers from Europe and overseas will meet to reflect on current and future VET research, discuss challenges and trends of VET and disseminate new ideas on how to link research, policy and practice. Invited speakers for the VETNET opening session are Martin Mulder, Professor at Wageningen University, elaborating on "Distinct contributions of Educational Researchers in VETNET", and James Wickham, professor emeritius at Trinity College Dublin, reflecting on VET in the Irish crisis. Symposia, round tables and paper sessions include topics such as: workplace learning and identity, strengths and weaknesses of dual training systems, Nordic models of VET, VET in higher education, VET teacher initial and continuing education and training, social justice and inequality, VET transitions and new technologies in VET. The VETNET program with abstracts can be found here: http://www.eera-ecer.de/ecer-programmes/conference/21/network/525/
Presenters are invited to send their papers for the VETNET proceedings to Sabine Manning ([email protected]), please by Monday 8 August 2016. The proceedings will be available from 15 August 2016, in preparation for the conference at: http://www.ecer-vetnet-2016.wifo-gate.org/ Authors of distinguished papers are also invited to publish their work in the International Journal for Research in Vocational Education and Training (IJRVET). See you at the conference! Barbara E. Stalder, University of Teacher Education Bern; Christof Nägele, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland
(Posted by Barbara E. Stalder <[email protected]>, Christof Nägele <[email protected]>)

Review of VET&Culture workshop
Academic and vocational education: clash of cultures? Review of the 23rd VET&Culture Network Workshop
The VET&Culture Network had a fruitful workshop 20-21 June 2016 hosted at the Institute for Advanced Studies (IHS) in Vienna.  The "clash of cultures" refers to the various debates and developments around reconfiguring the borders and relationships between academic and vocational education at secondary and tertiary levels of the education systems. The participants discussed these relationships using different approaches like policy analysis, qualitative and quantitative research, and round tables with examples from e.g. Japan, Norway, Spain or Germany, Europe and from a global perspective.  The idea for the workshop was to take the concept of 'culture' seriously, and to try to reflect one's own work - that often comes from other perspectives - in terms of cultural implications. The meeting included a site visit to the FH Wien University of Applied Sciences of WKW, and to the WIFI Institute for Economic Development at the Austrian Chamber of Commerce, where also the practical implications of the "cultural clash" could be discussed.
(Contributed by Markus Weil <[email protected]>)

UALL Seminar: International collaboration - What works and why?
The Universities Association for Lifelong Learning (UALL) will hold a Seminar on "Developing international collaboration in life-long learning and professional development: What works and why?" at Imperial College London on Friday, 14 October 2016. To book your place, please register at the Seminar web page  or email: [email protected] For further details, please contact Betty Yue at: [email protected]
(Info from Lucy Bate, UALL, via Pascal International Observatory Site Digest for 07/26/2016 - see Info page)

LLLPlatform has a new website
The Lifelong Learning Platform is an umbrella that gathers 40 European organisations active in the field of education, training and youth. Currently these networks represent more than 50 000 educational institutions and associations covering all sectors of formal, non-formal and informal learning. The new website www.lllplatform.eu was launched during our General Assembly in Bratislava on 30 May 2016. It offers easy navigation through policy areas, with a focus on hot topics complete with field initiatives, a database for publications and key words in the field of education and training, simple access to our members, and of course, all you need to know about the LLLPlatform. Visit us now on www.lllplatform.eu and enjoy the surf!
(Info received from Lifelong Learning Platform <[email protected]>)

Your guide: 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

Compall - International Winter School
The Erasmus+ project Comparative Studies on Adult and Lifelong Learning (Compall) builds on a Strategic Partnership between seven European universities. The project aims to develop a sustainable joint study module for masters and doctoral students in adult and lifelong learning. The joint module will enable students to develop analytical, comparative and transversal competencies. The next events are the International Winter School 7-18 February 2017 (registration deadline 30 September 2016) and the International Winter School 6-17 February 2018, both at the University of Wuerzburg/Germany. Further, a professional online network is being developed as an information, exchange and research channel for international study opportunities in adult and lifelong learning. For more info: http://www.hw.uni-wuerzburg.de/compall/ and join the Professional Network for Adult Education and Lifelong Learning on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8445381
(Info received from ESREA Newsletter No 2, Summer 2016)  

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

Access4All - Call for papers
An international Conference on "Good practices for equity and inclusion in higher education", based on the ERASMUS+ project Access4All, will be held in Bergamo (Italy) September 27th 2016. Participants are invited to hand in up to two abstracts for papers or posters. All proposals must be sent to [email protected] Abstracts can be related to scientific research and/or good practices. Submission ends 20 August 2016. ISBN publication will be produced for all the papers. The best 15 papers will receive free accommodation for one author. The Call for Papers is available at the Conference page 
(Info received from EDO UAB Mailing list)

INSIST - INtergenerational Succession in SMEs Transition
The Erasmus+ KA2 Strategic Partnership project INtergenerational Succession in SMEs Transition (INSIST) aims to support the survival and growth of family based businesses. How to deal with the transfer of businesses from one generation to the next is an issue for the sustainability of all economies. Central and Eastern economies are facing this challenge for the first time, as the wave of entrepreneurs that emerged in the late 1980s and 1990s approach retirement age. In the more established market economies of Northern, Western and Southern Europe, significant challenges are emerging as first generation entrepreneurs face succession for the first time and more mature enterprises move towards the third or fourth generation of owners and leaders.  INSIST is developing, piloting and evaluating four high level learning modules for owner-managers, successors, business intermediaries and postgraduate students with an interest in the sustainability of family businesses.  The project is led by the Budapest Business School (Hungary) working in partnership with Leeds Beckett University (UK), ADINVEST - Azur Valorisation (France), University of Economics Cracow (Poland), MAC-Team (Belgium), MGYOSZ - Business Hungary (Hungary) and MMZPL - Employers Union of Malopolska (Poland). Further information can be found at http://insist-project.eu/.
(Posted by David Devins <[email protected]>)

CARWASH develops a serious game
CARWASH is a two-year project that wants to prevent the inefficient managing of hazardous waste in the automotive sector through the creation of a serious online game. The project is the result of a collaboration between different parties. Aspremetal (ES), AVACA Technologies (EL), Training 2000 (IT), Europartners 2000 (BG), CTRIA (HU) and Voka Chamber of Commerce East-Flanders (BE) are the partners who brought life to CARWASH. They are financed by the Erasmus+ program of the EU. In order to define needs for training in waste management and the game structure, the partners surveyed 198 people who live and work in Spain, Bulgaria, Belgium, Italy and Hungary. The respondents are all active as managers, team leaders or technicians in the service sector for cars and other vehicles. The results show that in particular the managers and team leaders need more training on the strategies to monitor the whole process of waste management, legislation, penalties, documentation and reporting, while mechanics and technical staff need more training on how to store correctly the hazardous waste produced, waste withdrawal frequency and what to do in case of spillage. Further information and updates can be found on the project website: http://www.carwashproject.eu/
(Posted by Kylene De Angelis: Training 2000 <[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

IJRVET final call: "Going back-to-school in vocational training"
Special Issue Call for Papers of the International Journal for Research in Vocational Education and Training (IJRVET)
In recent years, various scientific journals dealing with VET have addressed this topic of adults going back to school in terms of didactic and technological innovations, applied teaching programs or labor market demands. Few of them address educational, professional and personal trajectories of those adult students who enroll in a VET program. This special issue focuses on going back to school in VET. Although the individual must be at the heart of the theme, proposed papers could take different forms and methodological approaches. They might cover a variety of topics related to adult education paths. Guest Editors: Louis Cournoyer (Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada), Geneviève Fournier (Université Laval, Canada), Jonas Masdonati (Université de Lausanne, Switzerland). Prospective contributors are invited to submit an expression of interest and an extended abstract of up to 500 words by Thursday 1st September to Professor Louis Cournoyer <[email protected]>. Details of the Call: http://www.ijrvet.net/
(Info received from Michael Gessler <[email protected]>)

State of Apprenticeships in the UK and ambitions for growth
Edited by David Way CBE (2016) A Race to the Top - Achieving three million more Apprenticeships by 2020. Winchester University Press (www.winchester.ac.uk/wupbooks)
This book comprises 39 contributions from leading employers, skills leaders, academics and practitioners giving a rounded view of Apprenticeships and what needs to change to transform their uptake in the future. It draws on a range of comparative experiences from other European countries and especially from Switzerland. The book contains a series of themed analyses and case studies highlighting good practice and future priorities for action. The principal themes are the product and its quality; promoting Apprenticeships; business engagement; navigating the Apprenticeship system; and delivery issues. Specific chapters examine what can be learnt from other countries on assessment, simplification and ensuring greater portability of skills across international boundaries. These inform the conclusions about what is really important for the future of Apprenticeships and how the country's efforts should truly be judged. David Way is a former CEO of the National Apprenticeship Service and is currently a Visiting Professor at the University of Winchester. He was awarded a CBE for services to Apprenticeships in 2011.
(Contributed by David Way <[email protected]>)

Adult education and the planetary condition
Aaro Harju and Anja Heikkinen (eds.) 2016. Finnish Adult Education Association (www.sivistystyo.fi) and Freedom and Responsibility of Popular Adult Education programme (www.vapausjavastuu.fi). Open Access Book [Link] [Details]
The traditional nation-state context of adult education research and practice is challenged by the consequences of globalization. Beside increased mobility and interaction across different borders, they include financial and economic, social and environmental crises on a global scale. The authors in this book discuss the transforming planetary condition of adult education from different perspectives: education policy, work life, learners and mobilization for sustainability. Although the contributions were initiated in the Nordic conference for adult education and learning in 2015, the contexts of discussion range from Europe to Asia, Latin America and Africa. Print version available online.
(Received from Anja Heikkinen <[email protected]>)

Learning for life and/or work
Matthias Pilz, Balasundaram Krisanthan, Bjoern Michalik, Lea Zenner, and Jun Li (2016). Learning for life and/or work: The status quo of pre-vocational education in India, China, Germany and the USA. Research in Comparative and International Education. Volume 11, Issue 2 [Details].
The role of pre-vocational education in general compulsory education has become increasingly relevant over recent years, with the international debate focussing particularly on its importance in school-to-work transitions. This study considers curriculum design and implementation of pre-vocational education in four countries with radically different cultures: India, China, Germany, and the USA. Using a theoretically framed concept of relevance to inform curriculum analysis, it compares the widely divergent content of curricula. In addition to this, interviews with teachers in all four countries flesh out how the curriculum is implemented in practice. The study, which is based on the 'prescribed curriculum' and 'enacted curriculum' approach, demonstrates that a range of factors means implementation varies widely from country to country, but that teachers in all four countries focus in pre-vocational education on equipping students with life-skills.
(Contributed by Lea Zenner <[email protected]> & Matthias Pilz <[email protected]>)

Entrepreneurial education
Pantea, M.C. (2016) On entrepreneurial education: Dilemmas and tensions in nonformal learning. Studies in Continuing Education 38(1): 86-99 [Details].
This paper revisits the current policy assumptions on youth entrepreneurship and their possible implications on entrepreneurial learning in nonformal settings. Based on secondary literature analysis, it interrogates the European nonformal learning practices that promote entrepreneurship, and calls for entrepreneurial learning to incorporate higher awareness of the social challenges that apply to young entrepreneurs. It is argued that the situation of young entrepreneurs is very much dependent on the local 'regime' of youth policy-making, and reflects overall social and political thinking on the role and status of young people.
(Info received from Maria-Carmen Pantea <[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].