This is the latest edition of the L&W Newsletter, which will reach you via a mailing list of over 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 Newsletter!
Particularly worth noting in this edition are four calls for papers or proposals relating to: the International HRD conference in Cork, ESEE 2015 in Wageningen (see Conferences), the ICT-DRV Conference in Berlin (see Projects) and the IJRVET special issue on didactics (see Publications). Also included are the application dates for the IMASS E-Learning courses on Advanced Management (Programmes).

Should you prefer to read the current Newsletter edition online, you can find it under October 2014 on the website (www.news.wifo-gate.org). And please pass the Newsletter on to your own colleagues and networks - thanks! The next edition of the Newsletter will appear in early December 2014. 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 November 2014 at the latest!

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

Conferences

Call for submissions: International HRD conference
Submissions are now being accepted for the 16th International Conference on Human Resource Development Research and Practice across Europe   (www.ufhrd2015.org), to be held in the School of Management and Marketing, University College Cork, Ireland from the 3rd - 5th June 2015.  The theme of the conference, Towards Evidence Based HRD Practice, centers around the need to bridge the gap between academic research and industry practice resulting from the lack of research that tests theory in the real world of practice. For this conference, we invite submissions however broadly, within the conference theme. The 11 streams include: Leadership, Management and Talent Development; Technology, eLearning and Virtual HRD; Career Management & Development, Knowledge Management, Organisational Learning and Organisation Development; and Assessment, Measurement and Evaluation of HRD. Final date for abstract submission: 10 November 2014. The conference will feature a doctoral colloquium in addition to a cultural tour of the area. Keynote Speakers for the conference are Prof. Sandra Robinson, University of British Columbia; Prof. David Collings, Dublin City University; Prof. Mike Morley, University of Limerick; Aidan Lawrence, Learning and Organization Development Director, Hewlett Packard. For more information, please see www.ufhrd2015.org or contact [email protected]
(Posted by Ronan Carbery <[email protected]>)

Reminder: ESEE 2015
This is a reminder to submit proposals to the joint conference of the European Seminar on Extension and Education (ESEE) and the Association of International Agricultural and Extension Education (AIAEE), taking place April 28 - May 1, 2015, at Wageningen University in the Netherlands (website).  The Call for Proposals is open until October 15, 2014. The Call is on the website www.ESEE2015.nl, which is continuously being updated. Since the beginning of September we added: The submission criteria and procedure for symposium proposals; Members of the Honorary Committee; Key note speakers; Optional excursions; Partner program (which is visible when clicking on 'I want to register my partner'). If you have any other question, do not hesitate to contact me. Hoping to see you in Wageningen in 2015 for this conference, also on behalf of the members of the Scientific Steering Committee and the local Organization Committee, Martin Mulder, conference organizer.
(Info received from Martin Mulder <[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

Just posted: UFHRD Newsletter
The latest edition of the UFHRD Newsletter (19/09/14), published by the University Forum for Human Resource Development, featuring Forum News, HRD conference reports, HRD News and Research, and Calls for papers, is available online at the UFHRD site (www.ufhrd.co.uk). Contact: Rick Holden <[email protected]>
(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

E-Learning courses: Advanced Management
IMASS - Methods and Analyses in Social Sciences (http://imass.ca/imass/)
We are happy to announce the new dates for the next IMASS courses in Advanced Management (page): Maritime Clusters and Coastal Areas (10-14 November); Management of Science and Technological Parks (8-13 December); Town Management and Socioeconomic Development (12-17 January);  Management of Human Resources (26-31 January). Our goal is to support students, researchers and professors in developing better skills in quantitative and qualitative methods in the fields of the Social Sciences. On our website http://imass.ca/imass/ you will find detailed information about IMASS and also about our Instructors (page). If you have any further questions, please contact us at [email protected].
(Posted by Julieta Rosa <[email protected]> on behalf of Teresa de Noronha)

High level quality skills management
The G-ACUA Corporate University Blueprint is the preferred real time strategic management platform for achieving  high level quality skills management of the major business development opportunity posed by the Internet of Things (IoT). Find out more. In support of all initiatives in this area of IoT strategic management, we are now extending the G-ACUA Special Corporate University Blueprint Management Process Model and Knowledge Resource Offer to the end of October 2014. Please go to www.corporateuniversity.org.uk/acua/totallearningresource.htm
(Info submitted by Richard Dealtry <[email protected]>)

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

Projects

Call for papers: ICT-DRV Conference
'Technology-supported vocational training for professional drivers in Europe - A matter of quality' 12-13 February 2015 in Berlin [Website]
Vocational education and training should prepare all professional drivers in Europe for continuously changing job requirements and for keeping them qualified for their job. Technology-based training offers opportunities to reach this goal and contributes to a high quality of training. The ICT-DRV conference provides an inside view to the current situation in computer-based distance learning and simulator-based professional driver training, and discusses a number of questions related to a high-quality and learning-oriented integration of such training approaches into professional drivers' training in Europe. The interdisciplinary conference provides a platform for VET providers, public bodies, researchers, simulator and e-learning developers, social partners, employers, and other groups to explore and discuss opportunities, limitations and requirements to enhance professional drivers' vocational education and training with high-quality computer- and simulator-based training. The conference is held in German and English. For the conference a call for papers has been launched. Contributions on realising high-quality technology-supported vocational training and ensuring high-quality within technology-supported training for professional drivers can be submitted to [email protected] until 17 October 2014. Further information on the call for papers and the conference: http://project-ictdrv.eu/index.php?id=30&L=0
(Posted by Tanja Bacher [email protected])

The future of vocational education - learning from the Nordic countries
VET project funded by Nordforsk and coordinated by Christian Helms Jørgensen, Roskilde University
The purpose of the project is to generate significant new knowledge on the strengths and weaknesses characterizing the different models of vocational education and training (VET) at higher secondary level in the Nordic countries. The Nordic countries provide unique opportunities for comparative research in the field of initial vocational education. On the one hand they are characterized by similar societal contexts; on the other hand they exhibit significant differences in their models of VET. This situation has made the Nordic countries a fruitful living experiment of diverging forms of VET, in which a variety of significant qualities can be explored in relation to similar societies. The purpose of this project is to generate knowledge on the different Nordic ways of managing the key dilemma of providing 'double access' from vocational education to the labour market and to higher education (HE). More specifically it seeks to determine how the different approaches in handling this dilemma have an impact on social reproduction, inclusion and the status of vocational education. This problem-oriented, comparative approach is expected to generate new knowledge that can be instrumental in the future development of VET in the Nordic countries. Source: Project info RUC website / Details: Project description (PDF)
(Contributed by Maarit Virolainen <[email protected]>

NOTE: Contributions are invited to update the Overview of European research projects [www.projects.wifo-gate.org], provided as part of the WIFO Gateway. The overview focuses on transnational research projects, mainly supported by EU programmes, in the areas of human resource development, vocational education, work and learning. Please send the following information to the editor ([email protected]):  (A) exact title and acronym (short name) of the project; (B) name and email address of the coordinator or main contact; (C) address of the website (or info page/ flyer) of the project. Contact: Sabine Manning

Publications

Call for proposals: IJRVET special issue on didactics
Special issue on didactics in the International Journal for Research in Vocational Education and Training (www.ijrvet.net)
IJRVET is an international double-blind-reviewed platinum open access journal for VET-related research. IJRVET is the official organ of the European Research Network in Vocational Education and Training (VETNET). This special issue is open for submissions of high quality theoretical and empirical work in the area of didactics with relation to the VET field. Research on didactics has a long tradition in different educational contexts. In the VET field the challenges for didactics are various and complex considering that learning is organized and takes place both in classrooms and workshops. Significant challenges are also posed by the aims of the learning process; whether it concerns understanding production processes or specific technological devices and operations. This special issue attempts to highlight the diversity of these challenges as presented in theoretical analysis and empirical research. It also intends to contribute to an increasing awareness of the relevance of research on didactics for the VET field. Final submission date: 25 January 2015. Please use the IJRVET Template (available on the homepage) for your article. For further information visit http://www.ijrvet.net and contact Professor Lázaro Moreno Herrera ([email protected]), Guest Editor, Stockholm University, Sweden.
(Contributed by Lázaro Moreno Herrera)

VET workers' problem-solving skills
Hämäläinen Raija et al. (2014): VET workers' problem-solving skills in technology-rich environments: European approach. In: International Journal for Research in Vocational Education and Training. Volume 1, Number 1 [Details and download]
The European workplace is going through a radical process of structural changes, shifting from mass-production technology to more flexible production methods. For adults with vocational education and training (VET), such changes often create new challenges. In practice, the European workplace is challenging VET adults' problem-solving skills in technology-rich environments (TREs). So far, no international large-scale assessment data has been available for VET. The PIAAC data comprises the most comprehensive source of information on adults' skills to date. Our study (N=50 369) focuses on gaining insight into the problem-solving skills in TREs of adults with a VET background. When examining the similarities and differences in VET adults' problem-solving skills in TREs across 11 European countries, two main trends can be observed. First, only a minority of VET adults perform at a high level. Second, there seems to be substantial variation between countries with respect to the proportion of VET adults that can be identified as "at-risk" or "weak" performers. As a result, new approaches to enhance VET adults' TRE problem-solving skills based on the current European workplace needs are required. In practice, future studies should focus on new knowledge, methods and technologies that can contribute to VET adults' skills.
(Contributed by Raija Hämäläinen <[email protected]>)

Good practice principles in apprenticeship systems
Smith, E & Brennan Kemmis, R (2013). Good practice principles in apprenticeship systems: An international study. TVET@ASIA - The Online Journal for Technical and Vocational Education and Training in Asia, 1:1 [Details and download]
This paper uses part of the work undertaken by the authors for a project funded by the International Labour Organization and the World Bank to compare and contrast apprenticeship systems in eleven countries(*). The project was undertaken to provide suggestions for the process of reform of the Indian apprenticeship system. The paper explains how this international comparative study arrived at principles for good practice. Eleven individual country case studies, based on reports, literature and stakeholder comment, were produced by a team of national experts, and subjected to a cross-case analysis to extract these principles. The country case studies took into account agreed international benchmarks for describing, analysing and evaluating apprenticeships, based on the framework described in the recently-released memorandum by INAP, the International Network on Innovative Apprenticeship, and with reference to the European Commission's report on apprenticeship supply in member states. The countries were selected to cover a range of variables, and included four European countries (England, France, Germany, Turkey). The analysis covered both systemic and governance issues and 'the life cycle of the apprentice'. A set of principles of good practice in apprenticeship systems were developed and then contextualised within a consideration of issues of 'quality', expansion and simplification strategies for apprenticeships.
(*) Towards a model apprenticeship framework: A comparative analysis of national apprenticeship systems (2013). Smith, Erica; Kemmis, Ros Brennan. International Labour Office, New Delhi [Details and download]
(Contributed by Erica Smith <[email protected]>)

Lifelong education and transnational migration
Sue Webb, John Holford, Peter Jarvis, Marcella Milana & Richard Waller (2014). Lifelong education and transnational migration. In: International Journal of Lifelong Education, 33:4 [Details and download]
Transnational migration is growing to unprecedented levels globally not only through political unrest, war and upheaval, but increasingly primarily in relation to economic and education policies. This article considers the challenge these changes pose for lifelong learning policy and practice and reviews the contribution of recent research published in the International Journal of Lifelong Education to this field.  Migration has been examined from a number of perspectives including from the lived experience perspective of the migrant and the sense they make of mobility and settlement, whether of forced migration or economic migration and from a critical policy studies perspective by uncovering and understanding the policy procedures, systems and practices that create the challenges many migrants encounter.  Such research poses questions about the integrative potential of lifelong education.
(Contributed by Sue Webb <[email protected]>)

Cedefop's European Training Thesaurus - new descriptors - 2014 update
Source: European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop)
The European Training Thesaurus (ETT) is Cedefop's controlled vocabulary used to index the VET-Bib bibliographic database. In 2014, just over 100 new descriptor terms were added, to keep track of VET development and to assist researchers in defining, narrowing, and broadening their search strategies.
Please find here all new descriptors of the European Training Thesaurus sorted by microthesauri. All descriptors have been fully integrated in VET-Bib database and are searchable. Click on the hyperlinks listed here and you will be connected to VET-Bib database, and related research material and publications will be presented. The number in parenthesis following each descriptor shows how many matching documents were found in VET-Bib (May 2014). These figures might have increased since then. URL: http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/EN/news/24238.aspx
(Posted by Bettina Brenner <[email protected]>)

Update: Thematic issue on learning regions
The thematic issue of the Hungarian Educational Research Journal Vol 4, No 3, on learning regions, edited by Magdolna Benke & Tamás Kozma, has been added to the WIFO Bookshelf : Learning Regions. Following its initial presentation in the L&W Newsletter of August 2014, this announcement now includes a complete overview of the contents, with special summaries by Magdolna Benke, Barry Nyhan, Ludger Deitmer and Balázs Németh.
(Contributed by Sabine Manning)

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].