Switzerland has one of the best ecosystems for entrepreneurship. However, there is a blind spot with regard to vocational colleges: A systematic integration of the topic is currently missing. The initiative "Entrepreneurial Thinking and Acting in Swiss Vocational Colleges -- Economic, Social and Ethical Dimensions" aims to address this…

Within the process of harmonizing and strengthening Europe as a competitive knowledge economy education is presented as a basic pillar of economic growth in a multitude of European policy papers. But how do individuals respond to incentives coming from European education politics? (How) are they appropriating given targets and how do they engage…

The Self-reflection on Effective Learning by Fostering the use of Innovative Educational technologies (SELFIE) tool has been implemented in Georgia since 2018. In 2020 the Ministry of Education, Science, (MoES) expressed its interest in piloting the SELFIE Work-Based Learning (WBL) tool designed specifically for the WBL context in Vocational…

The Self-reflection on Effective Learning by Fostering the use of Innovative Educational technologies (SELFIE) tool was piloted in the Republic of Serbia (hereafter Serbia) in 2017 and scaled up in early 2019. At the beginning of 2020, the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) developed a new version of SELFIE specifically focusing on…

The SELFIE WBL pilot project started in Turkey in July 2020. SELFIE WBL is a new SELFIE module for VET schools that involves in-company trainers. It provides a self-reflection tool for VET schools to improve their digital capacity. Aggregate data obtained from the tool can also be used to inform the Ministry of National Education's (MoNE's)…

Education and training systems need the right tools and processes to plan and develop their digital capacity. SELFIE for work-based learning (SELFIE WBL) provides one such tool. SELFIE stands for self-reflection on effective learning by fostering the use of innovative educational technologies. SELFIE WBL is a self-reflection tool for vocational…

Non-traditional ways of achieving a business qualification are becoming more common and popular internationally. In this case study from New Zealand, a joint delivery model including full credit between two higher education institutions, a vocational-based polytechnic and a traditional university, shows the strong foundations that can be built to…

The German and Swiss economies value skilled work highly and initial vocational education and training (IVET) has been the predominant traditional pathway into such work. However, concerns about a more "knowledge-based society" and the "academic shift in the labour market" are starting to undermine the status associated with…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to test the feasibility of a conceptual model on relations between organisational innovation, knowledge productivity and social capital. It explores processes of knowledge productivity for sustainable innovation and associated HRD implications in knowledge intensive organisations, taking the perspective that…

The use of ePortfolios for recognition of prior learning (e-RPL) and for professional recognition (e-PR) is slowly gaining in popularity in the VET sector however their use is sporadic across educational sectors, disciplines, educational institutions and professions. Added to this is an array of purposes and types of e-RPL and e-PR models and…

This good practice guide is based on the report "Industry Restructuring and Job Loss: Helping Older Workers Get Back into Employment" by Victor J. Callan and Kaye Bowman. The aim of the research was to identify evidence-based practices that led to successful skills transfer, re-skilling, training and the attainment of new jobs for older…

Globalisation and increased competition bring with them many benefits for business, consumers and the economy. But they can also result in the restructuring of industries not able to compete with changing economic markets. In the past, Australia has witnessed restructuring in many high-profile businesses, especially those in its manufacturing…

Conflicts all over the world result in people living in diaspora, usually maintaining strong ties with their countries of origin. As many of them are well educated and dedicated to their country, expectations of the role they can play in the development of their home country are high. This article reflects on the contribution of the South Sudanese…

This paper describes the development of education of students with special needs in vocational education. The paper is based on a case study research conducted in 2001-2005 in Jyvaskyla Municipal Federation of Vocational Education in Central Finland. The study consisted of two parts: firstly of the historical analysis of special educational…

The role of Career and Technical Education (CTE) as a major source of skilled workers for the American economy and a vital component of American education is well established. Several recent studies show that when CTE programs combine rigorous academic standards and industry-based technical content, the result is higher academic achievement and…