2025 Crossing Boundaries in Palma

Call for Papers

6th International VET Conference Crossing Boundaries
21 to 23 May 2025, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma, Mallorca, Spain

Conference Topics | Submitting a Proposal | Deadlines | Principles of the Crossing Boundaries Conferences | Conference Fee | Conference Location and Accommodation | Proceedings

Conference Topics

Special focus: Towards Inclusive and Egalitarian Vocational Education and Training: Key Challenges and Strategies from a Holistic and Multi-contextual Approach

We invite researchers, PhD students, teachers and decision-makers from vocational education and training, lifelong learning, higher education and adjacent disciplines to participate and contribute by presenting a paper at the conference.

The Conference Crossing Boundaries in Vocational Education and Training is an expert meeting organized around the topics of socio-culturally different systems, institutions and agencies, practitioners and actors in VET and LLL. It is a conference of the European Research Network in VET (VETNET).

Organizing Committee

Prof. Dr Francesca Salvà-Mut
Department of Applied Pedagogy and Educational Psychology, Director of Laboratory for Research and Innovation in Vocational Education and Training, University of the Balearic Islands.

Dr Elena Quintana-Murci

Department of Applied Pedagogy and Educational Psychology, Deputy Director of Laboratory for Research and Innovation in Vocational Education and Training, University of the Balearic Islands.

Direct any questions to crossing.boundaries@vetnetsite.org.

Perspectives of the Conference

The special focus of the conference 2025 is Towards Inclusive and Egalitarian Vocational Education and Training: Key Challenges and Strategies from a Holistic and Multi-contextual Approach.
From this perspective, a special focus is placed on analysing dropout and stopout processes and gender segregation in VET and their repercussions on future students’ educational and employment pathways. In this sense, it is important to carry out an analysis of the explanatory factors from a holistic and multi-contextual perspective (structural, institutional, contextual and personal factors) and the interrelation between them. We also need to look at the theories used, best practices, policies, and models of success aimed at promoting a more inclusive and egalitarian VET.

Reference Level 1 – Systems and policy: Socio-culturally different VET systems have evolved along often nationally imposed conceptual lines. The comparison of different VET and LLL systems and their governance are of theoretical and practical importance in the context of economic development and international cooperation. Cross-national comparisons allow for identifying strengths and need for improvement and recognising gaps. In comparing the current state and the necessary, respectively, possible developments. How do VET systems and policies control and regulate equal access to initial, intermediate and higher VET and lifelong learning? How do they contribute to preventing dropout or stopout processes and facilitate sustainable and meaningful educational, training and labour pathways? How do they foster inclusive education, equality and social inclusion? Comparative studies of transition pathways between VET, higher education, and LLL are also of particular interest.

Reference Level 2 – Institution and Agency: The different VET systems are defined by the interactions of the involved institutions, stakeholders and participating individuals. These are not only an expression of professionalisation; they also indicate the systems’ boundaries and interfaces. These inter-institutional spaces of open or closed discourses depend on the regional and national culture and the political mission statements of the collaborating partners. Questions linked to institutions and agencies refer to institutional rules that have established patterns of interaction and cooperation between educational, social, and labour institutions. They are linked to questions on measures needed to increase participation in VET, successful VET pathways and transitions, and lifelong learning.

Reference Level 3 – Practice and Actors: In the institutions or systems of rules, practices have been established to cope with the central questions of guidance, teaching, training, learning, and competence development. Practices of skills formation in VET and lifelong learning directly tackle the issues of equality of chances and sustainability in education, training, and employment. Which practices of guidance, learning, teaching, training, and support to VET students/learners tackle the issues of inclusion and gender equality in education, training, and employment? How can these practices enhance or impede transitions between the VET, higher education and lifelong learning? How can these practices prevent students’ dropout or certain stopout situations caused by ineffective educational management and pedagogical practice? How can this practice respond to the goals of sustainable development: quality of education, gender equality, social cohesion and green transition?

The three levels are interlinked and influenced by conceptual ideas, terms, and constructs. How are these concepts and theories shaped, what are their boundaries, in which context are they valid, what are the underlying assumptions, what developments are evident, and how do they reflect the requirements of the present time? Both formal and informal learning occurs at the level of skills formation systems. For example, the concept of ‘collective and school-based VET systems’ at the level of the institutions, the concepts of ‘competence-based education’ and ‘school-to-work transition’, and on the level of practices, ‘problem-based learning’ and ‘technology-enhanced learning’.

Keynote Speeches

Keynote Speeches will be announced soon.

Submitting a Proposal

The only format is a paper presentation. Presentation time is a maximum of 15–20 minutes, with an additional 10–15 minutes for discussion, in sum, a maximum of 30 minutes. All sessions will be chaired to ensure time limits are respected.

Papers will be selected for presentation following a double-blind peer review. Criteria for selection include the conceptual and theoretical framework, clarity of the research question(s) explored, methods and empirical foundation, originality, and new insight. We strive to have different countries perspectives and perspectives from different research groups.

The submission needs to include two separate files to ensure the integrity of the double-blind review: 

  1. Abstract, 1’000 words: Use the template here. Please delete the name(s) of the author(s) in the abstract; use author and year instead.
  2. Contact details: Use the template here.

Send your abstract and contact details (two documents) to crossing.boundaries@vetnetsite.org

If your abstract is accepted, submitting a full paper is a pre-condition for attending the conference. The paper is from 2’000 to 4’000 words, excluding the title, biographical notes, tables, figures, and reference list. Papers will be published as online access conference proceedings and as print-on-demand book on amazon.com.

Deadlines

  • Submission of abstracts: 15 November 2024 (extended)
  • Notification of acceptance: 15 December 2024
  • Submission of full paper: 20 February 2025
  • Feedback to your paper: 31 March 2025
    You will then have 10 days to make the necessary corrections.
  • The conference proceedings will be available shortly before the conference.

Principles of the Crossing Boundaries Conferences

The following principles guide the Conference Crossing Boundaries in Vocational Education and Training:

  • be active — all participants are presenters and cannot participate without preparing and presenting a full paper;
  • interdisciplinarity — contributions with different theoretical and methodological backgrounds are welcome;
  • small size — the number of participants is limited to approximately 60 people;
  • familiarity — Thursday evening is reserved for networking in a relaxed atmosphere;
  • keynote speakers — keynote speakers will be invited to address the focus topic;
  • open and free — no conference fee will be charged;

Participants are invited to submit their prepared extended research papers for publication in the International Journal for Research in Vocational Education and Training (IJRVET).

Conference Fee

Participation in the conference is free of charge.

Your entry ticket is your paper for the proceedings and motivation to openly discuss relevant topics with colleagues.

Conference Location and Accommodation

Edifici Sa Riera, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma, Mallorca. The conference location on Google Maps is here. Due to the location, the number of participants is limited.

Mallorca is a very popular place that attracts many tourists. Therefore, we recommend booking your accommodation early, with the option to cancel if your submission is not accepted.

You can find all the information on transport to Palma, accommodation and tourism here: https://www.visitpalma.com/en/

Proceedings Crossing Boundaries

  • 2015 Bremen: Innovative Concepts for the 21st Century, here.
  • 2017 Rostock: Social Dimensions and Participation in Vocational Education, here.
  • 2019 Valencia: Pedagogical Concerns and Market Demands in VET, here
  • 2021 Muttenz/Basel and Bern: Pathways in Vocational Education and Training and Lifelong Learning, here.
  • 2023 Kaunas: Vocational Education and Training Transformations for Digital, Sustainable and Socially Fair Future, here.
  • 2025 Palma …

If you have any questions, please email crossing.boundaries@vetnetsite.org