Call for Papers: Vol. 4, Issue 1/2027

Vocational Schools: Origins, Characteristics, and Developments

Vocational schools are key institutions within vocational education and training (VET) systems. In many countries, they operate at the intersection of education systems, labour markets, and training regimes. Particularly in dual or alternating systems of vocational education, vocational schools complement company-based training and contribute to the professional, social, and civic development of apprentices and students. In school-based systems, vocational schools constitute the primary institutional setting in which young people acquire vocational skills and qualifications as well as new opportunities for individual careers.

Despite their central role, the origins, institutional characteristics, and developments of vocational schools have received comparatively limited scholarly attention. In this thematic section, we invite contributions that examine vocational schools as institutions within (vocational) education systems. We welcome contributions that address vocational schools from a variety of perspectives. Particularly welcome are papers that address, but are not limited to, the following themes:

Vocational schools as part of the (vocational) education system 

    -The role of vocational schools within national (vocational) education systems, including higher and further education

    -Vocational schools within dualized vocational education systems combining school-based and work-based learning

    -Public and private vocational schools in vocational education systems

Historical development of vocational schools

    -The emergence and institutionalization of vocational schools, both from a national as well as a comparative perspective

    -Relationships between vocational schools and apprenticeship systems

    -Didactic concepts, pedagogical traditions, and teaching models in vocational schools

Personnel and learners

    -Recruitment, qualifications and professional trajectories of vocational teachers

    -Professional identities of vocational teachers

    -Diversity and educational biographies of learners at vocational schools

Administration and governance of vocational schools

    -Management of vocational schools

    -Financing and funding models of vocational schools

    -Vocational schools as partners of local and regional stakeholders in vocational education and training, including educational authorities, chambers, and companies

    -Administration, organisation, and management of vocational school programmes, including class organisation, modularised course structures, and approaches to individualised learning

Architecture and technical infrastructure

    -School buildings, spatial organization, and architectural concepts of vocational schools

    -Workshops, laboratories, and technical infrastructure

    -The development of specialized training facilities and learning environments

    -The relationship between school architecture and vocational pedagogy

 

The aim of this thematic section is to deepen the understanding of vocational schools as complex educational institutions embedded in broader vocational education and training systems and socio-economic structures.

This issue will be published in the first half of 2027. IJVES follows a continuous publication model, meaning that accepted articles are published as soon as they have successfully completed the review and editorial process. To allow sufficient time for the review and editorial process, manuscripts should be submitted by February 1, 2027.

As with all issues of IJVES, longer papers are welcome, though excessively long submissions should be avoided (approximately 40 pages).

In addition to thematic papers, the editors also invite contributions for the general section, the forum, and book reviews related to the broader field of vocational education and training.

When submitting your paper, please follow the instructions provided here: https://journals.ub.uni-osnabrueck.de/index.php/ijves/about/submissions

We look forward to your contributions.

Sincerely,
Dietmar Frommberger and Christoph Porcher