The European Training Foundation (ETF), has launched in 2012 a regional intervention in the Western Balkans, Turkey and Israel (WBTI) to address the linkages between VET and social inclusion.
The aim of the project is to deepen the countries’ understanding of the main barriers and potential opportunities for building inclusive and equitable VET systems in the Western Balkans, Turkey and Israel, given the current social and economic challenges facing the region. It seeks to provide new evidence on the role of VET in combating social inclusion and contributing to building more cohesive societies moreover it aims to provide support to national stakeholders to establish appropriate policies and practises for enhancing the contribution of VET to the promotion of skills, socialization, civic values, social inclusion and social cohesion.
To achieve these aims, research teams in nine countries are investigating the impact of VET practice and policy on social inclusion and social cohesion taking into account the community effects of VET. Within the framework of this regional project and through the regional action research, the research is focusing on 3 VET schools/training centres in each of the countries. The project uses the method of participatory action research which is a reflective process of problem solving led by researchers from the countries engaging with practitioners at VET schools and associated community representatives. National and local policy makers, school professionals, students, employers, researchers and civil society organisation representatives from the "community of practice" are members of the national and local advisory boards who work closely with the schools in this reflective process.
The ETF team is working closely with the LSE Enterprise consultancy: a team of international experts and 18 experts from the WBTI countries. The research team is deploying an interactive inquiry process that balances practical problem solving with data-driven analysis and research in order to understand underlying causes of social exclusion in vocational education and generate new evidence for future policy actions adapted to the challenges facing the WBTI region. The main output of the research will be to provide national stakeholders with evidence-based suggestions to establish policies and practices to enhance the role of VET and its multi-dimensional contributions to the promotion of skills, socialization, civic values, social inclusion and social cohesion.
The ETF regional project supports the enhanced research capacities in the region. Besides a rich analysis of the key issues, challenge, VET policies and practices, the country and cross country reports will look into the implications for research capacities in the countries.
Objectives of the workshop:
The main objectives of the workshop are two-fold:
i. to share and discuss the research developments’ state of play- interactive discussions between ETF colleagues and LSE-E researchers
ii. to review and support progress with research analysis and reporting, to provide guidance on writing methods and practicalities of project completion.

Type of Event: Operational
Place: Torino (Italy)
Date: 02/18/2013
Topic(s): Policies and Systems; School and Teacher Development; School and Teacher Development; Employment
Project: WP13-10-02
Organiser: Lida Kita, Aleksandra Falcone ;
Contacts: Lida Kita, Aleksandra Falcone;