PARTICIPATION IN THE 5th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE “CROSSING BORDERS IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING” (KAUNAS, LITHUANIA, MAY 25-26, 2023)
On May 25-26, 2023, the 5th International VET Conference Crossing Boundaries took place at the University of Vytautas the Great (Kaunas, Lithuania). The SSI “Institute of Educational Analytics” was represented at the event by the Head of the Higher Education Sector of the Department of Educational Statistics and Analytics Sergii Melnyk (PhD in Economics).
The purpose of this conference was to promote the development of open, multidisciplinary and future-oriented vocational education and training (VET) and the popularization of research in the field of vocational education throughout the world. The event became the next in the sequence of previous conferences that began in Bremen in 2015 (Innovative Concepts for the 21st Century), and then took place in Rostock in 2017 (Social Dimensions and Participation in Vocational Education), in Valencia in 2019 (Pedagogical concerns and market demands in VET), Muttenzi and Berni in 2021 (Pathways in Vocational Education and Training and Lifelong Learning).
Special attention to this year’s conference was dedicated to the transformation of vocational education and training for a digital, sustainable and socially fair future. Within the framework of the event, 56 reports were presented, written by more than 115 scientists, covering the following three thematic areas: the system and policy of the VET and lifelong learning; educational institutions and institutional conditions in the VET and formation of professional skills; VET participants and stakeholders. The topics of the reports were very diverse and included the development of the VET in conditions of digitalization; changing the roles of the VET providers; teachers and students; the sustainability and challenges of providing the VET in developing economies; expanding the possibilities of the VET, changing the roles and work of pedagogical workers of the VET, etc. The participants of the event were invited according to the proposals submitted to the conference, which passed the procedure of double-blind review.
Sergii Melnyk presented a report on “Vocational education and training in the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine: challenges and strategic directions”. He emphasized that the military aggression of the russian federation against Ukraine since February 24, 2022, causes colossal damage to the society and the national economy of Ukraine, and therefore has a negative impact on the VET system in Ukraine, disrupting the usual course of the educational process, reducing the number of students and teachers, destroying the infrastructure and resources of the VET institutions. This necessitates a significant reconstruction of the network of such institutions, as well as adaptation of the provision of educational services in wartime conditions. In addition, the speaker spoke about the plans and preparations for the post-war development of the VET system in Ukraine. For more details on Sergii Melnyk’s presentation, please click here: “Vocational education and training in the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine: challenges and strategic directions”.
Additional conference materials: