The Palgrave Handbook of Policy Transfer in Vocational Education and Beyond

“The distinguished group of authors, based in different corners of the world, explain why a particular TVET model—such as the dual apprenticeship model, the state-regulated vocational school model, community colleges, or workplace-based training—was adopted in their country and how it has been selectively ‘translated’ to fit the particular context. A must-read international handbook for scholars, practitioners, and decision-makers in TVET.”
— Gita Steiner-Khamsi, William H. Kilpatrick Professor of Comparative Education, Teachers College, Columbia University, USA and Honorary UNESCO Chair, Geneva Graduate Institute, Switzerland
“This is an essential book for scholars, researchers and students who seek to understand why TVET is the sector in which most attempts at policy innovation, transfer, lending, and learning occur. It comprises comparative, transnational, and global perspectives and draws on diverse methodologies by leading authors in the field to explain who the policy actors are, and how policy transfer happens, why, and the results that ensue.”
— Leesa Wheelahan, Professor Emerita, William G. Davis Chair in Community College Leadership. Emerita, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Canada. Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Education, University of Oxford, UK and Honorary Senior Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Higher Education, University of Melbourne, Australia
This handbook provides a comprehensive overview of the field of policy transfer in education, with a particular focus on technical and vocational education and training (TVET), adult education, professional and higher education. Bringing together contributions from around the world, the chapters indicate how policy transfer should be embedded in regional and cultural contexts, according to established knowledge as well as emerging perspectives. The book will be a must-read for researchers, policymakers and practitioners working in all areas of education relating to labour market skills, who are aiming for an improved understanding of the successes and failures of policy transfer initiatives in TVET and higher education.
Antje Barabasch is Professor of Vocational Education and Training at the Swiss Federal University for Vocational Education and Training (SFUVET), Switzerland. 
Sandra Bohlinger is Full Professor of Adult Education at Dresden University of Technology, Germany.
Stefan Wolf is Associate Professor in the Department of Vocational Education and School Pedagogy at the Technische Universität Berlin, Germany.
 

List of contents

Part I: Framing policy transfer in TVET: governance and political economy issues.- Skills policy transfer in light of political economy; Buchanan, J., Henderson, T. & Occhipinti, J. .- Policy transfer concerning skill formation in Central and Eastern Europe – commonalities and uniqueness; Tūtlys, V., Winterton, J., & Deji, A. .- The EU’s orchestration of employer cooperation: The Pact for Skills and the European Alliance for Apprenticeships; Unterweger, D. F., & Markowitsch, J. .- Framing policy transfer in TVET: governance and political economy issues VET Policy Transfer within the European Union; Rambla X. .- The influence of international organisations on the development of vocational skills: Examining policy transfer in labour-market related adult education in Slovenia; Mikulec, B.- The continuous emergence of the Copenhagen Process – policy transfer in EU VET policy; Cort, P. S. .- Policy learning in the transformation of the Vocational Education and Training system in Estonia; Loogma, K. & Ümarik, M. .- European and American Apprenticeship: A Case of East-West Policy Transfer; Hamilton, S. F. .- Part II: Organizational and contextual issues driving policy transfer in TVET.- ‘Context matters’ revealed: Policy transfer in vocational education to Serbia caught between human capital and human rights perspectives; Langthaler, M. & Pešikan, A. .- Post-secondary policy directions in Alberta, Canada: Skills for Jobs; Watt, B. .- Using design-based research for policy transfer: an example of peer review in vocational schools in China; Li J. .- From export of vocational education and training to policy learning: The case of India; Rajagopalan, A., Regel, J., & Pilz, M. .- Part III: Policy borrowing, lending and learning in TVET.- Cuba's technical and vocational education and training system: Initial observations for a competence-based approach; Carpio C., Adilen, Martínez C. Y., Echevarría G. M., & Romero, R. O. .- Adopting the dual VET model in the U.S. and South Korea: Comparisons and recommendations; Voeller, J., & Ahn, J. .- Policy transfer and reform in vocational education and training in New Zealand; Piercy, G., & Rasmussen, E. .- Laboratories of Democracy? Apprenticeship Policy Transfer Across U.S. States and Programs; Lerman, R., & Kuehn, D. .- Can a VET system evolve without looking abroad? On policy transfer and the extent of Spain-Europe relations; Marhuenda-Fluixá, F. .- Policy transfer in further education and training in Ireland – From colonialism, independence to multilateralism; O’Sullivan, R., & Rami, J. .- Part IV: Macro, Meso and Micro politics in policy transfer.- VET policy transfer in the context of academic drift: The case of North Macedonia; Maurer, M., & Spasovski, O. .- Policy transfer in international development education: fads, verticality, and horizontality; Sack, R. .- Not a simple win-win-win: Localised strategies to overcome the cooperation challenges of dual VET; Wanklin, L. .- Collaborative cross-national performance assessment development and adaptation; Ronderos, N., Flick-Holtsch, D., &  Shavelson, R. J. .- Part V: Policy transfer beyond TVET.- Learning and transfer: Hierarchical and reflexive lessons in higher education policy; Alexiadou, N., & Lange, B. .- Comparative higher education: An overview of internationalisation and ‘policy borrowing’ in the field; Marshall, J. .- Examining the trajectory and outcomes of policy transfer in higher education in the United Arab Emirates; Ashour, S. .- From Denmark to Wisconsin: A historical case study of educational policy transfer ‘from below’; Shackleford, J. .- New perspectives on policy learning in career guidance through collaborative partnerships and networks; Brown, A., Barnes S.-A., Bimrose, J., Kettunen Jaana, & Vuorinen, R..

About the author

Antje Barabasch is Professor of Vocational Education and Training at the Swiss Federal University for Vocational Education and Training (SFUVET), Switzerland.
Sandra Bohlinger is Full Professor of Adult Education at Dresden University of Technology, Germany.
Stefan Wolf is Associate Professor in the Department of Vocational Education and School Pedagogy at the Technische Universität Berlin, Germany.

Summary

This handbook provides a comprehensive overview of the field of policy transfer in education, with a particular focus on technical and vocational education and training (TVET), adult education, professional and higher education. Bringing together contributions from around the world, the chapters indicate how policy transfer should be embedded in regional and cultural contexts, according to established knowledge as well as emerging perspectives. The book will be a must-read for researchers, policymakers and practitioners working in all areas of education relating to labour market skills, who are aiming for an improved understanding of the successes and failures of policy transfer initiatives in TVET and higher education.

Product details

• Assisted by: Antje Barabasch (Editor), Sandra Bohlinger (Editor), Stefan Wolf (Editor)
• Publisher: Springer International Publishing
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 17.08.2025
• EAN: 9783031996160
• ISBN: 978-3-031-99616-0
• Illustrations: Approx. 535 p. 30 illus., schwarz-weiss Illustrationen
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Education > Adult education; Erwachsenenbildung, lebenslanges Lernen, Bildungssysteme und -strukturen, Bildungsstrategien und -politik, LIFELONG LEARNING, International and Comparative Education, higher education, Further Education, Adult Education, Professional education, Professional and Vocational Education, Education Policy, TVET, technical and vocational education and training, career and technical education