Conference Program

Most comparative studies on public policies, political science and political economy still focus exclusively on the national level and cross-country differences and neglect the territorial articulation of policies within countries. However, Cross-country comparisons often overlook the complexity of multilevel governance settings and subnational variation underlying SWT systems or regimes. Policy implementation involves multiple jurisdictional scales (for instance, countries, regions, provinces and municipalities) and multiple actors. Further, countries present internal spatial divides in contextual socio-economic conditions that affect implementation and outcomes.

Methodological nationalism ignores the consequences of long-term process of rescaling of policy responsibilities above and below the country level; as well as of persisting spatial disparities resulting from the post-industrial shift of capitalist economies. Nevertheless, national governments remain highly relevant in most policy domains even in decentralized settings.

Accordingly, to avoid replacing methodological nationalism with methodological subnationalism or falling into the local trap, comparative research should address the complex territorial articulation of policy provisions in multilevel governance settings. Our argument is that as policies unfold within multilevel settings they contribute to territorially differentiated outcomes that affect the distribution of resources and opportunity within a certain country. This brings to the expectation of significant within-country variation in policy outputs and outcomes and to existence institutional mechanisms that contribute to control or amplify differences among territories. Considering subnational variations can lead to two distinct interpretations. On one hand, it may challenge the validity of classifying national systems or regimes, raising questions about their heuristic utility. On the other hand, it could offer a way to enhance these classifications by incorporating spatial differentiation as a key variable of SWT systems

We put forward an analytical framework to grasp the territorial articulation of multilevel policy provision combining studies on multilevel governance and spatial disparities. We consider four main elements: jurisdictions, politics, policies and contexts. We expect their interaction to play out through mechanisms of coordination (or lack thereof) and to be significantly connected to spatial disparities in policy outputs and outcomes.

Empirically, we apply this frame to the analysis of vocational education and training (VET) provision. VET is of utmost importance for the provision of skills, labour market opportunities, social cohesion and economic growth. VET policy lies at the intersection of education and the labour market: this implies that local socio-economic conditions strongly affect policy needs and outputs; moreover, decision-making and implementation competences on VET policy are often assigned to subnational governments. To what extent VET provision differs between and within the case studies? How is VET articulated within multilevel governance settings and how do spatial divides affect the provision and outcomes of vocational training?

Our argument is explored through a comparison of multilevel VET provision in four EU countries characterised by different transitions and welfare regimes (Walther, 2017), namely Italy, Austria, Bulgaria, Finland. The country selection responds to the exploratory logic of a diverse case study design, coherent with our goal of conceptual and empirical clarification of the territorial articulation of policies within complex multilevel settings.

This paper presents the findings of an exploratory study conducted within an international mobility project for young adults with Fragile X Syndrome, aimed at analysing the quality of vocational training contexts from an equity and participation perspective. The research is situated within the broader European debate on the labour inclusion of people with disabilities, with specific reference to the right to accessible, personalized, and self-determination-oriented pathways (UN, 2006).

FXS, as the primary hereditary cause of intellectual disability, involves specific cognitive and behavioural characteristics that significantly impact labour inclusion processes (Bottà, 2024; Corona & De Giuseppe, 2018; Falsetto & Anselmi, 1990; Lanfranchi & Vianello, 2004). Within this framework, access to high-quality vocational training contexts requires reasonable accommodations, educational supports, and inclusive environments. The project examines several international internship experiences proposed by the Italian Fragile X Association as part of an Erasmus+ program.

The aim of the research is to improve inclusive experiences for young adults with FXS, promoting social inclusion and participation. To achieve this, the research pursues several objectives, including:

• analysing current methods for organizing extracurricular traineeships, identifying strengths and potential areas for improvement;
• investigating the training needs, skills and useful tools for chaperones;
• designing a specific training course for chaperones based on real operational conditions and trainee characteristics;
• developing observation and evaluation tools sensitive to changes generated by the traineeship experience in people with FXS, in terms of life skills (WHO, 1993).

The research adopts a qualitative design based on action-research methodology, characterized by a recursiveness that allows rethinking practices in favour of more effective and targeted actions (Trinchero, 2002).

Tools used include: questionnaires for families of the Italian FXS Association to investigate knowledge and willingness to participate in the Erasmus+ project; self-observation grids completed by chaperones to reflect on their performance during the traineeship; rating scales based on the ICF (WHO, 2001) for observing trainees, completed by chaperones to obtain a comprehensive assessment of acquired or enhanced skills; and semi-structured interviews to gain a complete picture from both direct (trainees and chaperones) and indirect (parents) participants.

Data collected so far highlight that the quality of the training experience is strictly connected to specific conditions, such as chaperone training on FXS characteristics and the upcoming experience, and a context capable of valuing practical and relational skills. Simultaneously, the study highlighted critical issues related to practical implementation and prior organization.

Finally, this contribution proposes an evaluation model for international traineeships and work placements for young people with FXS, based on the interaction between pedagogical, organizational, and relational dimensions. This model, built on an ICF basis, intends to offer useful indications for both research and the design of inclusive practices, strengthening the link between training quality, educational justice, and full citizenship.

Basic skill provision within VET is at the core of the Union of Skills strategy launched in 2025 by the European Commission: for VET students to experience high quality learning, VET teachers are expected to be equipped with high-end inclusion strategies and adaptive capacities, especially in the context of the knowledge economy. The VET population is characterized by high percentages of students finding themselves at a disadvantage, either for their socio-economic, migrant background, or different types of disabilities, constituting fragile sections of the student population.

Furthermore, the complex multi-level governance of the secondary Italian VET systems, with regional prerogative over the IeFP channel – “istruzione e formazione professionale” creates a situation of non-homogeneity as far as teacher training is concerned.

In this context, system evaluation practices often remain centered on output indicators, with limited attention to how assessment routines can generate meaningful quality evidence: starting from a capabilities’ approach (CA) perspective (Sen, 1993) this paper then aims at informing paradigms of quality evaluation in the VET realm, by taking the demand side perspective, which is a seminal, yet under-researched, evaluation lens.

It does so by investigating both VET students’ perception of VET teachers’ inclusion strategies, and their own soft skills, both in didactic and evaluation moments: a seminal evaluation lens for analyzing the quality of VET pathways.

Two research questions are posed:

1. How do IeFP students experience teachers’ inclusion strategies (e.g. migrant background, presence of disabilities)? Specifically, how do they perceive feedback in the learning-training process?

The present research question is answered via interviews with third year students in IeFP courses who attended courses to obtain a level 3 EQF qualification and hence are experiencing a school to work transition, selected from training centres in the Lazio territory, to further inform the construction of a questionnaire on perceptions of inclusiveness (Venetz et al., 2015).

1. How are IeFP students self-evaluating their transversal skills, in the context of the school to work transition they are experiencing?

The 3SQ self-evaluation questionnaire is administered to a reference sample of first year students in IeFP courses in the Lazio Region (Lucisano & du Mérac, 2019). The questionnaire can indeed be specifically useful, in this context, to understand whether soft skills can to a certain extent compensate for initial disadvantages.

Ultimately, as the EQAVET framework is constituted of ten indicators to evaluate the quality of education and training, this study would particularly inform a discussion around indicator n.10, which refers to “Schemes used to promote better access to VET and provide guidance to potential VET learners” (European Commission, 2026). Indeed, from a CA perspective applied to students’ life courses (Wylson-Strydom, 2016) not only “access”, but “success” in the study pathway is considered, stemming from what students give value to along their life courses. Indeed, a reinforcement of inclusion strategies would enable the students to successfully face school to work transitions.

Contemporary European societies are undergoing profound transformations that mutually influence one another, generating challenging scenarios and new forms of vulnerability. In this “age of disorder,” adult education and training are frequently invoked as suitable instruments for equipping individuals to cope with ongoing changes.

A recent study conducted by Inapp examined adult VET policies implemented in France, Germany, England, and Spain in recent years, with particular attention to measures aimed at promoting access to learning opportunities for most disadvantaged groups and, particularly, for low-skilled people. The research—still underway and conducted through desk analysis enriched by interviews with experts and stakeholders—includes a final comparative phase of findings from EU countries with Italy.

The study highlighted how adult education is gradually gaining prominence in the dialogue among institutional and social actors, stimulating the development of projects and initiatives. Across the various countries examined, several initiatives stood out due to their financial and institutional commitment, the breadth of the tools deployed, the diversity of stakeholders involved, and the attention devoted to the design of support measures. The most significant projects are grounded in a cooperative and multidimensional approach, based on networks of public and private actors responsible for addressing individuals’ needs in a holistic manner. Vulnerable groups are engaged through innovative outreach interventions and involved in integrated services - combining education and training, job guidance, and socio‑health measures – helping turn individual difficulties into opportunities for reintegration into the labour market.

The implementation of territorial networks becomes the cornerstone of these interventions, with the objective of generating added value through the sharing of services, infrastructures, personnel, and financial resources. Within this framework, innovative training practices find fertile ground, supporting both the development of basic knowledge and skills and the acquisition of professional micro‑competences. In some cases, the shift towards more flexible forms of training provision becomes a key priority, paving the way for the introduction of modular learning pathways and micro‑qualifications.

Despite the proliferation of initiatives, the experts interviewed point to the absence of a long‑term strategic vision supported by coherent policies and sustained financial investment. They also highlight the lack of a shared understanding regarding the purposes of adult learning—whether it should be regarded solely as a tool for employability and economic growth, or also as a means of fostering social cohesion and democratic development. Evaluation practices likewise appear fragmented and inconsistent, rarely becoming a foundational component of cooperation among stakeholders. Moreover, extending standardised evaluation frameworks to projects targeting vulnerable individuals often leads to misinterpretations of the benefits achieved.

The study thus presents a landscape marked by significant fragmentation of human and financial resources, which fails to generate critical mass and reduce persistent inequalities in adult participation in education and training. In sum, the development of measures capable of supporting adults’ personal and professional growth — including that of the most vulnerable —s till appears to be an aspirational objective rather than a concrete, systemically implemented strategy aimed at building comprehensive lifelong learning systems.

Evaluating the quality of educational and training systems increasingly requires approaches that go beyond completion and placement rates, capturing how young people participate in pathways, access support, and navigate non-linear transitions across school, vocational education and training (VET), higher education, and work. This contribution presents a research-to-intervention pipeline developed within the cross-border Euregio Transizioni project (Tyrol–South Tyrol–Trentino), which translates qualitative evidence on youth transitions into actionable guidance and training tools. While the project addresses multiple pathways, we discuss implications particularly relevant for VET and apprenticeship-related contexts, where equity and participation depend strongly on institutional practices and access to guidance.

The qualitative strand comprised 32 semi-structured, in-depth interviews conducted in Trentino and South Tyrol with young people aged 13–29, designed to represent diverse transition patterns (e.g., school-to-VET/work, school-to-university, re-orientation, interruptions and returns). Interviews were inspired by a narrative approach grounded in Career Construction Theory and the construct of career adaptability (Concern, Control, Curiosity, Confidence) (Savickas, 2013; Savickas & Porfeli, 2012), and by life design principles focused on meaning-making and agency (Nota & Rossier, 2015). A thematic analysis combined theory-informed coding with inductive themes emerging from participants’ narratives, consistent with perspectives on adaptive career behavior and career self-management (Lent & Brown, 2013) and with a sustainability-oriented view of careers (De Vos et al., 2020; Van der Heijden et al., 2020).

Findings highlight that “transition resources” are not only individual attributes but are produced through interactions with institutional practices: accessible guidance channels, opportunities for safe experimentation (e.g., internships, work-based learning, apprenticeship-like experiences), and recognition/feedback from significant adults. These mechanisms shape participation and equity by either widening or narrowing young people’s perceived options, particularly in critical moments (misfit, uncertainty, re-orientation). Such dynamics are especially salient in VET trajectories, where timely support and work-based learning opportunities can prevent disengagement and support re-entry, aligning with broader notions of sustainable careers across the lifespan (De Vos et al., 2020; Van der Heijden et al., 2020).

Building on these narratives, the project prototyped 15 interactive digital storytelling exercises on the Elevate platform, integrated into the Adagio digital environment. The exercises are structured as branching transition stories with reflective prompts and feedback designed to support meaning-making, agency, and informed decision-making (Nota & Rossier, 2015; Savickas, 2013). They were embedded in two professional development cycles for teachers and guidance practitioners following an Input–Practice–Reflection model (Lipowsky, Rzejak, 2015), enabling field testing and refinement.

We conclude by proposing design principles and evaluation implications for “quality-oriented” guidance and training across systems, with direct applicability to VET: low-threshold participation, non-stigmatising narrative formats, structured debriefing as a core pedagogical component, and governance conditions for scaling tools and practices across institutions and territories.

Vocational education and training (VET) is traditionally considered as the educational pathway which empowers socially vulnerable people, especially youth by equipping them with skills, competences and qualifications, which open them access to employment, economic and social participation (Tūtlys et al, 2025). This is also valid for the integration of the involuntary migrants. The empowering effects of VET for the involuntary migrants include development of employability, fostering self-sufficiency, provision of the human and social capital needed for the sustainable employment in the destination countries (Cedefop, 2017). VET often serves as a gateway helping the involuntary migrants, refugees and asylum seekers to integrate in the labour market as skilled workers, self-employed persons, and other contributors to the economy and public welfare (Betts, 2021; Agier&Le Courant, 2022; Héran, 2023). The empowering impact of the VET for the involuntary migrants depends on the access to VET defined by the migration and asylum policy and legal regulation, as well as on the institutional models of VET provision in the destination countries (Bell Sebastián et al., 2025). For example, the collective skill formation systems of the German speaking countries with their highly-esteemed dual VET pathways face tensions and controversies between the political strategies and intentions to open access to the high-quality VET for involuntary migrants to foster their employment and integration, from the one side, and the resistance of the VET providers and stakeholders to the acceptance of migrants, because of their fear about the implications for public image and esteem of this educational pathway (Aerne & Bonoli, 2023a; 2023b). Accessibility of the VET to the involuntary migrants in the Southern European countries (Italy, Spain) is strongly enhanced by the rich ecosystems of VET provision, with a very important role played by the non-governmental VET providers working with socially vulnerable groups of learners. The political-institutional factors of accessibility are supplemented with the factors of the VET processes directly experienced by the learners: VET curriculum design, articulating of school-based and work-based learning opportunities, as well as assessment and recognition of the learning outcomes. This paper seeks to explore these factors by referring to the voices of vulnerable and involuntary migrants in Italy, Lithuania, Poland and Germany. Research targets the following questions: 1) What features of the VET curriculum design (competence-based design, modularity, propaedeutic approach to curriculum design, integration /separation of vocational and transversal skills in the VET curricula) foster accessibility of the VET for vulnerable and involuntary migrants? 2) What kind of organisational arrangements of school-based and work-based learning make the VET accessible for these migrants? 3) What defines accessibility of assessment of learning outcomes and competences for vulnerable and involuntary migrants? The paper provides the findings of the quantitative and qualitative surveys of the vulnerable and involuntary migrants in Italy and Lithuania, as well as the survey of the war refugees from Ukraine conducted in Italy, Lithuania, Poland and Germany conducted in 2025 in the framework of the Horizon Europe research project Skill Partnerships For Sustainable And Just Migration Patterns (Skills4Justice, https://www.skills4justice.eu).

The institutionalisation of Peer Review within European Vocational Education and Training (VET) systems calls for a clearer definition of the competences required for Peer Reviewers (the so-called Peers) to perform their evaluation role responsibly and effectively. Within the EQAVET-inspired framework, Quality Areas do not merely represent technical domains of assessment; rather, they embody normative and value-based dimensions that incorporate principles of transparency, participation, inclusion, accountability and continuous improvement (Evangelista & Carlini, 2020). However, these ethical and organisational principles risk remaining abstract unless they are translated into concrete professional competences.

This paper addresses this gap by proposing a competence mapping model aimed at operationalising Quality Areas within Peer Review processes in VET. The study develops a structured association between the normative and value-based architecture embedded in sixteen Quality Areas – including those dedicated to Digital Transition and Environmental Sustainability – and the multidimensional competence profile required for Peers.

The analysis unfolds in two main stages. First, it reconstructs the competence framework emerging from international and Italian literature on educational evaluation, quality assurance and Peer Review (Stake, 2003; Gutknecht-Gmeiner, 2013). This framework is organised into four macro-categories: (1) contextual knowledge related to VET systems; (2) methodological and evaluative competences; (3) transversal competences (soft skills); and (4) method-specific competences related to Peer Review procedures (Gutknecht-Gmeiner, 2007; Tramontano & Allulli, 2012).

Second, the study conducts a systematic matching between these competence categories and each Quality Area. This process does not merely identify overlaps; rather, it seeks to “fill” the Quality Areas with the competences necessary for Peers to perform their evaluation function in a manner consistent with the ethical and institutional principles they embody (Allulli, 2012).

The findings reveal a heterogeneous distribution of competences across the different Quality Areas. While method-specific competences related to Peer Review appear relatively consolidated, significant gaps emerge in contextual knowledge, transversal competences and methodological and evaluative competences, particularly in relation to organisational complexity, digital transformation and sustainability transitions. Similar challenges have been observed in recent Italian and European experimentation of the Peer Review methodology within VET systems (Fonzo & Evangelista, 2023).

The results suggest that operationalising Quality Areas requires conceiving Peer Review as a professional practice grounded in ethical awareness, systemic understanding and advanced evaluative competences. Peers must not merely apply tools and procedures; they must also possess specific competences while embodying the values underpinning quality assurance frameworks (Gutknecht-Gmeiner, 2013).

By articulating a structured association between Quality Areas and competences, the proposed model contributes to strengthening the professionalisation of Peers and enhancing coherence between normative principles and evaluative practices within VET systems. The study provides both a conceptual clarification of the competence architecture underlying Peer Review and an operational reference framework to support training pathways, selection criteria and institutional development processes.