International policy transfer in education per se and in Vocational Education and Training in particular has been a topic of interest across the world and across several disciplines (Phillips, 2008; Phillips & Ochs, 2004; Portnoi, 2016; Scott, Terano, Slee, Husbands & Wilkins, 2016; Steiner-Khamsi & Waldow, 2012). The term refers to the process of exchanging and adopting policy measures, reforms, strategies and ideas from one context to another (Dolowitz and Marsh, 2000; Li and Pilz, 2021), either with or without adaption to the new context. With respect to vocational education and training, the apprenticeship training in German-speaking countries has been a role model for many countries all over the world for decades and there were countless attempts to transfer at least elements of it to other regions and countries (e.g. Euler, 2013; Oeben and Klumpp, 2021). In the field of (labour-market related) adult education, policy transfer is less obvious though it was particularly international organizations which “borrowed” concepts of lifelong learning and learnt from one another as regards learning over the lifespan (e.g. Jarvis, 2014). Other examples of policy transfer in education refer to higher education and the Bologna, the learning outcomes orientation, qualifications frameworks or New Public Management tools (in terms of e.g. the use of monitoring or benchmarks in education).

However, there are few compendia that unite different international perspectives about the topic. Literature has tackled TVET in selected countries (Ertl, 2006), the transfer of the dual apprenticeship system to other countries (Gessler, Fuchs & Pilz, 2019; Pilz, 2017) or policy transfer in the field of skills development and skills regimes. There is a significant number of scientific publications that either address policy transfer (or policy learning or policy diffusion) in general or in fields different from education. Those that do address policy transfer in VET do hardy focus on international perspectives on VET development or they are not available in English.

Against this background, this contribution is based on an upcoming handbook on policy transfer in TVET and beyond seen from an international perspective. Approx. 60 scholars from all continents provided insights into policy transfer from a wide spectrum of international perspectives. They explore policy transfer in respect to learning, be it voluntary and purposeful, incidental and accidental or purposeful (Phillips and Schweisfurth, 2011). Also, the book addresses theoretical foundations of policy transfer, methodological approaches to policy transfer studies, skills development in light of the political economy, the impact of international policies, the influence on the politics of international organizations on policy learning across nations, historical reflections, cultural and anthropological perspectives, policy transfer from the global North to the global South as well as new trends in policy transfer. Geographically, the chapters span a wide range of countries including e.g. Cuba, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Ghana, India, Ireland, Northern Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, the USA, the United Arab Emirates or Vietnam.

The aim of this contribution is not to present the book. Instead, the contribution aims at identifying the core topics, theoretical approaches and discourses discussed in the contributions as well as to systematize and contrast them. As the handbook also covers numerous methods by which the issues of policy learning and policy transfer are addressed (e.g. comparative studies, case studies or design-based research), this contribution also covers a systematic analysis of these methods and identify gaps for further research. In order to provide such an analysis we use the following guiding criteria to systematize the contributions: Geographical scope, core assumptions about and understanding of VET/TVET, theoretical approaches, key stakeholders, (current) discourses, key questions and topics in terms of VET/TVET, disciplinary perspectives on VET/TVET and political reforms. Moreover, the contributions brings together the mains findings resulting from the contributions and derives questions and research desiderata for future research.

The handbook spans a wide range of regional and national examples across all continents which indicate that and how policy transfer in VET at the crossroads to higher education and adult education has to be contextualized and embedded in regional and cultural contexts. It presents success stories of learning and transferring VET policies for the improvement in other countries, but also explains conflicting educational imaginaries that underpinned resistance against certain educational reforms. It addresses theoretical foundations and the roots of policy transfer in education, provides new perspectives on policy transfer and questions the sustainability of TVET reforms deriving from “other” contexts. The contribution will draw an account of existing theoretical perspectives in the field, methodologies with which it has been researched, draws attention to the role of culture in determining the field and shows how different actors (donor’s, receivers, international organizations) understand policy transfer from different perspectives. By using some of the country examples we will reconstruct the theoretical lenses that have been applied to understand and explain them. In focusing the presentation on the role of policy transfer as an approach to learn from each other about past approaches, current developments and future perspectives pays tribute to the overall conference theme. The contribution will bring together the manifold perspectives and experiences and may spark innovation in international cooperation and development.

Ertl, H. (2006). Cross-national Attraction in Education: accounts from England and Germany. Oxford, UK: Symposium Books Euler D (2013) Germany’s dual vocational training system: A model for other countries? Gütersloh. https://www.eunec.eu/sites/www.eunec.eu/files/attachment/files/2013_study_german_vet_system.pdf Gessler, M., Fuchs, M. & Pilz, M. (2019). Konzepte und Wirkungen des Transfers dualer Berufsausbildung. Cham: Springer International. Jarvis P (2014) From adult education to lifelong learning and beyond. Comparative Education 50(1): 45–57. Maurer, M. & Gonon, P. (2014). The Challenges of Policy Transfer in Vocational Skills Development. National Qualifications Frameworks and the Dual Model of Vocational Training in International Cooperation. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang. Oeben M, Klumpp M (2021) Transfer of the German vocational education and training system—Success factors and hindrances with the example of Tunisia. Education Science 11(247): 1–25. Phillips, D. (Ed.). (2008). Comparative inquiry and educational policy making. Oxfordshire, UK: Routledge. Phillips, D. & Ochs, K. (2004). Educational Policy Borrowing: historical perspectives. Oxford Studies in Comparative Education. Providence, RI: Symposium Books. Phillips D, Schweisfurth M (2011) Comparative and International Education. An Introduction to Theory, Method and Practice. London, New York: Continuum. Pilz, M. (2017). Vocational Education and Training in Times of Economic Crisis: Lessons from Around the World. Cham: Springer International. Portnoi, L. M. (2016). Policy Borrowing and Reform in Education: Globalized Processes and Local Contexts. Cham: Springer International. Scott, D., Terano, M., Slee, R., Husbands, C., & Wilkins, R. (2016). Policy transfer and educational change. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Steiner-Khamsi, G. & Waldow, F. (2012). Policy Borrowing and Lending in Education. Routledge: London and New York.