The abstract presents the project "Future Leadership in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) Sector – Complex Challenges, Local Collaboration, and Responsive Educational Leadership," conducted in collaboration between Aalborg University and the University College Copenhagen. It is a three-year project (2024-2026) funded by the Danish government. 

Despite increasing research interest in recent years, the field of leadership in vocational schools remains underexplored (Frimann & Bundgaard, 2018; Friche & Andersen, 2017). This research project is the first of its kind investigating current VET-leadership practice as a steppingstone for relevant leadership developments. The lack of focus on leadership is surprising as Vocational education plays a crucial role in developing the Danish society, particularly when considering the significant demand for skilled labor in both the private and public sector. Existing research indicates that vocational schools struggle with high student dropout, student retention (EVA, 2014; EVA, 2023; Mahler et al., 2023) and face a recruitment and retention challenge for leaders and employees, which has not been extensively studied in Denmark. 

Vocational schools in Denmark are characterized by more than 100 different vocational programs, a diverse student population in terms of age and background, and a wide range of teacher qualifications. Leadership in vocational schools is diverse due to variations in school size, the number of programs offered, and the educational and leadership backgrounds of the leaders. Further, the vocational schools have established various leadership structures and processes. This diversity makes it essential to understand the different forms of leadership practiced in vocational schools to contribute to the development of future leadership in the sector.  

The leadership role in vocational education is distinct from other educational sectors due to the unique characteristics of vocational schools (EVA, 2014, 2018). These include the integration of workplace training, governance in collaboration with local training committees (social partners) (CEDEFOP, 2012), and the need for collaboration with labor market stakeholders. Leadership in vocational schools also involves internal management of activities, quality development of teaching and shared leadership, 

Inspired by a pragmatic approach to leadership and organizational development (Elkjaer & Simpson, 2011; Thomassen & Jørgensen, 2021; Thomassen, 2024; Dewey, 1938 [1986]), the primary objective of this research project is to investigate leadership in vocational schools under the unique conditions of the sector. The project aims to understand the forms of leadership that emerge in different contexts and situations (Alvesson & Spicer, 2011; Clifton et at., 2020). The project does not seek to evaluate leadership practices against generic and normative ideal types, but rather to explore how leadership is practiced in the complex everyday realities of vocational schools. 

Specifically, the project aims to: 

• Examine the diverse organizational structures and leadership backgrounds in vocational schools. 

• Investigate the impact of leadership on addressing key challenges in the sector, such as student retention, staff recruitment, and quality development. 

• Explore the leadership identities and spaces that emerge in vocational schools and how they influence leaders' self-understanding and leadership practices. 

• Provide knowledge that can be used to qualify educational and development initiatives within vocational school leadership 

The project seeks to answer the following research questions: 

1. What forms of leadership emerge in vocational schools in different contexts and situations, and how do these forms address the key challenges faced by the sector? 

2. Which leadership identities and spaces emerge in vocational schools in the interaction between different leadership profiles and the structural, procedural, and cultural conditions they operate under? 

By addressing these questions, the project aims to provide a nuanced and detailed understanding of leadership in vocational schools, contributing to the development of future leadership practices that can support the sector in meeting its challenges. 

The project employs a mixed-methods research design (Almeida, 2018) combining qualitative and quantitative approaches to gain both deeper and broader insights into leadership in the vocational education and training (VET) sector. The project is designed with a dual purpose: to conduct a methodologically robust research project answering the research questions about leadership in the VET sector, and to provide a foundation for further research and development projects. The mixed-methods approach allows for a comprehensive exploration of leadership practices, combining in-depth qualitative insights with broad quantitative data to understand the leadership practices and challenges faced by vocational schools. Phase 1: Qualitative Study, autumn 2024 The first phase involves a qualitative study consisting of semi-structured interviews with leaders at various levels in eight vocational schools. This phase aims to explore how leaders in vocational schools understand and practice leadership. The participants represent a variety of school types in terms of size and complexity (Brinkmann & Tanggaard, 2025; Silverman, 2006). Additionally, interviews with leaders from selected foreign vocational schools will be conducted to gather international perspectives on leadership. The qualitative data collected informs the development of the survey in Phase 2. Phase 2: Survey, spring 2025 The second phase involves a comprehensive survey of leaders in Danish vocational schools. The survey will cover all levels of leadership, including educational leaders, educational managers, cross-functional leaders, and directors. The purpose of the survey is to explore key leadership themes, practices, and challenges, as well as to identify patterns related to differences in leadership levels, backgrounds, and school characteristics. The survey is developed based on the findings from the qualitative study in Phase 1 and was tested before distribution. Phase 3: Leadership Labs, 2025-2026: The third phase consists of development processes through leadership labs, where selected leaders will work on analyzing and developing their leadership practices based on the key challenges identified in Phases 1 and 2. This phase involves action research (Bradbury, 2015) with a group of leaders from 5-7 vocational schools participating to develop and test new leadership initiatives. The researchers will plan and conduct the leadership labs in close collaboration with the vocational schools (Rohwedder & Engsig, 2020). This phase also includes interviews and observations to gather insight into the new leadership initiatives and to understand the experiences and reflections of the participating leaders.

The analysis of the qualitative data and the results of the survey will be conducted throughout the spring and summer 2025. We expect the project to provide new insights and enhanced understandings of leadership practices, which can inspire leaders in vocational schools and initiate new leadership initiatives. Enhanced understanding of leadership practices: The project aims to provide a nuanced and detailed understanding of the various forms of leadership practiced in vocational schools. This includes insights into how leadership is exercised on different levels, in different contexts, and different situations, and how these practices address key challenges in the sector. Development of new leadership initiatives: As the field of VET leadership is currently underexplored the objective of this research project is to identify areas relevant for further research in the endeavor of establishing VET leadership as a research topic in its own right. Hence, the intension is to develop new research projects on VET leadership based on the findings of the current project. The learning labs run in collaboration between VET leaders and researchers are crucial in the process of developing the field of VET leadership, as these will provide important knowledge about the leaders’ everyday practice, and now least how to work with leadership and organizational capacity building through practice. Based on the insights gained from this part of the research project, the objective is to discuss possible refinements in the use of the learning lab method and suggest new initiatives for leadership development.

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