The overarching research goal is to better understand vocational education and training in relation to future skills developed through different educational practices, considering both individual and institutional perspectives. The research applies a case study approach conducted by vocational education experts in Dresden (Saxony, Germany), representing diverse VET (Greinert, 1983) and operating at the intersection of the education sector and industry. Although German VET is widely recognized for the strength of its dual system (Gessler & Peters, 2023), this study goes beyond common institutional settings. The German ProVEST project, coordinated by Dresden University of Technology as Germany’s vocational teacher training institute with the broadest range of vocational domains, is complemented by TUDFaCE and Learning+Technology Dresden. These institutions are specialized VET centers that focus on marginalized groups of both low- and high-skilled workers, particularly those with international or migration backgrounds. This project design enables a comparative education research perspective that jointly addresses skills shortages and structural challenges in VET. The study identifies and analyzes three cases of Powerful and Transformative Learning Environments for sustainability (PTLES), which are presented through their core components at the intersection of school- and work-based learning. The analysis highlights patterns of diversity that are essential for understanding how transformative learning experiences are triggered. Previous research has emphasized the importance of strengthening teachers’ competencies in building productive relationships with families (Köhler et al., 2023). This is particularly relevant for supporting migrant and refugee parents in engaging with schools, improving educational outcomes, and addressing challenges faced by disadvantaged learners in secondary education, including vocational orientation and VET phases. In regions where apprenticeships are increasingly scarce, traditional VET structures no longer provide sufficient learning opportunities. In response, a second PTLE approach focuses on VET 4.0. This approach involves the development of a digital infrastructure aligned with Industry 4.0 processes, enabling the cooperative use of technical learning environments across participating vocational schools. Such cooperation reflects the concept of learning location collaboration (Köhler et al., 2014). Compared to VET structures in other countries, these PTLE practices underline the need to provide vocational teachers with a deeper understanding of diverse cooperative patterns between education and the labor market in Germany as well (Kretschmer & Pfeiffer, 2022). Within this distinctive VET context, the Dresden research team anticipates strengthened vocational teacher education and new impulses for European vocational pedagogy through a better understanding of how structural and institutional design elements can be effectively integrated into practice.

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