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This book makes an innovative, sociologically informed contribution to academic and policy discussions about informal work, skills and training for lifelong learning (LLL) and the promise of decent work and just transitions for sustainable development. It does so with an explicit focus on challenges and opportunities as they shape informal economies and the experiences of informal workers in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The authors highlight historical and contemporary characteristics of informality in different regions from a political economy of LLL perspective. This political economy approach draws on theories of post- and neo- colonialism, space, place and globalisation, critical accounts of curriculum and pedagogy in skills and vocational education and training. The book will appeal to students and scholars of education, particularly adult education and LLL and technical and vocational education and training, as well as sociology, labour economics, and international and sustainable development.. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springe Nature Switzerland AG 2024.

This open access book presents insights on the resiliency strategies of at-risk vocational education and training (VET) students in the field of learning, employment and social integration, in the Baltic countries and Norway. It investigates the ways in which vocational education and training (VET) can enhance the social inclusion of young people at-risk, both in terms of combating school dropout rates, and promoting transitions between various (social) learning contexts, such as school-work transition. Book presents the findings of the analysis of available statistical data disclosing the capacities and potential of the VET systems and providers to empower vulnerable learners in the project partner countries. In the context of VET, this book examines the situations of at-risk young people as they experience, and understand themselves, in it, and explores innovative solutions to address their challenges in collaboration between themselves, their teachers, and other community actors and stakeholders. Finally, it analyses and discusses the innovative pedagogical interventions used in empowering at-risk VET students as implemented in the research project 'EmpowerVET', on the basis of the Educational learning Lab model developed by researchers from the University of Tallinn School of Educational Sciences. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2025. This book is an open access publication.

This chapter discusses the results of the final stage of the EmpowerVET project research—the five educational interventions conducted in Estonia, Norway and Lithuania. These educational intervention studies were targeted at VET teaching staff and have followed the Educational learning LabModel characterized by the cocreation between researchers and vocational teachers andworkplace training instructors, aimed to promote ownership of the changes, adoption, and sustainability of pedagogical innovations. The results of the five intervention studies have enabled us to make conclusions and suggest some critical points to consider when planning and implementing future educational interventions. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2025. This book is an open access publication.

In this chapter we first introduce the Norwegian concept and model for supporting the social inclusion of VET students at-risk of social exclusion with respect to combating school dropout and the promotion of transitions between various learning contexts, such as school and work, and discuss in the light of available studies, how the model works when applying the inclusion principle in practice. We explain the Norwegian definition of dropout, the support system available for the successful completion of VET. Furthermore, we describe the basis, the basics, and prospects of inclusion as a concept and principle in education, and then take a critical look at its implementation in practice with special regard to vulnerable students in VET. The second part of the chapter is based on findings from empirical studies in Norway during the EmpowerVET project.Based on individual qualitative interviews, we first describe how these students themselves experience and voice their opportunities, prospects, and limitations in the context of VET. Thereafter, we describe how two exemplary schools work in practice to support these students through their interpretation and implementation of the Norwegian principle and model for inclusion, “the best for the pupil/students” (The Education Act). In the final section of this chapter, we draw some conclusions based on the analysis and discuss the model and its implementation. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2025. This book is an open access publication.

This chapter provides a comparative analysis of the researched pathways to empowerment of socially vulnerable youth in the VET systems and institutions of Norway and the Baltic countries by looking into the institutional-political dimension (implications of theVET policies, reforms and change of skill formation institutions), the processes (implications of the processes of VET and skill formation), and the learner dimension (the agency of learners at risk). It also provides tentative insights into the potential of policy learning between the analysed countries and beyond this group. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2025. This book is an open access publication.

The reduction in the Latvian population has created an urgent need to increase retention in the labour market, of not only high skilled entrepreneurs and competitive employees, but also to ensure that most of the VET students obtain a qualification relevant to the labour market. This also refers to vocational students at risk of dropping out due to a variety of reasons, including their unfavourable socioeconomic backgrounds. In Latvia, after the EU accession itwas a political decision to invest major funds in the development of VET, to increase the number of vocational students, as compared to the number of students in general education. According to the evaluation of the OECD and Cedefop, the progress is slowbut steady. The success of the policy was determined by a set of factors, that included the modernisation of the curricula, successful introduction of the competence-based approach and workbased learning, as well as improving the overall competence of teachers and their well-being, to promote their individualised work with students and to avoid burn-out due to heavy workloads. Alongside these factors, massive investment in the VET institutions’ infrastructure and equipment, and co-operation with employers, has improved the prestige and attractiveness of VET. This has created the pre-conditions for retaining maximum numbers of students in the education system, including the students at risk of dropping out, especially due to disadvantaged socio-economic conditions. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2025. This book is an open access publication.

This builds on the success of “Working to Learn" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020) by focusing on the future of work and how young people, especially low-income young people and young people of color, are pursuing college and career goals through work-based learning experiences, yet encountering an increasingly racially and socioeconomically stratified labor market and educational system. Through policy analysis and case studies both from US and abroad, the authors will present the argument for why these models warrant revisitation, innovation, and investment, and elevate profiles of young workers, nonprofits, corporate partners, and governments today who are using work opportunities to open doors once closed. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution will transform the global competitive landscape and as such require a radical response from organisations operating in complex, knowledge-based economies. Much like previous phases of economic, social and technological changes, there is an assumption that existing technologies will become obsolete and alternative sources of value creation must be found. These assumptions will create significant opportunities in the next revolutionary cycle, but to take advantage of these will require a new business model and organisational constructs. In charting the course of structures and dynamics over the first Three Industrial Revolutions, this book offers points of learning that can be applied to the Fourth. It offers a discussion about how organisations have emerged over time and how they learnt to adapt to industrial revolution and economic upheaval. Covering conceptual ideas about organisations as collections of individuals, the book will also highlight the practice of organisation from the First to the Fourth Industrial Revolution with examples across Europe the USA and Asia. Building on the ideas and concepts in The Making of the Modern Manager, this book explores the changing business contexts through industrial revolutions, the practice of organisation in response to these changes, the theory of organisation and the definition of organisation. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024.

This paper examines the alternative pedagogy of the Audio Recording Engineer Practicum of the Banff Centre in Alberta, Canada that hosted up to nine participants per semester until the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Developed by Theresa Leonard for over two decades, this program is known to have achieved gender parity in its international recruitment and is recognized as a world leader in music production vocational training. We detail the background of 13 out of the 29 participants who attended the practicum in 2018-2020, under the leadership of James Clemens-Seely. Also, we elicit the teaching strategies of the program based on feedback gathered from 24 participants in five focus group sessions at the end of their residency, along with semi-directed interviews of the main program leaders. Our findings highlight the effectiveness of teamwork assignments that bring sound practitioners who represent different gender identities and a range of nationalities to learning by doing in commercial recording studio settings. Finally, we discuss how the strengths of the Banff Practicum could inspire mentors and educators to reinvent the internship model and enhance the curriculum of formal audio programs. © AES Madrid 2024: 156th Audio Engineering Society Convention. All rights reserved.

Although the increase in incarcerations has started to slow in recent years, over 1.2 million people are currently incarcerated in US prisons (Carson, 2023). Most incarcerated individuals will eventually be released. In this regard, the programs and experiences individuals encounter while incarcerated are intended to help them succeed post-release and reduce recidivism. Even with the programs currently in place though, 70% of those released reoffend within 5 years (U.S. Prison Population, 2019). Incarcerated individuals experience daily obstacles in obtaining the programs and services they need to be successful (Carson, 2022). These obstacles that residents (and all citizens) face are referred to as administrative burdens in the literature. Administrative burdens can be seen in many different processes; obtaining Medicaid, disability forms, taxes, financial aid, enrolling in foreclosure prevention programs, and so much more (Herd & Moynihan, 2020; Bell et al., 2022; Pierce & Moulton, 2023; Yates et al., 2021). © 2024 The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.