Here you will find up-to-date research and writing on four related themes. 

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• UK education and skills policy 

• Global mega trends/polycrisis and VET futures

• Challenges facing UK VET and lifelong learning  

• Chinese VET reforms for societal innovation ​

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UK education and skills policy (click to go to UK policy series)

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UK education and skills policy is at a crossroads.  Long shaped by market-oriented reforms, the system now faces growing questions about productivity, social mobility, lifelong learning and technological change. This analysis examines the historical evolution of the UK's education model and assesses the Labour Government's emerging reform agenda in the context of economic growth, skills development and international competition.

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Global mega trends/polycrisis and VET system futures

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As artificial intelligence, green development and geopolitical change reshape the global economy, vocational education and training (VET) is becoming a key driver of national competitiveness,  technological innovation and sustainability. This analysis explores how different countries are adapting their skills systems to meet these challenges and what lessons can be learned for the future of VET systems.

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Challenges facing UK/English  VET and lifelong learning

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The English VET system offers a cautionary tale. Despite repeated reforms, vocational and lifelong learning participation has declined significantly since the 1980s, raising fundamental questions about the effectiveness of market-driven approaches to skills formation. As countries seek to build high-skill, innovation-led economies, the English experience provides valuable lessons for comparative analysis.

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Chinese VET reforms for societal innovation 

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​Chinese reform is increasingly characterised by the consolidation of a politically coordinated and ecosystem-oriented VET model.  The reform agenda seeks to create coherent lifelong learning pathways, deepen industry-education integration and strengthen regional innovation ecosystems while raising the status of vocational education. At the same time, it is important to examine the challenges facing China’s state-led political model, including tensions between central coordination and local implementation, uneven regional development and the need to balance economic dynamism, technological innovation and social equity within an increasingly complex and uncertain global environment.​​​​​

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