As a social scientist Simone Kirpal’s research interests include: international comparison of labour markets and training systems; skills development and learning; VET teachers and trainers; careers and work orientations. She is centrally involved in a number of European projects on the changing role and professionalisation of VET teachers and trainers (http://www.consultationseminars.org/) and is coordinator of the Network to Support Trainers in Europe (http://www.trainersineurope.org/). Current research includes examining the interdependence between individual careers and continuing vocational learning applying an international survey across ten European countries. She continues to work with the Institute Technology and Education of the University of Bremen (http://www.itb.uni-bremen.de) where she has been managing European research and development projects for the past eight years. Before joining the University of Bremen she worked as Education Specialist for the Human Development Network of the World Bank in Washington, DC., USA.

Academic qualifications
2009 PhD in Social Science, University of Bremen, Germany
1997 MA Sociology, University of Trier, Germany
1994/95 University of Seville, Spain
1994 BSc Economics / BA Spanish Philology, University of
Trier, Germany

Employment history
2001-current Senior Research Fellow, Institute Technology and Education, University of Bremen, Germany
2004-2007 Junior Research Fellow, Institute for Empirical and Applied Sociology (EMPAS), University of Bremen, Germany
1999- 2001 Education Specialist, The World Bank, Washington D.C., USA

Selected projects

• Project leader “Changing Roles and Competences of VET Teachers and Trainers”, 2009-2010 (study funded by Cedefop)
• Project leader “Network to Support Trainers in Europe”, 2007-2010 (Leonardo da Vinci Network)
• Project manager “Individual Careers and CVT”, 2008-2010 (funded by the European Commission)
• Project manager “EUROTRAINER - Studies on Trainers in Enterprises”, 2006-2007 (funded by the European Commission, DG Education and Culture)
• Project manager “EVABCOM - Evaluation of Vocational Competence Development”, 2003-2005 (Leonardo da Vinci project)
• Project leader “FAME – Vocational Identity, Flexibility and Mobility in the European Labour Market”, 2000-2003 (5th EU framework project)
  
  Selected publications
  Kirpal, S. (2009, forthcoming). Labour Market Flexibility and Individual Careers—A Comparative Study. Dordrecht: Springer.
  Kirpal S. & Wittig, W. (2009, forthcoming). Professional Identity and Continuing Learning of Training Practitioners: Results of a European Survey. ITB Research Paper Series No XX/2009. Bremen: University of Bremen/Institute Technology and Education.
  Kirpal S. & Tutschner, R. (2009, forthcoming). Evaluating the Situation and Qualification of Trainers in Enterprises in a European Perspective. Evaluate Europe Handbook Series. Bremen: University of Bremen/Institute Technology and Education.
  Kirpal, S. (2009). National and International Reporting on VET—Case study of OECD, ILO and the World Bank. In R. Rauner & R. Maclean (Eds.), International TVET Handbook. Dordrecht: Springer.
  Feinstein, L., Kirpal, S., & Arévalo Sánchez, I. (2009). The Wider Benefits of Learning. In R. Rauner & R. Maclean (Eds.), International TVET Handbook. Dordrecht: Springer.
  Kirpal, S., & Brown, A. (2007). The much vaunted “Flexible Employee” – What does it take? In A. Brown, S. Kirpal & F. Rauner (Eds.), Identities at Work (pp. 211-237). Dordrecht: Springer.
  Kirpal, S. & Kühl, A. (2006). Sustaining Older Workers’ Competence—Case Study Germany. Paper presented at the European Conference for Educational Research (ECER) held in Geneva, 13-15 September, 2006. http://www.vet-research.net/ECER_2006/sep13/session_3c
  /P1057
  Kirpal, S. (2006): Work identities in comparative perspective: the role of national and sectoral context variables. European Journal of Vocational Training, 39(3), 21-45.