speakers
Psifidou Dr. Irene
Expert/project manager - Cedefop
Dr. Irene Psifidou is an education policy analyst with a Doctorate degree from the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona in Spain on Comparative Education Policy.
In 2004, Irene joined Cedefop, the European Agency for the development of Vocational Education and training (VET) (www.cedefop.europa.eu). At Cedefop, Irene is working in the department of Enhanced Cooperation in VET and Lifelong Learning as an expert on Vocational education and training policy. She is a member of the Qualifications team analyzing European and national policy developments on the European Qualifications Framework, learning outcome approaches and other issues related to qualifications policies. She manages in-house comparative studies and works on the preparation of the biennial policy report that Cedefop is producing to monitor progress made in the EU member states within the Copenhagen process and towards the Lisbon goals. Irene Psifidou has also worked closely with the European network on VET, ReferNet, and managed Cedefop’s database on national VET systems.
Before Joining Cedefop, Irene worked at the World Bank H.Q. in Washington DC (www.worldbank.org) as a consultant and member of the secondary education team in the Human Development Network. (www.worldbank.org/education). Irene supported the World Bank’s work on Education for the Knowledge economy (EKE) which helps developing countries equip themselves with the highly skilled and flexible human capital needed to compete effectively in dynamic global markets. Irene has been responsible for two research projects in Bulgaria and Romania on curricula and teacher training policies and contributed to the secondary education policy project of the Bank: “Expanding Opportunities and building competencies for young people: A new agenda for secondary education”.
Irene is member of the European Society of Comparative Education and she is the author of a number of research papers on curriculum reforms and teacher training policies published in scientific bulletins and journals of the Balkan Society for Pedagogy and Education, the Bulgarian Comparative Education Society; the Romanian Pedagogical Journal, etc. She has contributed to numerous European and international conferences and symposiums.
Irene is specialized in curriculum and teacher training policy analysis through her PhD studies, however her academic background combines a plethora of diverse studies including: a bachelor degree in French language and Literature from the Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, Greece, a Master degree in Applied Linguistics in Romance languages from the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, and a master degree in International Studies and Developmental Cooperation for the Alleviation of Poverty from the Universidad de Barcelona in Spain. Irene also completed a postgraduate programme on speech pathology and rehabilitation from the University of Seville, as well as a specialized course on training foreign languages teachers at the Università degli Stranieri in Perugia, Italy.
In 2004, Irene joined Cedefop, the European Agency for the development of Vocational Education and training (VET) (www.cedefop.europa.eu). At Cedefop, Irene is working in the department of Enhanced Cooperation in VET and Lifelong Learning as an expert on Vocational education and training policy. She is a member of the Qualifications team analyzing European and national policy developments on the European Qualifications Framework, learning outcome approaches and other issues related to qualifications policies. She manages in-house comparative studies and works on the preparation of the biennial policy report that Cedefop is producing to monitor progress made in the EU member states within the Copenhagen process and towards the Lisbon goals. Irene Psifidou has also worked closely with the European network on VET, ReferNet, and managed Cedefop’s database on national VET systems.
Before Joining Cedefop, Irene worked at the World Bank H.Q. in Washington DC (www.worldbank.org) as a consultant and member of the secondary education team in the Human Development Network. (www.worldbank.org/education). Irene supported the World Bank’s work on Education for the Knowledge economy (EKE) which helps developing countries equip themselves with the highly skilled and flexible human capital needed to compete effectively in dynamic global markets. Irene has been responsible for two research projects in Bulgaria and Romania on curricula and teacher training policies and contributed to the secondary education policy project of the Bank: “Expanding Opportunities and building competencies for young people: A new agenda for secondary education”.
Irene is member of the European Society of Comparative Education and she is the author of a number of research papers on curriculum reforms and teacher training policies published in scientific bulletins and journals of the Balkan Society for Pedagogy and Education, the Bulgarian Comparative Education Society; the Romanian Pedagogical Journal, etc. She has contributed to numerous European and international conferences and symposiums.
Irene is specialized in curriculum and teacher training policy analysis through her PhD studies, however her academic background combines a plethora of diverse studies including: a bachelor degree in French language and Literature from the Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, Greece, a Master degree in Applied Linguistics in Romance languages from the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, and a master degree in International Studies and Developmental Cooperation for the Alleviation of Poverty from the Universidad de Barcelona in Spain. Irene also completed a postgraduate programme on speech pathology and rehabilitation from the University of Seville, as well as a specialized course on training foreign languages teachers at the Università degli Stranieri in Perugia, Italy.