Leney Tom is responsible for international research and strategy at the UK government’s London-based Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and is head of QCA’s International Unit, as well as being the UK Co-ordinator for the European VET ReferNet network. He is a research associate at the London Institute of Education, and a consultant for the British Council. He has wide experience of education and training in a range of roles – teacher, education management, trade union official, VET research and development, international development projects. Tom has taken part in and led a wide range of international initiatives and research projects, mainly at the European level. As well as co-ordinating the work of the Lisbon-Copenhagen-Maastricht Consortium to research and produce
the Maastricht study on VET developments across Europe, he worked with London University’s Institute of Education in the late 1990s to produce a study of convergence and divergence in European systems of education and training. Recently, Tom Leney led the international group writing the Cedefop Scenarios Toolkit (2004/05), exploring how scenarios and strategies can provide a useful tool to anticipate future needs for vocational education and training in uncertain times. In 2005 he worked with the officers of the European Commission (DGE&C) to analyse the 32 national reports on lifelong learning and co-write the EC officers’ report, which is an annex to the 2006 Communication on the implementation of the 2010 education and training work programme. He recently competed a major study for the European Commission (CEDEFOP) on the developing use of learning outcomes in European education and training systems, and research for OECD on the recognition of non-formal and informal learning (UK, Canada and international analysis). He is also working on a European (ETF) project in the Middle East North Africa region relating to the development of National Qualifications Frameworks. He works with the World Bank, as it repositions its work on TVET. He has led several bilateral projects.

Tom Leney - Head of International Unit
Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, London
Contact: leneyto@qca.org.uk