Building on Cedefop’s work on inclusion within the VET for youth teachers and trainers team, Cedefop is pleased to announce a call for papers for a special Working Paper series exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced digital technologies are being used in vocational education and training (VET) to promote inclusion, resilience, and sustainable transitions in the context of Industry 5.0.
The aim of this call is to address existing research gaps on the use of AI in VET to promote inclusion, in order to strengthen the evidence base needed for inclusive and future-oriented VET systems.
Deadline for submission of abstracts: 15 April 2026 using the abstract submission link.
Background
Artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced digital technologies are increasingly reshaping education systems, labour markets, and skill formation. The transition towards Industry 5.0 places stronger emphasis on human-centred, inclusive, sustainable, and resilient systems. Vocational education and training (VET) is central to this transition, given its role in supporting employability, social inclusion, and school-to-work transitions.
AI enables personalised learning, adaptive pedagogies and tools such as AI tutors, while reducing administrative burdens for pedagogical and non-pedagogical staff. However, capitalising on these benefits requires immediate systemic alignment, sustained teacher capacity building, and robust ethical governance. Despite a growing body of research on AI in education, evidence specific to VET remains uneven, with limited attention to implementation at scale, inclusion outcomes, and the distinctive pedagogical and institutional characteristics of VET.
Objectives of the call
The call aims to:
- strengthen empirical evidence on the use of AI and digital technologies in VET;
- examine inclusion, equity and intersectionality in AI-enabled VET practices;
- identify conditions for effectiveness, scalability and sustainability;
- inform European VET policy and practice in the context of digital transformation and Industry 5.0.
Authors are encouraged to critically engage with ethical, governance, and regulatory implications of AI integration in VET.
Submissions should focus on European Union Member States, Iceland, and Norway. Contributions from other geographical contexts are not within the scope of this call unless they are explicitly comparative and directly relevant to EU VET policy and practice.
Thematic priorities
Submissions are invited on (but not limited to) the following themes:
- Digital and AI literacy as foundational skills for VET learners
- Learner-centred vocational pedagogies and adaptive learning using AI and digital technologies
- AI and digital technologies for preventing and addressing early leaving from VET
- Digital technologies, AI and NEET outreach, engagement and transitions
- Teachers’ and trainers’ digital competence, professional practice and wellbeing
For a more detailed presentation of the themes, please see the attached Call for Papers below.
Abstract submission guidelines
- Abstract length: maximum 500 words
- Language: English
- Information included: title, author name(s), institutional affiliation(s), ORCID identifier(s) if relevant, and up to five keywords
- Assessment criteria: relevance to the call, originality, methodological rigour, clarity of presentation, and policy relevance for European VET
- Abstract submission: all abstracts should be submitted to Cedefop through the abstract submission form, before the deadline indicated below.
Following Cedefop’s review of the abstracts, selected authors will be invited to submit a full paper for the Cedefop Working Paper series. Papers will undergo a light peer-review process.
Selected authors will also be invited to present their work at a Cedefop high-level European event in 2027.
Important dates
- Deadline for submission of abstracts: 15 April 2026 using the abstract submission link.
- Notification of acceptance: 30 April 2026.
- Deadline for submission of draft full papers of accepted abstracts: 31 July 2026.
- Deadline for submission of final full papers: Three weeks following feedback from Cedefop.
- Notification of invitation to Cedefop event: early 2027.
- Cedefop event: June 2027 (tbc).
- Publication in Cedefop special working paper series: Spring 2027.
Contact
For questions related to the call: vet.toolkit@cedefop.europa.eu