This proposed special issue will offer a comprehensive critical examination of the evolving landscape of academisation, tertiarisation and hybridisation of vocational education. Building on Criblez (2010), we define the tertiarisation of vocational education as a process whereby vocational qualifications are developed at tertiary level without acquiring academic status. Tertiarisation aims to elevate the status of vocational education, enhance the attractiveness of vocational pathways, and increase the social and economic benefits associated with them (Deißinger & Ott, 2016). We note here that tertiarisation may also be used to refer to moves to create a single system of post-school education and training, that includes universities, colleges and other providers, rather than separately defined and managed sectors.

Academisation on the other hand involves what has previously been termed ‘academic drift’ (Pratt, 1997), whereby vocational education moves away from a strong practice orientation and becomes more closely aligned with academic provision. Following this process, vocational education programmes incorporate more theoretical content, are delivered at higher education institutions, and qualify for academic degrees (Criblez, 2010).

Hybridisation refers to the emergence of hybrid qualifications and programmes that blend vocational and academic elements alongside the development of hybrid systems and institutions (Bathmaker, 2017), sometimes constituting a third educational sub-system between vocational and higher education (Schmees, 2024).

From a theoretical point of view, there are a number of ways that these developments can be addressed. Here we identify three, but they are not intended to exclude other ways of approaching these issues. (1) Forms of academisation, tertiarisation and hybridisation are often referred to as a necessity in modern and globalised societies due to demands of industry (Industry 4.0 or Industry 5.0, see Knight et al., 2022) as well as an answer to ever increasing education demands of young adults. They are often the result of policy learning and policy borrowing between countries and regions, rather than isolated reforms. (2) Forms of academisation, tertiarisation and hybridisation can, however, also be explained by the discursive creation of ‘best practices’ that are then circulated around the globe by international organisations and other actors as driver of these reforms (e.g., Steiner-Khamsi, 2013). In this case, these reforms could be dysfunctional in their nature (see Jakobi 2009, 174) but are implemented so as to create forms of legitimacy (Meyer & Rowan, 1977; Gonon, 1998), income through project funding (Heller, Grunau, & Duscha, 2015) and/or forms of educational diplomacy (McGill Peterson, 2014). (3) It is particularly these dysfunctional outcomes or unintended consequences that are the analytical focus of the third proposed perspective (see Bathmaker, 2016). From this angle, issues arise such as continued divisions rather than permeability, increasingly stratified vocational educational systems that intensify the divide between vocational and higher education (Esmond & Atkins, 2022) and/or a lack of demand in labour markets for higher technical skills. Underlying all these ways of viewing recent developments are questions of equity, inequality and social mobility. While we suggest that these perspectives can help to understand developments in academisation, tertiarisation and hybridisation of vocational education globally, we also welcome papers from authors using different theoretical perspectives.

We invite contributions that explore how academisation, tertiarisation, and hybridisation manifest differently or similarly across various contexts, to reflect on the international dimensions of these developments, and to consider the implications for learners and students. International dimensions include (1) observations on a global level, e.g. by analysing a shift in the global educational discourse of international organisations or new global institutions that are the basis for an evolving reform agenda; (2) regional developments or discourses proposed by regional policy actors like the European Union; (3) comparative studies where the development in two or more countries is investigated (Entenmann et al., 2023; Frommberger, 2019; Li et al., 2024) or (4) country studies that provide a clear link to developments and implications beyond the nation state. We welcome empirical studies as well as theoretical and policy analyses.

Submissions may address but are not limited to the following topics from an international perspective:

• ‘Upgrading’ vocational education institutions to academic and/or tertiary status

• Vocationalisation of universities, e.g., developing applied or vocational qualifications at universities (of applied sciences) or newly created institutions

• Exploring ‘sub-bachelor’ academic qualifications

• Establishing hybrid systems, institutions and qualifications

• Permeability between vocational and higher education sectors, ongoing barriers and evolving opportunities

• Relationship between changing labour markets and the academisation, tertiarisation and hybridisation of vocational education

• Discourses of global ‘best practices’ for permeability, higher technical skills etc.

• Policy learning as well as policy borrowing and lending regarding academisation, tertiarisation and hybridisation of vocational education.

Prospective contributors are invited to submit an expression of interest together with an extended abstract of up to 500 words by 29 May 2026. The guest editors will contact all contributors and inform them of the outcome of their submission in w/c 29 June 2026 at the latest. A selection of authors will be invited to submit a full paper with a deadline for submission of 4 December 2026. An invitation to submit a full paper does not guarantee publication as all papers will be subject to the Journal’s peer review process.

References

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Bathmaker, A.-M. 2017. “Post-secondary education and training, new vocational and hybrid pathways and questions of equity, inequality and social mobility: Introduction to the special issue.” Journal of Vocational Education and Training, 69 (1): 126–146. https://doi.org/10.1080/13636820.2017.1304680

Criblez, L. (2010). “Die Reform der Lehrerinnen- und Lehrerbildung in der Schweiz seit 1990: Reformprozess, Erste Bilanz und Desiderata [The Reform of Teacher Education in Switzerland since 1990: Reform Process, Initial Assessment and Desiderata].” In H. Ambühl & W. Stadelmann, Tertiarisierung der Lehrerinnen- und Lehrerbildung [Tertiarisation of teacher ,  22–58. Ediprim.

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