In September 2025, Prof. Christian Imdorf, ERA Chair Holder of the ProSkills2Work project, participated in two leading international events — the VET Congress 2025: Opportunities and Challenges of Contemporary Career Transitions (3–5 September, Lausanne) and the European Conference on Educational Research (ECER 2025) (8–12 September, Belgrade).
At both conferences, Prof. Imdorf presented preliminary findings from the study Dual VET Transfer to Bulgaria, conducted jointly with Johannes Karl Schmees (University of Derby) and Rumiana Zheleva (Bulgarian Academy of Sciences). The research examines the process of policy transfer in dual vocational education and training (VET) to Bulgaria. Early results suggest that pilot projects have initiated valuable policy learning processes, yet a sustainable model of dual VET in the country is still to be developed.
Among the key insights presented were the importance of giving a stronger voice to teachers and their unions in the implementation of company-based learning, as well as the need to involve small and medium-sized enterprises, which represent the backbone of the Bulgarian economy.
Impression from the Open Symposium at VET Congress 2025, organized by SFUVET International Relations and FoBBIZ – Swiss Forum for Skills Development and International Cooperation.
Prof. Christian Imdorf with Prof. Lukas Graf (Swiss Observatory for Vocational Education and Training) and Prof. Justin Powell (University of Luxembourg) during the ECER 2025 Welcome Reception in Belgrade.
