Special Interest Group
The sector of post-compulsory education and lifelong learning is a wide and diverse one, covering areas such as the study of 14-19 education and training, further and higher education, adult education, informal learning and lifelong learning.
This SIG aims to facilitate and stimulate debate amongst researchers in the field and assist them in communicating their work to inform understanding and to influence post-compulsory and lifelong learning education policy and practice. We also particularly welcome researchers and those interested in research in this sector, who are based in public and private institutions and organisations, beyond higher education institutions.
Senior Lecturer at Nottingham Trent University
Charlotte Marshall is a lecturer at Nottingham Trent University where she has recently achieved senior fellow of the Higher Education Authority. Charlotte is a postgraduate of the University of Northampton where her research focuses on level 8...
Associate Professor at University of Derby
I am an Associate Professor of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) at the University of Derby and a Visiting Professor for Vocational Education at the Berlin University of Technology, Germany. My research focuses on...
We’d be delighted to welcome you to our upcoming Further and Adult Education SIG meeting, where we’ll reconnect, share ideas, and shape our direction for the year ahead. During the session,...
This workshop brings together four complementary contributions that examine the internationalisation of further and vocational education, as well as the research that engages with it. It responds...
Identity in further education (FE) is complex and marked by shifting expectations, yet teacher identity remains under-researched (Steadman, 2023). Existing literature highlights the contested,...
Continue reading blog postCurriculum design in vocational subjects requires a careful balance of theory, practice and adaptability. It must be inclusive, future-oriented and intellectually demanding, and, I argue, rooted...
Continue reading blog postThis award recognises the highest quality and most original and impactful articles published in BERA’s magazine Research Intelligence. Guest editors of issues published in 2025 were invited to...
Introduction Off-the-job training (OTJ) has long been central to apprenticeships, combining hands-on work with structured, theory-based learning to build a skilled, adaptable workforce...
Continue reading blog postIntroduction Mentorship is a key driver of entrepreneurial success, particularly in apprenticeship systems that turn potential into business competence. Globally, models such as Germany’s dual...
Continue reading blog postSnow-dusted salutations and tinsel-tinged tidings to all our readers, authors, curators and guest editors around the globe. In this, the BERA Blog’s tenth anniversary year, I look back over the...
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