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 directly to ongoing debates within the British Educational Research Association (BERA) concerning globalisation, policy mobility and comparative educational research. Through comparative, historical and critical perspectives, the workshop seeks to stimulate dialogue between UK-based scholarship and wider international policy and research landscapes. Collectively, the contributions interrogate how global policy agendas, institutional practices and national discourses shape the development, reform and governance of further and vocational education systems across diverse contexts. Particular attention is paid to the circulation of policy ideas, the translation of global frameworks into local settings, and the methodological implications for comparative research. The workshop aims to deepen engagement with educational research on internationalisation, strengthen research capacity in comparative and policy-oriented methodologies and advance the quality and theoretical sophistication of educational research that moves beyond nationally bounded perspectives.

The event will:

1. Examine how international policy processes influence education systems and research agendas, including the UK context.
2. Develop methodological understanding of comparative, historical and qualitative approaches to studying education internationally.
3. Build research capacity by enabling dialogue between early career and established researchers across educational research subfields.
4. Support interdisciplinary engagement between further/vocational education, policy studies, sociology of education and comparative education.
5. Identify collaborative research directions within the BERA community and encourage future SIG-based cooperation.

Programme: