In recent years, research on technical and vocational education and training (TVET) has become increasingly vital for developing TVET systems and is recognized by political stakeholders. However, challenges persist in building research capacities at universities and research institutes. Encouragingly, Southeast Asia has seen the establishment of several TVET research institutes like MyRIVET in Malaysia, the TVET Research Center at RMUTL in Thailand, and PUI TVET-RC at Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, which support both national objectives and international cooperation in TVET research. The Thai-German TVET Conference on Research Cooperation in Southeast Asia, held from 25-26 September 2023 in Bangkok and organized under the BMBF-funded project “Progressing Work-based Learning in Thailand (ProWoThai)”, was pivotal in advancing international TVET research. The conference built on collaboration with the European Training Foundation, UNESCO-UNEVOC, and BIBB, strengthening research ties between Asia and Europe and providing a platform for TVET researchers, practitioners, industry representatives, and policymakers from Southeast Asia and beyond to share their insights on research cooperation.
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c.Thomas Schröder
Editor-in-Chief of TVET@Asia Director of Institute of General Education and Vocational Education Chair of International Cooperation in Education and TVET-Systems
TU Dortmund University, Germany
Chair of International Cooperation in Education and TVET-Systems
Germany
thomas-werner.schroeder@tu-dortmund.de
http://www.fk12.tu-dortmund.de/cms/IAEB/de/home/Personen/index.html
EB, Issue 2, Issue 4, Issue 5, Issue 6, Issue 8, Issue 9
Field of expertise/main research projects:
Field of expertise/main research projects Prof. Schröder is the director of the Institute for General Education and Vocational Education at TU Dortmund University. He holds as full professor the Chair of International Cooperation in Education and TVET-Systems. His main research areas are TVET systems, work-based competence development and didactical concepts, the validation of informal and experiential learning, and the development of TVET systems in an international context. Prof. Schröder belongs to the academic tradition of applied action research that seeks to fruitfully combine societal and systemic innovation, capacity building, sustainability and research. From 2011 to 2014, Prof. Schröder worked for the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) as director of the RCP Secretariat located at Tongji University/Shanghai. He supported its member universities in conducting various reform-oriented research projects, capacity building, and reforms in the field of technical and vocational education. The 14 member universities founded the Regional Association of Vocational and Technical Education in Asia (RAVTE) (http://www.ravte.asia) in March 2014. At present, RAVTE comprises of 27 universities from 10 nations from East- and Southeast Asia, who share a common interest in improving technical and vocational education through action research and capacity building. Prof. Schröder is a member of the RAVTE advisory board and Editor-in-Chief of TVET@Asia. In September 2016, Prof. Schröder was awarded an Honorary Doctoral degree from Rajamangala University of Lanna/Thailand by her Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn from Thailand.