No. 1/1999

So why change the journal now? Firstly, it is important to point out that the fundamental aim of the journal has not changed. The journal will continue to aim to contribute, in particular by bringing a European perspective, to debate on and consideration of the development of vocational education and training. It will continue to report on ideas, policy options, research and innovation in this field.

In addition, the journal will continue to serve a wide audience. The journal is not the reserve of specialists, but wishes to make the issues and debates surrounding vocational education and training accessible to all of those interested in its development.

What is changing is the way the journal seeks to realise its aim.

The decision to change was not taken lightly. The Editorial Committee instigated a careful review of the journal. It tested the feasibility of the journal achieving its aim, given its wide audience of policy-makers, researchers and practitioners from many different countries with different backgrounds and traditions. The committee examined the content and structure of the journal, the relevance of the subjects it has addressed, the rigour of the analyses, the quality of the arguments, and indeed the clarity of the writing itself. It also considered the developments taking place in the field of vocational education and training and the sources of future journal articles.

The conclusion was that the journal has published many well-written articles of considerable interest and insight. One of its strengths has been to provide a European perspective either by publishing the results of comparative transnational research or by publishing different articles looking at the same issues from the perspective of different countries. However, the committee also concluded that, for the journal to realise its aim effectively, a change of format and style was needed and that to continue to concentrate each issue of the journal on a single theme is no longer desirable.

Like all good publications from time to time, the journal needed to evolve.

In times past, when there were relatively few journals dealing adequately with the question of vocational education and training, certainly at European level, the thematic approach was valuable and needed. However, many of the themes considered by the journal have now reached a state of maturity. To continue the thematic approach would inevitably lead to a repetition of subjects or to the artificial creation of themes that deal with issues previously considered. Furthermore, since the journal last changed its format some five years ago, new transnational networks carrying out research into vocational education and training have been set up. The single-theme approach would lead to the journal missing the opportunity to publish some interesting results because the subject matter did not coincide with the theme that the journal was treating, or planned to treat, in the coming months.

Consequently, each issue of the new journal will deal with a variety of themes. This does not rule out the occasional issue being devoted to, or dominated by, a specific theme, but this will be the exception rather than the rule.

By adopting a more open approach it is our intention to attract a large number of contributions and publish articles from researchers and specialists in vocational education and training and employment. In this way we aim to make the journal the obvious place to publish the results of high-quality research, in particular comparative transnational research. It is our aim that the journal be seen as one of the most effective means for researchers in the European Union to bring the results of their work to the attention of a wide audience, in order to contribute to a deeper understanding of the issues that drive the developments in vocational education and training.

To do this successfully contributions submitted to the journal must be exact and precise, yet accessible to a wide and diverse readership. Contributions must be clear in order to be understood by readers from different backgrounds and cultures, not necessarily familiar with the characteristics of the vocational education and training systems of the different countries in the European Union. To enable them to understand clearly the context and to consider the arguments put forward in the light of their own traditions and experience.

The journal will carry articles that set out ideas, report on research results, and which report on experience at national and European level. In addition, the journal will publish position papers and reaction statements on issues in the field of vocational education and training in - what is intended to be - a regular feature entitled "Debate", where different views on and interpretations of issues will be published together to try to illustrate the spectrum, and often the complex character of, the challenges faced.

Contributions can be submitted in any official European Union language. All contributions submitted to the journal for publication will continue to be refereed and reviewed by members of the journal's Editorial Committee, or by referees appointed by them. Each article will be considered on the grounds of the quality of its analysis and argument, as well as its readability.

The journal will continue to be published three times a year in English, French, German and Spanish. However, more language versions of the journal may appear.

At the end of 1998 CEDEFOP reached an agreement with the competent Portuguese authorities on the translation, technical production and distribution of a Portuguese language version of the Journal and on a financial contribution to the production costs. We plan to explore this option with other countries which might wish to publish the journal in their own language.

Source: CEDEFOP/SB