Conference Agenda

The symposium is based on an ongoing international research initiative, the Asia-Europe Lifelong Learning (ASEM) Network project, conducted across 14 countries in Asia, Europe, and beyond. The ASEM Education and Research Hub for Lifelong Learning is an official network of Asian and European higher education institutions working collaboratively to achieve excellence in comparative research on lifelong learning.

The aim of the project is to explore the complexities of work-related learning and contemporary approaches to enriching it through innovation, diversification, and the use of digital technologies across different contexts. Both inclusion and the use of digital technologies have become increasingly significant issues in contemporary debates on workplace learning and innovation (Harteis and Billett, S, 2022; Evans, 2023). As the world becomes increasingly digitalised digital literacy has become a central capability for finding and sustaining employment, engaging in workplace learning and VET, and strengthening the links between education and work by enhancing connections between theory and practice, particularly in the context of the rapid emergence of innovative digital practices such as AI, data-driven systems, and platform-based work environments. Digital technologies can also support the inclusion of diverse groups in the workplace in various ways, including through accessible resources and tools, virtual and distance learning, and new forms of social interaction (Gottschalk & Weise, 2023).

The ASEM collaboration seeks to investigate these multifaceted issues across diverse national landscapes, highlighting research and developments in workplace learning in both Asia and Europe. It focuses on the contextual and cultural factors that foster inclusivity, sustainability, and resilience in work-related learning, while also examining how innovation, digital technologies, and empowerment are transforming workplace learning environments. The overarching research question connecting the multinational contributions is:

How can the inclusive use of digital technologies and innovation enrich workplace learning and empower workers?

The symposium approaches this question from the perspective of human-centred technology and innovation, drawing on the concepts of inclusive use- understood as ethical approaches and practices that enable equitable access and active participation for the widest possible range of workers - and socially embedded capability as its key theoretical framework (Boyadjieva and Ilieva-Trichkova, 2023). These concepts are used to examine how working people can be empowered through adult learning across diverse socio-economic, cultural, and institutional contexts.

Methodologically, the symposium and the forthcoming edited volume bring together individual research projects from 14 countries, each employing methods appropriate to their specific national, institutional, and workplace context. The contributions reflect a diversity of methodological approaches, ranging from desk-based and policy-oriented research to empirical approaches, including qualitative case studies, interviews, surveys, and mixed-methods designs. This diversity of methods enables rich comparative insights while remaining sensitive to contextual differences across regions. Rather than imposing a single methodological framework, the project values context-specific approaches that illuminate how digital technologies and innovative practices shape inclusive workplace learning in varied settings. Collectively, the contributions offer a comparative, cross-national perspective on workplace learning developments internationally, highlighting how inclusive digital practices can empower individuals and foster more resilient and inclusive learning environments at work and beyond.

The symposium presents selected papers emerging from this project. While the forthcoming book brings together contributions from across Asia and Europe, as well as third countries, this symposium focuses on insights from four contributions: two from Europe, one from Australia, and one offering perspectives from Southeast Asia. These papers have been selected to highlight central themes of significance for VET researchers.

The overall goal is to showcase international research and analysis of developments in workplace and vocational learning, shedding light on the contextual and cultural factors that foster inclusive workplace learning through digital technologies and empower individuals through innovative workplace practices.

What is knowledge? What do we know? How do we know? In an age where truth, data informed knowledge, and an ever-increasing reliance on digital technology, are difficult to ascertain, what is the future for knowledge, practice and research? There is a growing trend to look away from the to what is happening in communities, that the smaller scale local developments may provide examples for improved larger scale endeavours (Billett, 2025, Joyce et al, 2023, Meiias & Couldry 2023). This paper considers these issues and challenges from a small scale, qualitative case study into how the inclusive used of digital technologies and innovation can enrich workplace learning and empower workers. The narratives of the experiences and perspectives of the six participants provide insight into their communities – vocational and higher education, professional and geographic. They were from three different sectors: construction, aged care, and tertiary (vocational and higher) education. An instrumental case study, drawing on literature and exploration of the experiences of purposively recruited participants, was employed. Narrative inquiry framed the conducting of semi- structured interviews, and thematic data analysis. Findings: There is gap between the knowledge, skills and capability of the individual workers and the organisations and spheres they operate in. They encountered a range of experiences: encouragements, successes, challenges, barriers, frustrations and disillusions. Their accounts evidenced lifelong, lifewide, lifedeep and lifetech learning. Each had experiences of vocational education and training and/or higher education. Their stories indicate that at an individual, ‘community’ and organisational levels they achieved enriched workplace and lifelong learning for themselves and others, whilst some large institutions and governments lag behind. Conclusion: Each participant had navigated a journey of lifelong learning, formal and informal, individual and workplace based, experiencing the highs and lows of empowerment and disillusionment in the use of digital technology. Their recommendations for improvements are practical, insightful, and relevant for communities of localised workplaces and institutions; governments and multinational big tech corporations should learn from the lived experiences of the people. There is a huge gap between the goodwill and positivity of individuals and the complex, profit driven world of digital technology.

Billett, S., (2025). Digital work, workers and learning: the case of healthcare. In C. Nägele, B. E. Stalder, F. Kaiser, M. Malloch, & N. Kersh (Eds.), Trends in vocational education and training research (Vol. 8, pp. 42–49). VETNET/OA Publishing. https://doi.org/10.21240/vetcon/2025/ecer/12 Clandinin, D. Jean. (2019). Journeys in Narrative Inquiry: The Selected Works of D. Jean Clandinin, Taylor & Francis Group, https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429273896 (ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/monash/detail.action?docID=5899947.) Joyce, S., Umney, C., Whittaker, X. & Stuart, M. (2023) New social relations of digital technology and the future of work: beyond technological determinism. New Technology, Work and Employment, 38, 145–161. https://doi.org/10.1111/ntwe.12276 Marsh, E., Vallejos, E. P., & Spence, A. (2022). The digital workplace and its dark side: An integrative review. Computers in Human Behavior, 128, 107118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.107118 Mejias, U. A., & Couldry, N., (2024) Data Grab The New Colonialism of Big Tech (and How to Fight Back. Penguin Random House UK ISBN: 9780753560211 Stephenson, J., The Concept of Capability and its Importance in Higher Education in Stephenson, J., in and Yorke, M., Capability & Quality in Higher Education, 1998, Kogan Page

The digital condition, upskilling and empowerment in the regulatory instruments governing vocational education and training in Germany: the example of office occupations. It can be assumed that digitalisation is significantly changing commercial professions and the preparing vocational education and training (Yang et al. 2023, Pennathur et al. 2024, Leiß et al. 2022, Seeber et al. 2019). This contribution highlights the influence of digitalisation on the regulatory bases of dual commercial education in Germany, including training regulations and framework curricula, which are binding for the joint educational mandate of companies and schools, as well as official implementation guidelines. In a systematic document analysis, two newly revised occupations (office manager and industrial clerk) were analysed to determine how characteristics of the 'digital condition' (Stalder 2018) as referentiality, communality and algorithmicity are reflected in them and to what extent qualitative changes in the requirements can be identified. The analysis reveals that the digital condition is well-established within these regulatory frameworks, leading to clear signs of upskilling in the occupational profiles. Taking responsibility, working independently, and participating in decision-making processes are requirements for office jobs in the digitalized world of work.

Leiß, T., Rausch, A., & Seifried, J. (2022). Problem-solving and tool use in office work: The potential of electronic performance support systems to promote employee performance and learning. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1-19. Pennathur, P. R., Boksa, V., Pennathur, A., Kusiak, A., & Livingston, B. A. (2024). The future of office and administrative support occupations in the era of artificial intelligence: A state of the art review and future research directions. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 104, Article 103665. Seeber, S., Weber, S., Geiser, P., Zarnow, S., Hackenberg, T., & Hiller, F. (2019). Effekte der Digitalisierung auf kaufmännische Tätigkeiten und Sichtweisen ausgewählter Akteure [Effects of digitalization on commercial activities and perspectives of selected stakeholders]. Berufsbildung, 73(176), 2–7. Stalder, F. (2018). The digital condition. John Wiley & Sons. Yang, C., Kaiser, F., Tang, H., Chen, P., & Diao, J. (2023). Sustaining the quality development of German vocational education and training in the age of digitalization: Challenges and strategies. Sustainability, 15 (3845), 1-21.

This paper is based on the project Building Bridges Between Higher Education (HE) and Employment: Learning from Practically-Based HE. The paper explores the complexities of fostering graduate employability, a key concern of HEIs both in the UK and internationally (Kornelakis and Petrakaki, 2020; Koseda et al, 2025). There is increasing emphasis on preparing young people for the workforce by equipping them with the skills needed in the modern labour market to enhance their employability and long-term career prospects (Robson, 2023; Cranmer, 2006; Prokou, 2008). Our research question is: How the inclusive use of innovation and diversification in higher education facilitate work-related learning, employability and sustainability for the HE students? A qualitative methodology was employed, focusing on case studies from two HE institutions in England. Data were collected through twenty semi-structured interviews with a range of stakeholders, including university staff and students. Our findings highlight that key stakeholders - university staff, industry representatives, and students - are actively engaged in the co-creation of unique learning spaces within higher education. These spaces form new environments that bridge academic and practical (work-related) domains. The study reveals that integrating theoretical learning, practical experience, and employer engagement requires continuous boundary-crossing across intermediary spaces where education and work intersect. This process is underpinned by innovation, diversification, and the development of new approaches to new technologies. Although this paper focuses on research conducted in England, it also considers aspects of graduate employability relevant across the broader ASEM countries. It contributes to the multinational research project by highlighting the global implications of the topic.

Cranmer, S. (2006). Enhancing graduate employability: best intentions and mixed outcomes, Studies in Higher Education, 31(2), 169-184 Robson, J. (2023). Graduate employability and employment. In S. Marginson et al. (Eds.), Assessing the contributions of higher education: Knowledge for a disordered world (pp. 177–196). Edward Elgar Publishing. Kornelakis, A., & Petrakaki, D. (2020). Embedding employability skills in UK higher education: Between digitalization and marketization. Industry and Higher Education, 34(5), 290–297. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950422220902978 Koseda, E.et al (2025). Embedding employability into curriculum design: The impact of education 4.0, Policy Futures in Education. Volume 23, pp. 676-688 Volume 23, Issue 3, https://doi.org/10.1177/14782103241282121

Workplace learning has become a central pillar of lifelong learning strategies across Southeast Asia, shaped by national, regional and international policy agendas that increasingly foreground digitalisation as an economic imperative. While lifelong learning was once framed primarily in terms of personal development, contemporary policy discourses now position digital skills, innovation and adaptability as essential to workforce competitiveness. This shift presents a double-edged proposition. On the one hand, digital technologies offer powerful possibilities to enrich learning at work, expand access to knowledge, and enhance worker agency. On the other hand, they risk deepening existing inequalities (Rott & Schmidt‐Hertha, 2024), as access to meaningful workplace learning remains uneven due to disparities in digital literacy, socioeconomic position, intersecting social identities, organisational culture and institutional support. The framework is developed through a comparative synthesis of two workplace studies conducted in Southeast Asia, Brunei and Thailand, to develop an actionable framework for equitable digital transformation in the workplace. Set within different research methodologies, the studies examine how workers in organisations engage with digital technologies in everyday learning practices. Rather than treating digitalisation as a uniform or technologically deterministic process, the analysis foregrounds how learning opportunities are socially embedded, mediated by organisational norms, power relations and access to resources. By bringing these two studies into dialogue, the paper identifies shared structural tensions and context-specific dynamics shaping inclusive workplace learning. Key findings reveal that digital technologies alone do not democratise learning. Instead, their capacity to enrich workplace learning depends on intentional organisational practices, including structured mentorship, supportive leadership, recognition of informal learning, and policies that address unequal starting points amongst workers, such as their roles and individual differences (Trauth et al., 2004; 2008). Importantly, the synthesis highlights how workers exercise agency within constraints, adapting, resisting or reinterpreting digital tools in ways that reflect their capabilities and workplace environments. The resulting framework integrates three interrelated dimensions: individual capabilities, institutional structures and policy alignment. Together, these dimensions offer practical guidance for organisations and policymakers seeking to design inclusive digital learning ecosystems. In conclusion, the paper offers evidence-based insights for developing targeted interventions—such as equitable workplace policies, contextualised professional development (Littlejohn and Margaryan, 2014) and inclusive digital strategies—that leverage digital innovation to empower all segments of the workforce. In doing so, it underscores the imperative of aligning digital transformation with social justice and inclusive learning opportunities in the future of work.

Littlejohn, A., and Margaryan, A. (2014). Technology-enhanced Professional Learning. In: Billet, Stephen; Harteis, Christian and Gruber, Hans (Eds.). International Handbook on Research in Professional and Practice-based Learning. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Dordrecht: Springer, pp. 1187–1212. Rott, J. and Schmidt-Hertha, B. (2024). Transforming adult learning in the digital age: exploring environmental, content, and technological changes. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 43(4), 319–323. https://doi.org/10.1080/02601370.2024.2367395 Trauth, E. M., Quesenberry, J. L., & Huang, H. (2008). A multicultural analysis of factors influencing women's career choices in the information technology workforce. Journal of Global Information Management (JGIM). Trauth, E. M., Quesenberry, J. L., & Morgan, A. (2004). Understanding the under representation of women in IT: Toward a theory of individual differences. in Proceedings of the 2004 ACM SIGMIS CPR Conference. New York: ACM.