What kind of event was this? The ECER conference of the year 1997 was hosted by the University of Frankfurt. For EERA this event was linked to the transition of EERA presidency from James Caldwell (the University of Bath) to Peter Döbrich (The German Institute for International Educational Research, DIPF). For VETNET this was the first conference in which a section programme had been planned for the existing VETNET network. 

What special memories do we have of this conference?  The conference events were spread to the high towers of the faculties. However, the VETNET sessions were placed close to each other which made it easier to follow the programme and to navigate according one’s priorities. This gave a feeling of the VETNET network as a social fact and of the VETNET programme as a coherent whole.

What themes were taken up? Newly started European cooperation projects from the Leonardo da Vinci programme had ...

What kind of event was this? In general, this was the first ECER conference after the founding event in Bath. However, for the emerging VET research community this was the first encounter between a larger number of interested VET researchers and a newly established umbrella organisation that was setting up its networks. There were mutual benefits to be expected but there was a need to find how to proceed.

What special memories do we have of this conference?  As this was one of the first conferences, the support structures of EERA were not at place. Thus, although the conference was organised in Sevilla, the conference secretariat was placed in the University of Utrecht. Moreover, since the networks had not yet been established, the secretariat had no underlying framework to shape the conference strands. Therefore, it appeared that a major part of contributions from VET research (individual papers and symposia) were scheduled parallel to ...

The official launch of EERA and the beginning of regular ECER-tradition:

It so happened that after some years of negotiations (and trials with alternative plans) the pieces got together and the first regular ECER was to be organised in the year 1995 by the University of Bath. In this context the new organisation EERA could be launched as an umbrella association founded by the national associations for educational research. The EERA Council was formed by representatives nominated by their national associations. For the future development of the conferences the Council took the task to launch thematic networks in different areas of research. Yet, in the initial conference the networks were not yet at place – everything was in its very beginning.

What do we remember of this conference?

For me, the author of this blog, the answer is short: nothing. I couldn’t participate in the event or observe the launch of EERA from a ...

What kind of follow-up event was this? As the founding of an overarching umbrella organisation for European educational research didn’t take off immediately after the prototype ECER, there was room for alternative plans. Already in Enschede 1892, Wim Nijhof and his team (who were in charge of the VET strand) announced already a forthcoming conference of a more specialised network with focus on corporate training. Later on – based on the success of this interim event – they took a more ambitious initiative to bring together European researchers in VET, corporate training and HRD. The plan was to create a new association based on paid membership and with strategic alliance with the American-based Academy of HRD Research. For this purpose, the conference was announced in the name of the International Research Network on Education, Training and Development (IRNETD). The conference was designed to be the founding event and to set up the founding board.

Where and when did the story start? To my mind, we have to go back to the year 1992 (at least) to get a picture of the initial development of the VETNET community. In 1992 the organisers of the annual Dutch conference for educational research (Onderwijsresearchdag) had decided to do something special. Instead of organising a traditional Dutch-speaking conference, the University of Twente published the call for proposals for European Conference on Educational Research (ECER), to be held as an English-speaking conference. The aim of the organisers was to establish a new umbrella organisation and regular conference for educational researchers in Europe (following the model of the AERA in America).

What special memories do we have of this conference? Firstly, it is worthwhile to note that this conference was the opening or prototype stage of a new tradition. The conference was organised into different thematic strands - some of ...