Technical and vocational education and training (TVET), including further education (FE) and skills in England, sits at the intersection between education, employment, social policy and economic development. Yet, despite its central role in our education and skills landscape, TVET has often been under-theorised and under-represented within mainstream education research.
Addressing this paradox, a new guest editorial in Education + Training (Vol. 68 No. 3, 2026) introduces a special edition [Guest editorial: Why research in further education and skills matters | Education + Training | Emerald Publishing Smith et al., 2026)] focused on research in FE, skills and post-compulsory education internationally. It argues that research should be a core mechanism to strengthen pedagogy, professional practice and system-level improvement across TVET, rather than an external exercise conducted on the sector.
Research within FE and skills
This distinction between research conducted on the sector and research conducted in the sector is central. Historically, research about FE and skills has often been externally driven, episodic and policy focused. It has frequently positioned practitioners as objects of study rather than active contributors to knowledge (Bathmaker, 2013). By contrast, research undertaken in FE and skills institutions is rooted in practice and informed by the realities of teaching, leadership and organisational life. It prioritises improvement, relevance and professional ownership.
A key argument in the editorial is that practitioner professional inquiry, practitioner research and action research are central to the advancement of FE and skills as a professional field. Practitioner inquiry is framed as systematic and reflective investigation into practice, supported by evidence, theory and collaborative dialogue (Stenhouse, 1975). This activity aligns strongly with democratic professionalism, enabling FE and skills practitioners to shape and refine their own practice rather than simply implement policy.
In a sector shaped by accountability pressures and repeated reform cycles, inquiry creates space for experimentation, reflection and ethical deliberation (Ball, 2015). It also enables FE and skills to articulate its distinctive pedagogical strengths, including applied learning, relational teaching and holistic learner support (Lucas et al., 2012).
From local inquiry to system-level change
The editorial also considers how local practitioner inquiry contributes to system-level change. While action research and practitioner inquiry are often small-scale, systems theory suggests that sustainable improvement is possible through the interaction of multiple agents learning and adapting within shared values and frameworks (Senge, 2006). When insights are shared through networks and communities of practice, local learning can inform wider improvement (Wenger, 1998). Organisational research also suggests that cultures of inquiry are associated with enhanced collaboration, improved practice and greater capacity for change (Stoll et al., 2018).
However, as the editorial notes, for FE and skills to operate as a self-improving system, research requires infrastructure: time, capability-building, ethical frameworks and platforms for dissemination (Greany and Higham, 2018). Research, therefore, cannot be a discretionary activity; it must be a strategic investment in system capacity.
Building evidence and highlighting gaps
The editorial introduces the first of two linked Education + Training special editions. This first volume brings together nine papers examining how FE, skills and post-compulsory education systems are responding to digital transformation, workforce capability challenges and system-level reform. Core themes include digital learning design, learner engagement and inclusion, workforce development and professional identity, and organisational leadership. Collectively, the papers highlight both the growing maturity of FE and skills research and persistent gaps, including a limited number of longitudinal studies and uneven evidence of impact in vocational contexts.
The second special edition will focus more on practitioner inquiry, research capacity-building and the infrastructures needed to embed sustainable research cultures within FE and skills and systems internationally. Together, the two editions demonstrate the breadth and value of research currently being undertaken, and strengthen the case for FE and skills as a research-engaged, self-improving field.
Making research central
The clear overarching message from this editorial is that research in FE and skills should be recognised as fundamental to pedagogy, professionalism and system improvement. As the sector responds to curriculum reform, workforce shortages, digital transformation and shifting economic demands, the ability to generate and apply evidence from within the profession becomes increasingly important. In this context, practitioner inquiry cannot remain peripheral. Instead, it must take its place as a legitimate and strategic driver of sustainable improvement.
References
Ball, S.J. (2015) ‘Education, governance and the tyranny of numbers’, Journal of Education Policy, 30(3), pp. 299–301.
Bathmaker, A.-M. (2013) ‘Defining “knowledge” in vocational education qualifications in England’, Journal of Vocational Education and Training, 65(1), pp. 87–102.
Greany, T. and Higham, R. (2018) Hierarchies and Networks in Local Education Systems. London: UCL IOE Press.
Lucas, B., Spencer, E. and Claxton, G. (2012) How to Teach Vocational Education: A Theory of Vocational Pedagogy. London: City & Guilds Centre for Skills Development.
Senge, P. (2006) The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. 2nd edn. London: Random House.
Smith, V., Husband, G. and Smith, M. (2026) ‘Guest editorial: Why research in further education and skills matters’, Education + Training, 68(3), pp. 297–302.
Stenhouse, L. (1975) An Introduction to Curriculum Research and Development. London: Heinemann.
Stoll, L., Brown, C. and Harris, A. (2018) ‘Leadership for professional learning: lessons from empirical research’, Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 47(3), pp. 409–429.
Wenger, E. (1998) Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.