VETNET

From its very early days onward the VETNET programme at ECER has become the central event for European VET researchers. In this respect the VETNET programme has become a platform for presenting individual research results (via individual papers) and for sharing knowledge across European cooperation projects and networks (via round tables, symposia and research workshops). Due to this development the VETNET programme has also provided a milestone for analysing the current phase of European research cooperation - the tendencies in community-building, the dynamics of networking and the role of web-based infrastuctures (for virtual communication and knowledge sharing).

Looking back, these activities that have tried to give the big picture of ongoing developments in European VET research have taken different forms. At the early stage (e.g. in Ljubljana 1998) all we had to do was to organise a room for a round table and to call it "meeting point of networks". And due to the fact that there were representatives of many active thematic networks, there was plenty of information to be shared - synergies and shared interest areas to be explored. Later on the emphasis shifted from mere sharing of information to initiatives to promote thematic knowledge development and to develop joint web-based platforms. These inititives were linked to the Cedefop-project "Cedefop Research Arena" (Cedra). However, these initiatives were soon replaced by the 'next generation' initiatives of the active projectrs to develop community portals (e.g. for Evaluation research, ICT-related research and for research on SMEs). These projects were also present at the ECER programme in the years 2002-2004. Parallel to this, Cedefop tried to link similar initiatives to each other via its 'virtual communities' area in the European Training Village.

Looking back, it appears that there have been high tides ans low tides regarding the role of European networks and community-based initiatives to promote knowledge sharing in European VET research. It is almost a commonplace, but I must remind myself that networks are launched for certain purposes and they continue aslong as their cooperation is meaningful. If they achieve their goals or if they get stuck with obstacles, they simply fade away. In many respects this appears to be the case - one way or the other - with many earlier networks. The research interests have moved on and the preconditions for developing trans-national cooperation have changed.

At ECER'05 in Dublin we organised a session with a heading "Communities, networking and virtual support". That session put into discussion researchers' involvement in community-based knowledge development in thematic contexts (Guidance research) and in regional contexts (Irish community development projects) as well as the related efforts to develop social software and kowledge management tools. Now, looking back, the ideas were perhaps ahead of their time (whereas the tools that were children of their time). Thus, there was no great spin-off effect from that discussion.

In general, there should be no need to be worried about the fact that older networks have become saturated and fallen into latency. If tat is the case, there should be room for creative reorientation, new groupings of key actors and new initiatives to stimulate the European debates. However, there is a case to consider how VETNET can stimulate such developments (even in a period of latency). To me, this is closely related to the question, how closely VET researchers are related to the key questions of developing VET and addressing the key concerns. In this respect it was symptomatic that the most stimulating discussions that I have been able to give account of have been related to learning in the work organisations (rather than in formal VET provisions).

Regarding the the role of VET researchers' role in  developmental activities we can put the question in the following way: Is the motto of researchers "Being there" or "Being at a safe distance"?

Pekka Kämäräinen