The School of Education at the University of Glasgow is part of a 5 university consortium that has just been awarded £2,4m for the VETPrep project by the European Union. The Glasgow team consists of CR&DALL core members Simon McGrath and Geng Wang, and Oscar Valiente.

VETPrep seeks to understand and address the challenges in Vocational Education and Training (VET) related to student participation and retention across various European contexts, focusing on students from diverse backgrounds. It examines the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the sector and explores policies and strategies in Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Scotland, and Spain through comparative studies.

Utilizing a multidisciplinary approach and mixed methods, the project investigates factors affecting VET student engagement, including demographics and socio-economic backgrounds, by analysing longitudinal data and conducting in-depth interviews with selected students. This research aims to provide insights into young people's educational paths in post-pandemic Europe, highlighting differences in socio-economic status and educational aspirations, as well as differences between the pre- and post-pandemic cohorts.