Educational Leadership, Management, and Policy for Preparing the Future Workforce: Global Perspectives and Local Realities

Call for Papers

Educational Leadership, Management, and Policy for Preparing the Future Workforce: Global Perspectives and Local Realities

JOURNAL : Education Innovations: Systems and Future Learning

PUBLISHER: Emerald Publishing

ABSTRACT DEADLINE: 20 February 2026

FULL SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 01 June 2026

ABOUT THIS SPECIAL ISSUE

Across the globe, education systems are undergoing rapid transformation in response to technological change, global interconnectedness, demographic transitions, and the climate crisis. These changes are not only reshaping general educational goals but are profoundly transforming the world of work and the skills, competencies, and professional identities required in contemporary labour markets.

In this context, the concept of Vocational Excellence has gained prominence as a framework for aligning high-quality skills and competence development with innovation capacity, productivity, and inclusive economic and social development. Educational leadership plays a pivotal role in translating ambitious global agendas — such as the Sustainable Development Goals, UNESCO's strategies for TVET, and ILO frameworks on lifelong learning — into coherent, locally responsive practices.

A central element of this agenda is the expansion and professionalisation of work-based and work-integrated learning (WBL/WIL), encompassing diverse formats such as apprenticeships, dual study programmes, traineeships, internships, industry projects, and simulation-based workplace learning. Leaders and managers at system, institutional, and community levels are at the forefront of decision-making about curriculum reform, cooperative learning formats, and sustainable partnerships with industry, employers' associations, trade unions, and other labour market representatives.

This special issue brings together research that explores how educational leadership, management, and policy are shaping the preparation of the future workforce — with a focus on both global perspectives and local realities.

SCOPE & THEME AREAS

We invite submissions addressing (but not limited to) the following themes:

🔹 Educational Leadership in Vocational and Technical Education (VTE/TVET)

1. Strategic leadership in vocational, technical, and higher education

2. Leading organisational change to meet future skills agendas

3. Leadership capacity-building for workforce readiness

4. Transforming colleges into Centres of Vocational Excellence

🔹 Management, Governance, and Policy

5. Comparative perspectives on education management and workforce policy

6. Institutional governance and global–local policy translation

7. Mechanisms of working with industry and labour market actors

8. Leadership in industry–education partnerships

9. Managing digitalisation and innovation in technical education

10. Leadership for lifelong learning, reskilling, and upskilling

🔹 Curriculum Innovation and Pedagogy

11. Leaders' roles in embedding digital, green, and 21st-century competencies

12. Instructional leadership for connecting classroom learning to workplaces

GUEST EDITORS

Rania Sawalhi (Lead Guest Editor) ✉️ r.sawalhi@ju.edu.jo

Philipp Christian Grollmann ✉️ Contact via journal submission system

Paul Campbell ✉️ Contact via journal submission system

Esther Dominique Klein ✉️ Contact via journal submission system

KEY DEADLINES & DATES

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

⚠️ Abstract-first process — please read carefully:

Step 1 — Submit abstract first: Authors must email their abstract to the lead guest editor Dr. Rania Sawalhi at ✉️ r.sawalhi@ju.edu.jo by 20 February 2026. The editors will confirm via email if you are invited to submit a full article.

Step 2 — Full paper submission (by invitation only): If invited, full manuscripts must be submitted via ScholarOne Manuscripts.

Author guidelines: Must be strictly followed. Full guidelines available on the journal's Emerald Publishing page.

Selecting the special issue: At the appropriate submission step, authors must select the special issue title from the drop-down menu in response to "Please select the issue you are submitting to."

Eligibility: Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication elsewhere while under review.

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