Research on Sustainability in Vocational Education and Training (VET)

Context: Sustainability has become a key concern across education systems worldwide, particularly in Vocational Education and Training (VET), where the intersection of education, skills development, labor market and social and environmental demands makes it uniquely positioned to address sustainability challenges (Gamboa et al., 2024; Leal Filho, 2018; Pavlova, 2017; Tilbury, 2011). Approach: To advance a shared understanding of sustainability in VET, a literature review was conducted, synthesizing findings from peer-reviewed journals, books, and policy documents published over the past two decades. The aim is to provide a frame of reference that supports scientific reflection and debate. Findings: Three main findings emerged. First, sustainability in VET is a multidimensional and complex field of analysis, often addressed in fragmented ways rather than through comprehensive perspectives. Second, there is a generalized fragmentation and dispersion in the objects of analysis related to sustainability across its three dimensions (social, economic, and environmental), with a greater emphasis on social and economic aspects, than on environmental ones from an ecological ethos rather than an anthropomorphic one. Third, more holistic approaches are gradually emerging, such as the green and circular economy, VET for the Just Transition or Education for the Sustainable Development, which integrate economic, social and environmental sustainability with different emphasis and focus. Conclusions: Sustainability is a research area within VET that requires further theoretical and empirical development and more in-depth scientific analysis, going beyond the predominantly descriptive and propositional studies. Its multidimensional, multistakeholder and multilevel nature demands a systemic vision and a flexible, comprehensive framework to support the development of this research field. Therefore, it is essential that the scientific community, in collaboration with stakeholders in the VET field, engages in collective reflection and debate to strengthen research and enable its progress and advancement.