Since 1995, the International Handbook of Vocational Education and Training (IHBB) has published scholarly country studies of vocational education and training systems around the world. The IHBB is a standard work for those interested in vocational education and training in other countries. This 25th anniversary volume of the IHBB presents recent findings on a variety of topics and issues in comparative VET research. Comparative VET research aims to describe, understand and explain characteristics and principles of VET in different national and cultural contexts. Much more than general or higher education, vocational education and training is characterized by major differences from an international perspective. However, at the same time, the assumption can be formulated that the characteristics and principles of vocational education and training tend to converge in the course of growing globalization, internationalization and Europeanization - as in other social subsystems. The view on vocational education and training is taken from diverse scientific perspectives, from education and vocational training science, political science, sociology and business administration. This selection takes into account an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary understanding of comparative vocational education and training research. The present anthology thus closes the circle to the contributions on methods and theories of comparison from the early days of the handbook.

Philipp Grollmann: wissenschaftlicher Direktor im Arbeitsbereich 3.1, Berufsbildung im internationalen Vergleich, Forschung und Monitoring, Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung Dietmar Frommberger: Professor für Berufs- und Wirtschaftspädagogik, Universität Osnabrück Thomas Deißinger: Professor für Wirtschaftspädagogik, Universität Konstanz Uwe Lauterbach: ehemals DIPF Frankfurt am Main Matthias Pilz: Professor für Wirtschafts- und Sozialpädagogik, Universität zu Köln Thomas Schröder: Professor für Allgemeine Erziehungswissenschaft und Berufspädagogik, Technische Universität Dortmund Georg Spöttl: Professor für Technik und Bildung, Universität Bremen