Researchers from the EDU-LAB project took an active part in the European Conference on Educational Research (ECER) 2026, held in Tampere, Finland, from 18 to 21 August 2026.
The Horizon Europe project EDU-LAB – European Youth in Transition to Education and Labour – organised a dedicated symposium entitled “Governing European Youth Transitions Through Education and into the Labour Market: Early Evidence from the EDU-LAB Horizon Europe Project.”
The symposium brought together some of the first findings emerging from the multidisciplinary EDU-LAB project and provided a space to discuss youth transitions as processes shaped by the interaction of individual agency, institutional arrangements and policy regimes.
EDU-LAB at ECER 2026: reflections from the conference
What made ECER 2026 in Tampere special? Why was EDU-LAB presented at the conference, and what were some of the main takeaways?
In this short video, EDU-LAB Coordinator Dr Alexander Chvorostov and Professor Xhavit Rexhaj reflect on the project’s participation in ECER 2026 and on the value of bringing EDU-LAB’s research on young people’s transitions through education and into the labour market into the wider European research community.
The EDU-LAB symposium
The EDU-LAB symposium was chaired by Professor Xhavit Rexhaj of AAB College in Pristina, Kosovo, with Professor Petri Nokelainen of Tampere University, Finland, serving as discussant.
Four presentations approached youth transitions from different but complementary perspectives.
Modelling pathways through education and into the labour market
Professor Theodor Leiber (EVALAG, Heidelberg, Germany) presented research on modelling pathways through general and vocational education and into the labour market.
The work identified more than 80 intersectional determinants and more than 30 significant transitions between pathways, while examining potential data gaps in large international datasets including PISA, Eurostudent, Eurograduate, TIMSS and VET in Europe.
The analysis found no major fundamental data gaps, although it highlighted areas where data policy and accessibility could be improved, as well as the need for more longitudinal data across the European Economic Area.
Higher education expansion and labour-market demand
Dr Alexander Chvorostov, EDU-LAB Consortium Coordinator at Economica Research Institute in Vienna, examined the rapid expansion of higher education in Europe and its relationship with demand for highly educated workers in European labour markets.
The presentation compared the supply of graduates with labour-market demand across countries and considered the conditions under which the expansion of higher education can benefit both young people and labour markets.
Combining education and employment in Finland
Dr Sini Teräsahde of Tampere University examined young people’s simultaneous participation in education and the labour market in Finland, as well as the policy factors affecting this participation and young people’s own experiences.
Findings based on EDU-LAB case-study data indicate that working while studying can provide economic security and valuable work experience for future transitions. At the same time, it can place additional strain on young people, delay their studies and negatively affect their well-being.
The Finnish student financial-aid system plays an important role in this relationship: the level and conditions of financial support can both motivate young people to work alongside their studies and limit the amount of employment they can undertake.
Socio-economic factors and educational performance in Kosovo
The fourth symposium contribution was presented by Professor Xhavit Rexhaj and doctoral researcher Gresa Shaqiri of AAB College in Pristina.
Together with colleagues Arberesha Qerimi and Fidan Qerimi, they examined the impact of socio-economic factors and parental investment on children’s educational performance in Kosovo.
The quantitative study was based on a survey of 720 parents, examining families’ socio-economic status and investments in their children’s education. Educational performance was assessed using the PISA framework in reading, mathematics and science.
Bringing different perspectives together
As symposium discussant, Professor Petri Nokelainen brought the four contributions together around a common question:
How do unequal youth pathways become visible, structured, experienced and socially shaped?
Rather than forming a single causal chain, the presentations approached this question from complementary perspectives: data and concepts, education and labour markets, policy and lived experience, and family- and individual-level mechanisms.
The discussion highlighted the value of connecting these different analytical levels in order to develop a more integrated understanding of young people’s transitions.
EDU-LAB research across ECER
EDU-LAB’s participation at ECER extended beyond the dedicated symposium.
Several researchers involved in the project also presented their work in other ECER paper sessions.
Dr Alexander Chvorostov presented “Graduates and Their Tentative Jobs: Balances of the Supply of and Demand for Qualified Workers on the European Labour Markets” within Network 22 – Research in Higher Education.
Dr Arta Musollaj, Erëza Mehmeti, Vrullim Buja, Flaka Jonuzi and Gresa Shaqiri presented “Social and Institutional Factors Affecting the Lower to Upper Secondary Education Transition in Kosovo” within Network 14 – Communities, Families and Schooling in Educational Research.
Professor Arbërore Bicaj, Erëza Mehmeti, Etleva Namligjiu, Jeton Brajshori and Gresa Shaqiri presented “Educational Aspirations and Institutional Realities: An Analysis of Alignment and Mismatch in Youth Pathways”, also within Network 14.
Connecting with the wider research community
EDU-LAB researchers also participated in the ECER poster session, presenting the project to conference participants interested in its work.
The poster session provided an opportunity not only to introduce EDU-LAB’s objectives and research activities, but also to exchange ideas and establish new contacts with researchers working on related questions of education, labour markets and youth transitions.
ECER 2026 provided EDU-LAB with an important opportunity to present emerging research, discuss findings across different national and disciplinary perspectives, and strengthen connections with the wider European educational research community.
Explore the EDU-LAB ECER 2026 materials
Presentations from the EDU-LAB symposium and related ECER paper sessions are available through the EDU-LAB website under reference materials. Check them out here