NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) youth rates in Europe are generally higher in rural regions than in urban areas and the share in rural regions is constantly increasing. During the COVID-19 pandemic, young people became even more vulnerable as they experienced social exclusion and mental health problems. The objective of this paper is to analyse NEET youth-related statistics in Europe and distinguish positive initiatives for young people in rural areas of the Baltic countries to encourage positive emotions and willingness to learn. Statistical analysis and case study methods were employed. Data on youth unemployment, NEET youth by age and gender, and poverty and social exclusion of young people, is analysed. Social policy initiatives in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, mainly from rural municipalities, are presented and discussed. This research determines the key issues related to NEET youth and proposes initiatives to overcome existing problems among young people. Such social initiatives aim to promote positive social emotions of youth, promote their inclusion in society, and foster regional sustainability.

The article focuses on university students reasons for commiting academic fraud and students knowledge about regulations concerning academic dishonesty. A qualitative study has been carried out with students from Estonia, Finland and USA, consisting of eight in-depth interviews. Qualitative inductive content analysis was used to analyze the data. A document analysis has been carried out to provide a comparative look into how different universities regulate academic fraud. The results indicate that students commit academic fraud mainly because of individual reasons such as not being able to memorize the necessary amount of material and that students are not very well aware or the regulations concerning academic dishonesty. The study shows the need for Estonian and Finnish universities to develop their strategies on dealing with academic dishonesty and promoting academic integrity.

This article delves into a unique form of potential academic drift in Estonian vocational education and training (VET) institutions, where many VET entrants already hold higher education degrees. While there is extensive research on transitions from vocational education to higher education, the reverse transition from higher education to VET needs to be explored. The study aimed to identify the life transitions that bring higher education graduates to VET, the boundaries they experience during their transition and how they manage these in terms of boundary crossing. Findings from 12 semi-structured in-depth interviews with VET students holding university diplomas revealed that these students enter VET driven by career-related life-transitions. However, their trans-formative potential as boundary crossers still needs to be met, as there was evidence of a predominant trend of unilateral adaptation to the norms and practices of the vocational context, sidelining the potential for negotiation and hybridisation of practices.

Article Home Economics Schools for Women. Privileged Access to Vocational Education in Estonia (1918–1940) was published on October 1, 2025 in the journal International Journal of Vocational Education Studies (volume 2, issue 2).

Paljud Eesti õpetajad töötavad iga päev mitmekeelsete ja kultuuritaustalt erinevate õppijatega. EHA erinumber pakub teadusuuringute ja raamatututvustuste näol teadmisi ja mõtteid, kuidas selle tööga paremini toime tulla. Eessõnas aitavad toimetajad lugejal luua vajalikku tausta, andes lühiülevaate Eestis 2000ndatel aastatel tehtud teemakohastest uuringutest. Erinumbri artiklite temaatika on lai: haaratud on lasteaed, põhikool, kõrgkool, nii täiskasvanud kui ka erivajadustega keeleõppijad. Lugeja saab teada, milline on Iirimaa kogemus sisserändetaustaga õpilastega ja USA teadlase vaade kahesuunalise keelekümblusmudeli rakendumisele Eestis.

Context: As Europe pursues climate neutrality and skills transformation, there is a growing need to understand how secondary vocational education can integrate sustainability through powerful and transformative learning environments. Approach: This study combines a theoretically grounded PTLES framework with a comparative case-based analysis of 11 vocational education and training practices across Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, and Spain. Findings: Across diverse national contexts, the cases consistently highlight authentic learning tasks, higher-order thinking, adaptive support, reflection, and collaboration as key characteristics of effective transformative learning environments for sustainability. Conclusions: The results provide empirical support for the PTLES framework as a model for sustainability-oriented vocational education while revealing opportunities to strengthen meta-cognitive reflection and the explicit integration of sustainability across learning contexts in different domains and education systems of different European countries.