EDU-LAB

EDU-LAB is a three-year Horizon Europe project (2025–2027) that examines how young people (15–30) move through education and training into employment across Europe. The consortium brings together 11 partners from 9 countries (including the UK and Kosovo) and works with stakeholders at every level.

EDU-LAB investigates how social, economic, and institutional factors—such as gender, migration status, and public services—affect young people’s choices and opportunities. It uses a mixed-methods approach, including:

• Youth-led research partnerships
• Secondary quantitative analysis
• Qualitative conceptual analysis
• Expert interviews and surveys
• Difference-in-differences analysis

The project focuses on four main strands of research: Modelling pathways and transitions (WP1): Mapping how young people progress through education into the labour market, and identifying the personal and social factors that shape these journeys. Assessing policies and investments (WP2): Evaluating how policies and funding influence equity, inclusion, participation, and completion, and how efficiently they achieve results. Quantitative analysis and expert survey (WP3): Combining large-scale data with the OSES Delphi survey of policymakers, educators, employers, youth organisations, and other stakeholders to assess current systems and future challenges. Listening to young people (WP4): Running case studies in 12 regions across 7 countries, using focus groups, workshops, and diaries to capture youth experiences directly.

EDU-LAB relies on a mixed-methods approach, with emphasis being placed on secondary quantitative analyses of openly available empirical data and newly collected qualitative empirical data. Specifically, EDU-LAB considers all stakeholders and conducts a systematic literature review, qualitative conceptual analysis, quantitative trend and regression analysis, difference-in-differences analysis, expert interviews and surveys, and qualitative case studies focusing on young people’s voices and based on Research-Practice Partnerships.

🏛 Consortium

The project involves 11 partners from 9 countries, including:

• Tampere University (Finland)
• University of Graz (Austria)
• AlmaLaurea (Italy)
• Birmingham City University (UK)
• AAB College (Kosovo)
• Maria Grzegorzewska University (Poland)
• Lusófona University (Portugal)
• University of Bamberg and Evaluation