News and Events

The VET2050 project is launching a series of vision workshops bringing together practitioners, policymakers, employers, and learners to co-design what high quality vocational education and training could look like in England by 2050. These workshops explore long-term challenges and opportunities, from technological change to regional inequalities, and invite participants to imagine ambitious, evidence informed futures for the sector.

VET2050 is funded by the Youth Futures Foundation and delivered by the Institute for Employment Research (Terence Hogarth, Emily Erickson and Stef Poole) in collaboration with colleagues at SKOPE, University of Oxford (James Robson and Yushan Xie ). Our recent blog post provides more detail on the project’s aims, approach, and how these workshops contribute to a wider programme of research and engagement.

If you’d like to stay informed about upcoming workshops, publications, and project activities, we warmly invite you to join the VET2050 mailing list by visiting the our project website.

Register your interest here!Link opens in a new window

Dr Jason Anderson travelled to Assam, India on the invitation of the Government of Assam to deliver an invited talk: “Translingual English-medium instruction (EMI): A pathway to multilingual and multidisciplinary efficacy for international higher education institutions”, and signed a research MOU with Padmini Boruah of the University of Gauhati as part of the conference: International Perspectives on Multidisciplinary Education and Attainment of SDGs in Higher Education, Guwahati, Assam, 29-30 Jan, 2026.

See slides here: https://www.jasonanderson.org.uk/downloads/anderson_2026_translingual_emi.pdfLink opens in a new window

Dr Anderson also delivered an invited lecture at the University of Gauhati entitled: "Exploring the potential of AI with project-based learning: Pedagogy for higher education in the 21st century."

We’re incredibly proud to celebrate an outstanding member of our SELCS alumni community, Sue Sentance (Education Studies) following her recognition in the 2026 King's Birthday Honours.

This is a wonderful achievement and a testament to the impact Sue has made through her work and dedication. Being recognised in this way highlights her exceptional contribution and the difference she continues to make.

Sue's success is an inspiration to our students, alumni, staff, and wider SELCS community. Huge congratulations from everyone in SELCS!

Read more about the Warwick alumni and honorary graduates from a range of fields, who have been recognised in the recent Kings Birthday Honours and Garter Day here.

The EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Diversity in Data Visualization (Diverse CDT) is a pioneering, fully funded four-year PhD programme jointly delivered by City St George’s, University of London and the University of Warwick.

Applications for PhD studentships with Diverse CDT are now open for 2026 entry.

We have rolling deadlines across several months and the first deadline for submitting an application is 4pm, GMT on 30th January 2026.

Further details here: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/cim/apply-to-study/phd-programmes/diverse-cdt/

We are delighted to share some positive results we have received from National Student Survey 2022.

Dr Sébastien Montpetit, Warwick Economics Postdoctoral Fellow, has been awarded the prize for the Best Paper in Industrial Economics at the Network of Industrial Economists Symposium 2026.

His paper, Are Climate Policies Marginal? A Welfare Evaluation of Environmental Reforms, co-authored with Jean-Francois Fournel of Harvard University, proposes a new empirical framework to help policymakers decide which climate investments to prioritise, given limited public funds.

The new framework combines the Marginal Value of Public Funds (MVPF) with structural models of demand for green technologies to evaluate the welfare effects of environmental reforms. The authors argue that this new methodology has several advantages over the standard sufficient-statistics tradition in public economics.

As proof-of-concept, the paper applies the new framework to evaluate the effectiveness of Canadian electric vehicle subsidies. The analysis found that initial subsidies yielded substantial welfare gains, but these did not last. These diminishing returns make large subsidies inefficient.

They also find that investing in charging-station deployment generated the highest welfare gains in the Canadian setting, while taxing fuel-inefficient vehicles was not an efficient funding source.

Commenting on the award, Dr Montpetit said:

"I am honoured to receive this prize, especially given how recently my collaboration with Jean-François, my coauthor, began.

I also greatly appreciated the very positive feedback on our paper from the conference participants, and the insightful suggestions for improvement from my discussant, David Paton.

We see this paper as bridging the welfare analysis tradition in public economics with methods from industrial economics—two approaches that have largely evolved in isolation.

It is therefore especially rewarding that experts in industrial economics have recognized our contribution, and I am grateful for this recognition."

The Best Paper Award is sponsored by Charles River Associates and recognises outstanding early career research in theoretical and empirical industrial economics.

The Department congratulates Sébastien on this well-deserved recognition.

NOTES

• Dr Montpetit is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Warwick. He received his PhD from the Toulouse School of Economics. More information about his research can be found on his personal website: Sébastien Montpetit
• Established in the 1970s, the Network of Industrial Economists is a forum for interchange among university economists in the UK and the world, and for interaction between academia, business, and government.
• Details of the 2026 NIE Conference and PhD Symposium can be found here: https://ind-econ.github.io/conference2026/

Warwick ESRC DTP New Year's Social happening on Wednesday 4th February 2026.

Dr Sangwoo Lee, Assistant Professor, Institute for Employment Research, said: 'The minor reduction in unemployment seen in today's data, is accompanied by a 0.3 % increase in economic inactivity - partly driven by discouraged jobseekers retreating from the market rather than being absorbed into stable jobs. We're also seeing a gradual shift towards non-traditional working arrangements. Strengthening protection these workers should be a priority.

Dr Alex Powell, Associate Professor in Law, has been awarded the Bernard Crick Prize for the best article in Political Quarterly for his co-authored research that explores the growing influence of victim-led campaigns on UK lawmaking.

The University of Warwick’s Philosophy Department has risen to 38th place globally in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, marking a significant leap in its international standing. Philosophy is one of ten Warwick subjects now ranked in the global top 50, reflecting strong performance across teaching and research.

University leaders highlighted that this year’s improved rankings underscore the department’s growing global reputation and its commitment to high‑impact scholarship. The climb also contributes to Warwick’s strongest overall subject‑ranking performance since 2020, showcasing broad excellence across its academic disciplines. Read the full story here

The University of Warwick’s Centre for Teacher Education (CTE) has received a glowing report following a recent Ofsted inspection, highlighting the exceptional quality of training and support provided to its teaching trainees. The inspection report underscores the University’s commitment to nurturing future educators who are well-prepared and passionate about their careers.