Editorial - Ingaugurating a European Voice for Dual Higher Education

Abstract

The editorial inaugurates the European Scientific Journal for Dual Higher Education (ESJ DHE), the first academic journal in Europe dedicated exclusively to dual higher education and founded within the EU4Dual European University Alliance. It positions the journal as a scientific voice for integrating learning and work, and frames “Future Skills” — cognitive, social and reflective competencies for acting responsibly in transforming societies and workplaces — as the guiding concept.

The issue’s six peer-reviewed articles address the development and measurement of soft/Future Skills in dual programmes, Generation Z students’ employability and person–job fit, international virtual collaboration (COIL) for work-life skills, multidimensional rubrics for assessing workplace learning, and structural factors behind student dropout in technical higher education. Together, they highlight dual higher education as a driver of competence development, innovation and inclusion, and demonstrate the concrete research synergies emerging within EU4Dual. The editorial concludes by presenting the journal as a new European platform for evidence-based dialogue among universities, companies, policymakers and students, inviting ongoing contribution to the future of dual higher education.