Special Issue on AS2025: Education, Skills, and Development. New Frontiers in Learning, Innovation, and Inclusion
Dedicated to the Alliance Summit 2025 – Skillman, Ancona, 9-10 July 2025
We are pleased to announce a Special Issue of ECONOMIA MARCHE - Journal of Applied Economics dedicated to short papers (max 4,000 words) on the evolving intersections of education, skills development, and regional economic growth.
This issue builds upon the interesting insights emerged from the Skillman Alliance Summit 2025, recently held in Ancona, which gathered experts, researchers and practitioners from across Europe and beyond with the aim of discussing and advancing our knowledge on Education and Training Systems for a Just Transition, Sustainable and Digital Transformation, Resilient Societies, and cohesion in the Adriatic-Ionian Region.
The summit offered a rich platform to explore emerging trends, challenges, and innovations shaping education and training systems worldwide. Core themes included:
• Sustainability, Inclusion & Regional Development: How education and skills policies can drive sustainable growth, strengthen social cohesion, and foster balanced territorial development.
• Entrepreneurship & Competence: The role of entrepreneurial education, competence-based learning, and new approaches to fostering innovation, adaptability, and employability.
• Skills & TVET Innovation: Innovations in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), including flexible pathways, lifelong learning, and responsive curricula.
• Digital & Immersive Learning: The impact of digital technologies, AI, and immersive environments on learning experiences, teaching practices, and skills acquisition.
The Special Issue welcomes original research, applied studies, policy analyses, and case-based contributions from both participants of the Skillman Alliance Summit 2025 and external authors working on closely related topics.
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Key dates
Abstract Submission Deadline – August 31st, 2025
Notification of Abstract Evaluation Results – September 10th, 2025
Submission Short Paper Deadline – October 10th, 2025
Short Paper Publication – October 30th, 2025
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Submission Guidelines
The abstracts have to be submitted through the ECONOMIA MARCHE – Journal of Applied Economics submission portal, according to the author guidelines LINK, clearly indicating that the submission is for the AS2025 Special Issue. The abstracts will be evaluated by the editorial committee, which will promptly decide whether the authors may proceed with the submission of the short paper through the submission portal.
Please note that the acceptance of the abstract does not imply acceptance of the paper. The short paper will be subject to a fast double-blind peer-review process. With a few exceptions, in which submissions are sent back for small editorial revisions before acceptance, each paper will be either accepted as is or rejected. ECONOMIA MARCHE - Journal of Applied Economics aims to have a quick turnover time.
Important features of the "short paper" format are:
• Concise: Contributions are usually limited to 4,000 words, excluding references.
• Rapid: The review process and online publication ensure a rapid manuscript turnover time.
• Efficient: A quick way to stay up-to-date with developments in all areas of economics.