| Recruitment and training of German companies in Japan | German Institute for Japanese Studies (DIJ) | Germany, Japan | Since 2025 | |
| Recruitment practices in times of demographic change: The case of Japan | University of Cologne | Germany, Japan | 2024-2025 | Hennings, M., Pilz, M. & Bebenroth, R. (2025). Recruitment Practices in Times of Demographic Change: The Case of Japan. In: International Journal of Training and Development. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijtd.12361 |
| The transition from university to employment in Japan in times of demographic change | German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) | Germany, Japan | Ongoing since 2023 | |
| RecoVET | Co-funded by the European Union | Germany, Italy, Austria, Spain | 2022-2024 | Schlüter, E. & Li J. (2024). Qualitätsindikatoren für die Evaluation von beruflichen Integrationsprogrammen für Geflüchtete am Beispiel von ‚RecoVET‘ – Recognition of good VET practice for the refugees. Zeitschrift für Evaluation, 23(2), 273-280. https://doi.org/10.31244/zfe.2024.02.07 Schlüter, E., Li, J. & Hautz, H. (2025) RecoVET - Berufliche Bildung für Menschen mit Fluchterfahrung. In: M. Lang (Ed.) Bildung und Beruf Ausgabe April 2025, 14-16. |
| Multinational companies and local knowledge base | German research committee (DFG) | USA, UK, France, Japan, China, Germany | 2019-2023 | Publications can be found here |
| DualReg | Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) | Mexico | 2019-2023 | Publications can be found here |
| CodeVET | Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) | Germany, China, Russia | 2019-2022 | Publications can be found here |
| Attractiveness of VET | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science | Germany, India, China, Japan | 2018-2025 | Pilz, Matthias (2025), Status, image, standing and so on: a conceptual framework to systematise attractiveness of vocational education and training. In: Education and Training, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-01-2024-0038 Hao, T., & Pilz, M. (2021). Attractiveness of VET in China: a study on secondary vocational students and their parents. Journal of Education and Work, 34(4), 472–487. https://doi.org/10.1080/13639080.2021.1946492 Pilz, M., Ramasamy, M. (2022). Attractiveness of Vocational Education and Training in India: Perspectives of Different Actors with a Special Focus on Employers. In: Billett, S., Stalder, B.E., Aarkrog, V., Choy, S., Hodge, S., Le, A.H. (eds) The Standing of Vocational Education and the Occupations It Serves. Professional and Practice-based Learning, vol 32. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-96237-1_9 Ajithkumar, U. & Pilz, M. (2019), "Attractiveness of Industrial Training Institutes (ITI) in India: A study on ITI students and their parents", Education + Training, Vol. 61 No. 2, pp. 153-168. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-04-2018-0102 Jambo, Svenja; Pilz, Matthias (2018), Perceptions of teachers in Industrial Training Institutes: an exploratory study of the attractiveness of vocational education in India. In: International Journal of Training Research, Vol. 16, No. 1, S. 4-18 |
| Can dual apprenticeships create better and more equitable social and economic outcomes for young people? A comparative study of India and Mexico | Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) | Mexico, India | 2018-2021 | |
| e3-Cases | Co-funded by the European Union | Germany, Belgium, Poland, Czech Republic | 2018-2021 | |
| BioFit: Integrating basic economic understanding into non-economic courses of study. An example of case-based university education for prospective biologists | Stifterverband | Germany | 2018-2021 | Pilz, M.; Hofmeister, C.; Faßbender, U.; Papenbrock, J. (2020). Entrepreneurship Education für Studierende der Biologie: Didaktisches Design und Befunde. die hochschullehre Jahrgang 06/2020. |
| Indicators of Good VET practice for refugees (GoodVET) | Co-funded by the European Union | Italy, Denmark, Austria, Germany | 2017-2019 | |
| AufbaU (Setup): Tasks in Business Academic Teaching | Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, University of Cologne | Germany | 2017-2018 | |
| Apprenticeship in the Aerospace Industry in the UK and Germany | German Research Foundation (DFG) | Germany, England | 2017-2018 | |
| Recruitment and training cultures in SMEs in Australia, Germany and the United States | Chair of Business Education and International VET Research | Australia, Germany, USA | 2016-2023 | Zenner-Höffkes, Lea; Harris, Roger; Zirkle, Chris; Pilz, Matthias (2021), A comparative study of the expectations of SME employers recruiting young people in Germany, Australia and the United States. In: International Journal of Training and Development, Vol. 25, No. 2, S. 124–143. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijtd.12214
Pilz, M., Harris, R., Zenner-Höffkes, L., Zirkle, C. (2020). Undertaking comparative VET research in international teams: The example of exploring recruitment and training cultures in SMEs in Germany, Australia and the United States. In: Pilz, M., Li, J. (eds) Comparative Vocational Education Research. Internationale Berufsbildungsforschung. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-29924-8_17 Pilz, M., Sakano, S. (2023). Recruitment and Training in Japanese SMEs: A Case Study Concerning Lifelong Learning in the Manufacturing Industry at the Tokyo Metropolitan Area. In: Lee, W.O., Brown, P., Goodwin, A.L., Green, A. (eds) International Handbook on Education Development in the Asia-Pacific. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-6887-7_40 |
| Global Strategies and Local Forms of Vocational Education and Training in German Multinational Companies | German Research Foundation (DFG) | China, India, Mexico | 2015-2018 | |
| Retail Sector Competencies for all Teachers (ReCall) | Co-funded by the European Union | Germany, Italy, Poland | 2015-2017 | Publications can be found here |
| Work readiness of school leavers in Germany and England | Chair of Business Education and International VET Research | Germany, England | 2014-2018 | |
| Training strategies of German companies | | Japan, China, India, USA | 2014-2018 | Pilz, M. (2016). Training Patterns of German Companies in India, China, Japan and the USA: What Really Works?. International Journal for Research in Vocational Education and Training, 3(2), 66–87. https://doi.org/10.13152/IJRVET.3.2.1 van der Burgt, J., Li, J., Wilbertz, C. & Pilz, M. (2014). Qualifizierungsstrategien deutscher Unternehmen in Japan, Indien und China –Deutsche Vorbilder oder einheimische Verfahrensweisen? In: Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft, 14. Jg., H. 1, S. 135-158 |
| Policy-Transfer of German vocational education and training evaluation concepts to China | Chair of Business Education and International VET Research | Germany, China | 2013-2017 | Li, J. (2017). Policy-Transfer von deutschen Evaluationskonzepten der Berufsbildung nach China. Eine Analyse am Beispiel des Peer-Review-Verfahrens. Springer VS. |
| Pre-vocational in India, China, USA and Germany | Chair of Business Education and International VET Research | India, China, USA, Germany | 2011-2017 | Pilz, M., Krisanthan, B., Michalik, B., Zenner, L., & Li, J. (2016). Learning for life and/or work: The status quo of pre-vocational education in India, China, Germany and the USA. Research in Comparative and International Education, 11(2), 117-134. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745499916637173 |
| ReSeCo: Retail Sector Competencies | Co-funded by the European Union | Germany, Italy, Poland | 2011-2013 | Publications can be found here |
| A New Passage to India: Center for Modern Indian Studies | German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) | Germany, India | 2010-2017 | |
| FiFoBi: Fit for business: Developing Business Competencies in School | Co-funded by the European Union | Germany, Latvia, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, Hungary | 2009-2011 | |
| Sesoko-fit: Promoting self- and social competence in secondary school education to further develop training readiness (SeSoko-fit: Förderung von Selbst- und Sozialkompetenz im Hauptschulunterricht zur Weiterentwicklung der Ausbildungsreife) | Research Association of the University of Education Baden-Württemberg | Germany | 2007-2010 | |