Irene Psifidou

Dr. Irene Psifidou is an education and training policy analyst working over the past seven years in this field. 

Irene joined Cedefop, the European Agency for the development of Vocational Education and training (VET) in Thessaloniki (Greece) in 2004. In her capacity as VET expert, she is in charge of analysing, monitoring and evaluating education and training policies and programmes related to the implementation of the EU lifelong learning programme and more particularly, the European Qualifications Framework and learning outcomes approaches in VET provision, in close collaboration with the European Commission, stakeholders and networks at national and European levels. 

 

Before Joining Cedefop, Irene worked at the World Bank H.Q. in Washington DC on secondary education policy for developing countries, managing research projects on curriculum policy and teachers’ training in transitional Balkan countries, supporting the World Bank’s work on “Education for the Knowledge Economy”.

Irene graduated from the Aristotle University in Thessaloniki (Greece) and completed her postgraduate studies in Spain. She got a master degree in International Studies and Developmental Cooperation for the Alleviation of Poverty from the University of Barcelona (UB) and a second Master degree in Applied Linguistics from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). Later, she got her PhD in Comparative Education Policy from UAB in collaboration with the Open University (UNED) in Madrid.

She is the author of a number of comparative research papers on curriculum policy and teachers’ training published in scientific bulletins and journals and has contributed to numerous European and international conferences and symposiums.