Maarit Virolainen (PhD, Adult Education) is a senior researcher at the Finnish Institute of Educational Research, University of Jyväskylä, Finland. Her studies have focused on the combination of learning, education and work. Learning from work experience has been her continuing research interest, as well as transitions from education to work. At present she involved in e.g. the project Wisdom in Practice (https://ktl.jyu.fi/en/research/esse/wisdom-in-practice). She has participated in several national and international research projects since her career began.
She is active in national and Nordic research networks in vocational education and training, such as the Finnish Vocational Educational Research Association (FiVERA) (i.e. Ottu ry, in Finnish) and NordYrk, and is a member of the editorial boards of the following peer-reviewed journals: the Finnish Journal of Professional and Vocational Education - Ammattikasvatuksen aikakauskirja (akakk.fi), Nordic Journal of Vocational Education and Training (NJVET), the Journal of Vocational Education & Training | Taylor & Francis Online (JVET), International Journal of Training and Development, and the Finnish journal of rescue and safety research: Pelastus- ja turvallisuustutkimus -lehti. - Pelastusopisto.
Maarit Virolainen is a Senior Researcher at the Finnish Institute for Educational Research (FIER), University of Jyväskylä. Her research addresses the organisation of learning through work experience within vocational education and training and transitions from post‑compulsory education to higher education and the world of work.
She has a particular interest in Nordic models of vocational education and training, focusing on how different institutional arrangements support learners’ pathways to employment and further studies. Her research interests centre on the development of post‑compulsory education and learning from work experience across educational contexts.
Currently, she is researching how experts develop wisdom in professional practice as part of the Wisdom in Practice project, funded by the Research Council of Finland (2022–2026)
