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Background: From the students’ perspective, the research evaluates their views on core competencies and their own developmental needs within pharmaceutical education, attempting to explore potential pathways for optimizing students’ core competencies. This study seeks to enhance students’ core competencies, enrich learning and development theories, and establish a basis and reference for cultivating high-caliber pharmaceutical talents. Methods: Establishing a core competency index system for pharmacy major, a survey questionnaire comprising 41 items across four dimensions (knowledge, skills, abilities, and values) was designed. Using stratified cluster sampling, 919 valid responses were collected. Descriptive statistics, variance analysis, and chi-square test were used to analyze the perceptions of pharmaceutical students on core competencies’ importance for professional growth and their satisfaction with teaching, and to examine disparities in the development of core competencies among different groups of students. Results: The study revealed deficiencies in pharmaceutical students’ core competencies regarding artificial intelligence, pharmaceutical application, medical care, etc. Differential analysis indicated that significant differences across education levels: undergraduates prioritized foundational knowledge and ethical norms, while postgraduates emphasized project-based learning and ability improvement. Students with work or project experience placed higher value on knowledge application, systematic thinking, strategic capabilities, and innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence. Conclusion: This study evaluates pharmaceutical core competency education from the student perspective, revealing their perceptions of developmental requirements. The research proposes an optimization pathway: the curriculum reform of pharmaceutical higher education should be scientific, general, innovative, practical and humanistic, thereby providing a reference for reforming pharmaceutical higher education. © The Author(s) 2025.

Simulations are a common tool in training aircrews, medical personnel and educators, providing experience in scenarios from the relevant content area and expanding the range of responses that simulation participants can acquire before they enter the field. Simulations have also been used in dietetic internships to improve clinical counseling skills. However, the use of structured simulations that involve progressive, multisession patient interactions has not been extensively studied in the context of dietetic internships. This study employed consecutive scenario models where interns developed ongoing interactions with the same simulated patient over multiple sessions, representing a significant methodological innovation in the field. A mixed method methodology was used to analyze closed and open-ended questionnaires which were administered to twenty-one interns, simulation actors and professional dietitians. This pilot study demonstrates the effectiveness of group and individual simulation training in enhancing dietetic interns’ counseling skills during their training and describes how simulation can contribute to both the professional skills and self-efficacy required to lead a counseling session. These findings will enable additional academic departments to examine the integration of simulation into the training programs of interns in tracks that include a practicum. © The Author(s) 2025.

Vocational education and training (VET) suffers from declining interest and is often perceived as non-attractive. This view may deprive young people of a potentially rewarding and satisfying career. There are also a variety of challenges in vocational didactics and in the cooperation between education systems and trades. In this article, it is argued that one reason for this is epistemological and that there is a lack of a proper recognition of vocational expertise. Thus, the aim is to contribute to an exploration of vocational expertise and its connection to knowledge, a vocation, agency and discuss how this becomes relevant for VET. The empirical material consists of earlier video-recorded workplace studies which are revisited and reanalysed. Here importance is given to tacit knowledge and practical wisdom. The analysis is underpinned by knowledge and practice theories, and it is concluded that vocational expertise could be defined as a specific kind of knowing that is cultivated through the acquaintance with a vocational practice in which the expert has the agency. This conclusion is supported by a conceptualisation of a vocation as a practice of social, cultural, and historical value for its practitioners as well as for the society. In other words, agency is a given and needs to be embedded and recognised in expertise. Finally, there is a discussion of possible implications for VET. © The Author(s) 2025.

The CDIO approach had been implemented in the CNC lathe retrofit manufacturing process to support learning in vocational schools, such as SMK and polytechnics. This research aims to evaluate the improvement of technology-based student competencies that are relevant to the needs of industry 4.0. The stages in this method are divided into three, namely the initial identification of the problem or project, designing the model and electrical sub-components and analyzing the improvement of process evaluation results. The implementation actively involves the collaboration of 4–6 students from various cross majors by appointing one student as a leader who is supervised by a lecturer as a project manager and an instructor as a project facilitator. Validation of the project takes place upon completion of the project activities, with student groups submitting a report detailing the project implementation design, logbook, and final deliverables. This documentation is comprehensively reviewed by the project manager, faculty team, and an interdisciplinary expert committee to assess the validation results of the activity, which will be integrated into the relevant course assessment. This evaluation and validation review relates to a 13-point institutionally developed instrument that is linear to the discipline-specific graduate outcomes. The results of the analysis show that the majority of respondents from students and lecturers agree that the CDIO approach strengthens the understanding of technical concepts and practical skills through structured learning stages, from designing to operating prototype products. In addition, it can also integrate through aspects of collaboration, problem solving, and innovation that support the needs of modern industry. • The implementation of CDIO (Conceive, Design, Implement, Operate) is essential in vocational faculty, vocational high schools (SMK), and polytechnics, particularly for CNC-based universal turn drill retrofit manufacturing projects, as this methodology promotes practice-oriented learning, industry relevance, and aligns with a 12-standard framework • Through a Likert scale-based data collection method, this study measured the level of understanding, technical skills, and user satisfaction with the concept of CNC retrofitting. • The success of this method is measured through several parameters, including increased student competence, active involvement in the project, and the final product produced with an average approval percentage score above 70 %. © 2025 The Author(s)

Background: Internship programs are essential for bridging the gap between theoretical education and practical application. They equip students with the practical skills, relevant knowledge, and professional networks necessary for career success. This study explores the experiences of Health Information Management (HIM) stakeholders, including faculty, interns, and hospital supervisors in Ghana. Methods: The study was conducted across ten hospitals in six of Ghana's sixteen administrative regions between 18th July and 30th August 2024. A concurrent mixed methods design incorporating qualitative (In-depth interviews) and quantitative (survey) was used. Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory provided the conceptual framework to interpret how interns learn through real-world engagement. Results: Seventy-nine HIM students participated in the quantitative survey. Of the interns surveyed, 96.2 % (n = 76) reported that site supervisors could readily address their questions and provide guidance. A similar percentage reported gaining new knowledge, with most interns noting significant improvement in teamwork skills. Unadjusted regression analysis identified key factors influencing overall satisfaction, highlighting opportunities to demonstrate initiatives beyond basic requirements, perceptions of enhanced employment prospects, and contributing to meaningful outcomes. Qualitative data from in-depth interviews revealed challenges like non-adherence to logbook modules and inadequate supervision. Despite these issues, the presence of interns was perceived as a benefit to the facilities, as they were seen to enhance staff capacity. Conclusion: This study highlights the critical role internships play in professional development, while also drawing attention to key challenges such as non-adherence to logbook requirements, limited financial support, and program durations. Recommendations for improving the internship experience include ensuring consistent and effective supervision, extending the program durations, adhering to logbook modules, and providing financial assistance to support interns. © 2025 The Authors

Introduction: While it is well-established that structural obstacles such as low local employment opportunities negatively affect adolescents’ school-to-work transitions, the impact of individual agency in relation to these obstacles is understudied. Hence, we focus on the key research question of how adolescents’ goal-striving resources—tenacious goal pursuit (TGP) and flexible goal adjustment (FGA)—affect successful transitions from secondary school to vocational education and training (VET) against the backdrop of structural obstacles in the local context. Methods: We measured transition success in terms of a) the start of a VET position, b) concordance between attained and aspired VET position, c) deviance from the aspired position and d) satisfaction with the attained VET position. We examined our research questions in a longitudinal design, using data from the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS). Our sample consisted of adolescents who graduated in 2012/2016 with the aspiration to start VET (N = 3382; MAge = 16.77; nFemales = 1524). We conducted multiple regression analyses to answer our research questions. Results: We found interaction effects of TGP × FGA on three out of four indicators of transition success. Their direction did not only depend on the outcome variable under examination but also on the structure of the local context: High levels of both TGP and FGA are helpful in favorable contexts—that means when local unemployment is low—but maladaptive when structural obstacles are high. Conclusion: We recommend that support programs for adolescents that aim to enhance goal-striving resources should consider these complex interrelations. © 2025 The Author(s). Journal of Adolescence published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Foundation for Professionals in Services to Adolescents.

Concerns have been raised about the readiness of social work graduates for criminal justice practice in many countries, including the United States and Australia. Social workers play an essential role in the criminal justice system, so equipping graduates with the necessary skills, knowledge, and confidence for effective practice is crucial. Using factor analysis and logistic regression, the study investigates the relationship (calibrated vs misaligned) between student self-assessed confidence and their graded competence in a simulated activity. This study examines the alignment and relationship between confidence and competence in American and Australian social work and criminology students (n = 204). Findings reveal a miscalibration between confidence and skill level, with students often over- or underestimating their abilities. The results indicate that field education and work experience support student skill-building but does not necessarily lead to high confidence-competence alignment. This suggests confidence fluctuates as students engage with increasingly complex knowledge and practice. The results reinforce the idea that graduates should not be considered ‘end-products’ but require ongoing workplace learning, supervision, and support. To enhance forensic social work readiness, universities and industry stakeholders must collaborate to integrate experiential learning, structured supervision, and reflective practice into both pre- and post-graduate education. © The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

Aim: This scoping review synthesizes strategies for curriculum review and revision that support the implementation of CBE in nursing programs. Background: As the demands of modern healthcare systems evolve, nursing education must adapt to ensure that graduates possess the competencies required for effective, patient-centered care. Competency-based education (CBE) offers a robust framework to guide such transformation. Methods: Following the JBI methodology and PRISMA-ScR guidelines, a scoping review was conducted across five databases. Studies were screened based on inclusion criteria aligned with the Population–Concept–Context (PCC) framework. Peer-reviewed research and reviews were included, while commentaries, editorials, and gray literature were excluded. Data were extracted using a structured form and analyzed thematically using NVivo 15. Findings: A total of 37 peer-reviewed studies were included, spanning a range of international settings and methodological designs. Key strategies identified were thematically categorized into three domains: curriculum design, teaching methods, and assessment. Implementation challenges involved faculty resistance and resource limitations, addressed through stakeholder engagement, faculty development, and technology integration. The findings demonstrate CBE’s potential to transform nursing education when supported by systemic strategies. Conclusion: The findings underscores the importance of a systemic approach to CBE integration, involving curriculum redesign, innovative teaching methods, and robust assessment frameworks. The findings provide actionable insights for nursing educators and institutions to enhance workforce readiness and align education with contemporary healthcare demands. By addressing challenges and leveraging evidence-based strategies, nursing programs can successfully transition to CBE and better prepare graduates for the complexities of modern practice. © The Author(s) 2025.

The promise of knowledge society is clean, creative, and expressive work. Technological advancements would relieve humans from the tedium and hardship of labor, and access to knowledge and expansion of higher education would diminish the existing social inequalities of industrial society. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in Switzerland's mechanical and electrical engineering industry, this article illustrates how the work experiences of apprentices challenge the image of labor in a knowledge society ostensibly freed from all forms of material, technological, and social constraint. I demonstrate that the persistence of the tedium and potential danger of industrial work, of organizational hierarchies, the decreasing social validation of mechanical and manual labor, and expectations and aspirations to singularity make youth increasingly interested in other kinds of employment and training. The article takes the work and learning relations in the Swiss mechanical and electrical engineering sector as a symptom of emerging tensions around the division of labor and valorization of different forms of skills, and the meaning and motivations of work in late capitalism. I argue that future anthropological studies of work and education in de-industrialized settings might do well to examine the social critique of industrial work in concert with its aesthetic critique. © 2025 American Anthropological Association.

Vocational education and training (VET) systems are characterized by both gender-specific occupational segregation and vertical occupational segmentation, leading to considerable differences in income and employment stability prospects across individual training occupations. For refugee men and women in particular, whose labor market positioning is crucial for their socio-economic integration in the host country, it is therefore not only important that they enter VET, but also which specific occupation they enter. This article investigates, first, whether the dual training occupations pursued in Germany by men and women with a refugee background differ from those pursued by those from the majority population in terms of prospective income and employment stability; and second, whether these differences are mediated by variations in search and application strategies as well as network resources, on the one hand, and differences in school-leaving qualifications, on the other. Drawing on data from the BA/BIBB Applicants Survey and the Refugee Migration Study (N = 6,055), the results show that men and women with a refugee background are more likely to enter training occupations with significantly lower occupation-specific salaries than their counterparts in the majority population. Refugee men also tend to pursue occupations with higher occupation-specific unemployment rates, whereas no such difference is found for women. These disparities are only marginally mediated by variations in search and application strategies and network resources, but are largely explained by differences in school-leaving qualifications. When controlling for these resources, women with a refugee background are more likely to enter training occupations with even lower unemployment rates than women from the majority population. © The Author(s) 2025.