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The article develops a framework to explain an empirical observation that runs counter received wisdom in comparative political economy, namely the co-existence of large higher education systems and thriving manufacturing sectors in advanced capitalist countries. Introducing the concept of skill breadth, the article hypothesizes that: (i) advanced manufacturing firms have narrow skill needs concentrated around STEM skills; (ii) these skills are likely to be under-supplied by the higher education system unless dedicated public policies are put in place; and (iii) governments intervene in higher education policy to ensure the availability of those skills that are crucial for firms located in key sectors of national knowledge economies. Cross-country survey data of employer preferences for higher education graduates and case studies of recent higher education policy change in Germany and South Korea provide strong support for the argument. The article advances our overall understanding of skill formation systems in the knowledge economy and testifies to the persistent presence of policy levers that governments can employ to manage the economy and to support domestic firms. © 2021 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Background: The demand for physiotherapy clinical placements is rising which requires innovative approaches and an understanding of clinical placement models. Objective: To determine physiotherapy student contribution to direct patient care activity during a collaborative clinical placement model. Secondary aims determined the impact of clinical area and clinical educator to student (CE:student) ratio and if a group of students could reach equivalent direct patient care activity of a junior or senior physiotherapist. Method: Physiotherapy student, and junior and senior physiotherapist occasions of service (OOS) were collected from five Queensland Public Health Sector hospital information management systems from four physiotherapy clinical areas (i.e. cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, neurorehabilitation, and orthopedics). Number of days of clinical activity was recorded to provide average OOS/day. Results: Across a 5-week clinical placement a group of physiotherapy students in a collaborative clinical placement model provided on average 10.6 OOS/day (95%CI 10.1–11.2). In three (75%) clinical areas, a group of students participating in higher CE:student ratios produced more OOS/day. Clinical area and CE:student ratio predicted 39% of the variance in student average OOS/day. On average a group of students reached the equivalent direct patient care activity of a junior and senior physiotherapist by week two of a 5-week clinical placement. Conclusion: Physiotherapy students in a collaborative clinical placement model met or exceeded the direct patient care activity of a physiotherapist, irrespective of clinical area and CE:student ratio. © 2021 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Although youth research has highlighted the importance of a holistic understanding of the changing nature of youth education to work transitions, few studies have examined these transitions from a process perspective. In this study on continuity and discontinuity of work, the process perspective proved to be useful to analyse the education to work transition of rural-urban migrants in Kathmandu, Nepal. Qualitative longitudinal data, consisting of two consecutive in-depth interviews, with twenty-one participants, reveal how they shift choices, negotiate positions, embrace changes and decisions. A reemphasis on the understanding of rural-urban migrant youth education to work transition as part of a process is suggested calling for a holistic understanding of rural-urban migrant youth education to work transition among scholars and policymakers in Nepal and also in other contexts. © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

At first glance, the physical design of a setting ostensibly seems routine and neutral. However, it tends to powerfully govern who goes where and who can access certain places. Much of the literature on exclusion within education settings often overlook this significance. This paper therefore seeks to rectify this by examining exclusion by design and allocation of physical space at The Site, a fictional name used for the large general further education (FE) college in England’s East Region. Adopting a case study approach over two academic years (2013–2015), qualitative research was undertaken with seven tutors and twenty-six so-called NEET and disengaged youth. Drawing on Wacquant’s theoretical concept of the ghetto, my key findings demonstrated territorial exclusion by design: this employability course was delivered in Q-Block, a temporary prefabricated building positioned out of sight and primarily used to deliver programmes for disabled, mature and disengaged youth on the fringes of education. This article concludes that, whilst existing research on policy and outcomes is useful in understanding the negative educational outcomes of stigmatised youth, a sharper focus is needed on wider social processes and exclusionary continuities in seeking to elucidate how governance processes contribute to their social and spatial marginalisation in education. © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Based on a PhD study, this article explores the experiences of students living in Cumbria and North East England who were undertaking one of two work-based learning social work degrees, one at a local face-to-face university the other at a national distance learning university. Whilst there is a long history of universities in England providing work-based learning routes in social work education, 2010 witnessed a revitalisation with the introduction of graduate schemes followed by apprenticeships in 2018, all situated within local authorities. The article focuses in particular on the significance of identity for work-based learners during their educational journey of ‘becoming’ and ‘being’ a student. By drawing on identity theory, the article analyses how identity is an important concept in understanding the challenges and opportunities for this group of students on their educational journeys into and through higher education. This includes learning for social work education providers about understanding the particular experiences of work-based learners and how to deliver social work education effectively for this group of students. The findings are relevant beyond England particularly as universities move to a more socially distanced mode of delivery as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Autistic adults are inadequately supported in the workplace. This study sought a definition of ‘reasonable’ and explored facilitators and barriers to employers making reasonable adjustments. 98 employers and employees across a UK city completed a survey; 15% identified as being autistic. Qualitative data were analysed using framework analysis. Reasonable adjustments were defined as having a positive impact on autistic employees’ wellbeing and work outputs without being detrimental to non-autistic employees or the organisation; they were low cost and easily implemented. Recommendations were for autism awareness training, low-stimulus work spaces, clear instructions and flexible working hours. A definition of reasonable is added to the literature, with suggestions of where to invest support efforts. Recommendations mostly apply to the education sector. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Building foundational job and social skills for high school students with intellectual disability (ID) is critical for post-school employment success. Unfortunately, students with ID often experience limited opportunities to learn and hone these skills while in school. One way to build job and social skills are through a peer-mediated intervention (PMI) in a work-based learning experience (WBLE). A multiple-baseline design across participant dyads with generalization probes was used to investigate the effects of implementing a PMI on job and social skills for students with ID in a WBLE. Results showed that participants demonstrated improvements in job task independence and social interactions. Furthermore, social interaction quality improved after implementing the PMI for most dyads. Limitations and implications for future research are discussed. © The British Society of Developmental Disabilities 2022.

The article analyses the interaction between the COVID-19 pandemic and social inequality in the United States, taking the state of Maine as a case study. The pandemic has revealed the effects of high economic inequality on public health in the United States, where in comparison to most developed capitalist democracies, the health care system is expensive, inefficient, and highly skewed in quality and accessibility. Likewise, for industries that were already losing jobs, the pandemic has accelerated a painful transition and intensified the harsh social and economic consequences of high and rising inequality, especially for low-wage workers. The case of Maine underscores the point that policies aimed at reducing the disparities in the distribution of income, health care, education, and opportunity will reduce inequality, protect public health, and stimulate economic growth. © 2022 Economic and Political Studies.

Capstone experiences can be an important rite of passage for students. The portfolio has been discussed in social work education discourse as a valuable pedagogic method for a capstone project. However, there are only a small number of studies evaluating the actual impacts of portfolio use in a social work program. This article addresses this gap, describing and evaluating the use of portfolios as capstone projects in a social work program in Hong Kong. The findings suggest that the portfolio-based capstone project is generally a positive experience from both instructors and students’ perspectives and that there are three key learning impacts of this pedagogic method: i) the consolidation of students’ learning throughout the program; ii) professional identity development; and iii) enhanced reflexivity. This study indicates that the small group tutorial format is a key attribute that contributes to these learning impacts. Further, the findings shed light on critical points of review and discussion regarding the program and the professionalization of social work in Hong Kong—specifically, the need to review and discuss the decolonization and localization of social work education. © 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

In response to the need for explicitly linking field-based experiences with theoretical knowledge of pedagogy to effectively prepare teacher candidates, teacher educators are increasingly rethinking the opportunities they provide in their teacher education programs. In this action research article, we describe our efforts as teacher educators to connect pedagogical theories and strategies with practical experiences through a back-to-back integrated teaching approach. We explore how this experience provided early childhood teacher candidates with opportunities to engage with culturally appropriate practices in an authentic classroom setting. During this experience, teacher candidates were responsible for planning, teaching, and assessing children over a series of consecutive days. Using community of practice theory rooted in sociocultural perspectives, we provide a discussion of the themes that emerged as 13 early childhood teacher candidates navigated the organizational structures of this assignment. We focus on lessons we learned as well as teacher candidates’ strengths that developed because of this assignment. The findings reveal the importance of providing teacher candidates with opportunities to learn how to build relationships with their students, preparing them to become culturally and linguistically responsive teachers, and providing opportunities for teacher candidates to learn about various assessments. Finally, we share the assignment protocol, reflection questions, and outcomes. © 2022 Childhood Education International.