Search Results for
"learning"

Purpose: We investigate whether women are more likely than men to choose to pursue a competency-based labour market integration programme, rather than the time-based labour market integration programme. We further investigate whether women with existing but uncertified skills are even more likely to pursue a competency-based labour market integration programme. Design/methodology/approach: We test our hypotheses using ordinary least squares applied to linear probability models. We discuss the relative advantages of this methodology. We show the robustness of our results through multiple specifications and estimation methods. Finally, we discuss the reasons preventing us from granting our results a causal interpretation and discuss how they are surmountable in future research. Findings: Women are significantly more likely to enrol into competency-based programmes, relative to time-based. Women with existing but uncertified skills are significantly more likely to enrol into competency-based programmes, whereas women without skills or with college degrees are not significantly different from the baseline. Our findings are robust to various specifications, and we include a comprehensive set of fixed-effect vectors, addressing industrial, occupational and time-varying state specificities. Research limitations/implications: First, our empirical test of hypothesis H2 is hindered by the construction of the “some college or associate’s degree” variable in RAPIDS data. “Some college” is very different from an associate’s degree. Second we had to choose between omitted variable bias and selection bias. Because of the demonstrated importance of the occupation and industry variables in existing literature, we included those variables at the risk of selection bias. Occupation and industry fixed effects reduce, but do not eliminate, omitted variable bias. Finally, the third limitation of this paper is external validity. Registered Apprenticeship programmes are quite idiosyncratic to the United States. Social implications: The rollout and expansion of CBRA may thus be an avenue through policymakers may reduce the gender training gap. This may in turn give more women access to the labour market and allow more women to benefit from the “wage premia” of Registered Apprenticeship completion on the labour market (Lou and Hawley, 2019). Originality/value: This article is the first that applies econometric methods to investigate women’s choices of labour market integration programmes, using Registered Apprenticeship as a case study. We discuss the implications of our findings, highlighting how competency-based programmes may be an approach to better serving more diverse populations in Registered Apprenticeship. © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited.

This research explores the role of external feedback (provided by a foreign business community or FBC) in students’ learning. The aim is to determine whether indirect constructive feedback can sustain learning interest among disengaged students of upper secondary schools located in a large urban environment. The survey is constructed based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, while the feedback design stems from the Double-Loop learning concept. Data were collected from 176 former and current students. The findings show that indirect constructive feedback has a significant influence on both attitude and paradigm (relating to learning). The findings show that indirect constructive feedback has a significant positive influence on both attitude and paradigm (relating to learning). Consistency, trust, teacher collaboration, and understanding students’ needs represent important factors when designing indirect constructive feedback from an external source. © 2025 by the authors.

This research investigates how using different teaching methods assists in the diffusion of Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE) skills among Bachelor of Technology and Livelihood Education (BTLED) faculty members. Moreover, the study will indicate the frequency and effectiveness of different course methods toward ensuring that students acquire and apply TLE skills effectively. The study identifies the barriers to effectively acquiring skills, such as resource and financial constraints and students' self-efficacy. In an even more interesting revelation, the findings of this research will show a strong negative relationship between the age of educators and the use of teaching methods, indicating the necessity of continued professional development for them. The study found that successful TLE programs rely on multiple-pronged approaches such as project-based learning, partnering with industry, technology in TLE, finances, and ongoing professional development for instructors. If these suggestions are instituted, TLE programs could build a more effective and engaging environment for learners to prepare them to succeed in a technology-driven economic climate. © 2025 D. Arroz et al.

Graduate employability remains a crucial challenge for higher education institutions, especially in developing economies. This study investigates the key academic and vocational factors influencing early employment outcomes among recent graduates at a public university in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta region. By leveraging predictive analytics, the research explores how data-driven approaches can enhance career readiness strategies. The analysis employed AI-driven models, particularly classification and regression trees (CARTs), using a dataset of 610 recent graduates from a public university in the Mekong Delta to predict early employability. The input factors included gender, field of study, university entrance scores, and grade point average (GPA) scores for four university years. The output factor was recent graduates’ (un)employment within six months after graduation. Among all input factors, third-year GPA, university entrance scores, and final-year academic performance are the most significant predictors of early employment. Among the tested models, CARTs achieved the highest accuracy (93.6%), offering interpretable decision rules that can inform curriculum design and career support services. This study contributes to the intersection of artificial intelligence and vocational education by providing actionable insights for universities, policymakers, and employers, supporting the alignment of education with labor market demands and improving graduate employability outcomes. © 2025 by the authors.

Micro-credentials (MCs) emerged as a powerful tool to advance employability and lifelong learning while opening opportunities for diverse career directions for individuals. They are generally short programmes and have a specific focus on developing complementary skills in a particular area of interest for the learner. This paper presents a critical narrative review exploring the transformative potential of micro-credentials, which provide targeted, flexible, and accessible pathways for skill development and career advancement. It examines how micro-credentials bridge the gap between traditional education and modern industry demands and recognises the importance of collaborative efforts between higher education and industry in identifying and sometimes even co-designing relevant micro-credential programmes. Additionally, the paper analyses the impact of micro-credential programmes on non-traditional learners and discusses the mechanisms to ensure the quality and credibility of such programmes. The findings highlight four key thematic areas, revealing that micro-credentials serve as flexible, inclusive tools that enhance employability, support institutional innovation, and promote lifelong learning. © 2025 by the authors.

In recent years, entrepreneurial learning in higher education institutions has been promoted and supported to help students become job creators rather than job seekers. The main purpose of entrepreneurial learning is to develop entrepreneurial competencies in terms of knowledge, skills, and attitudes to attain the entrepreneurial goal of new value creation. This value extends beyond only economic value and job creation; it can, therefore, also benefit students who do not become entrepreneurs but who choose to think entrepreneurially. However, an enduring problem is ensuring that the entrepreneurial learning process is interactive, effective, and meaningful to the students. Correspondingly, self-directed learning (SDL) can be used in higher education to enhance entrepreneurial learning. This paper discusses the analyses of the role and importance of self-directed learning in the process of entrepreneurial learning for students in higher education institutions, informed by an exploratory systematic literature review. The findings reveal that SDL can play an important role in enhancing entrepreneurial learning by initiating the learning process to develop students’ entrepreneurial skills, mindset, motivation, creativity, and innovation, which serve as competencies for success as entrepreneurial thinkers. Based on the findings, the author concludes that SDL plays an important role in enhancing entrepreneurial learning in higher education institutions. Adopting SDL as a key strategy for teaching and learning in higher education can improve the effectiveness of entrepreneurial learning and help develop students into entrepreneurial thinkers. The practical implications are that the use of SDL in entrepreneurial learning can develop a spirit of creativity, create value on several levels, and empower students to become job creators instead of job seekers as higher education institutions prepare them for life after graduation. © 2025 by the author.

This study examines adult migrant students’ and Finnish vocational teachers’ experiences of migrant students’ learning in workplaces as part of vocational education and training qualifications. Theoretically, this study draws on previous research on students’ work-based learning, including insights from the 3P model (presage–process–product factors), as well as the literature on learning and working in a new linguistic and cultural context. The data were collected through individual interviews (n = 11) and a group interview (n = 6) with migrant students and individual interviews with vocational teachers (n = 13). The analysis provides insights into learner-specific and workplace-specific presage factors of migrant students’ learning at workplaces. We propose that these insights should be recognised when searching for new pedagogical solutions aiming at enhancing understanding of migrants’ learning at workplaces. The findings highlight the need to develop the integration of school-based and work-based learning while recognising (1) the benefits of workplace learning for migrant students’ learning and their journeys toward becoming members of work communities, and (2) stereotypical views that may hinder migrants’ efforts to access the benefits of learning in the workplace. © 2025 by the authors.

Exploring the potential of text-to-image generation technology in Taiwanese vocational high school art courses, this study employs a conceptual framework of technology integration, creative thinking, and metacognitive abilities, focusing on its effects on teaching strategies as well as students’ digital art creation skills and cognitive and creative development. The study was conducted through a multi-methodological approach that includes a systematic literature review plus participatory action research and qualitative analysis. The results showed that integrating text-to-image technology with education boosted students’ interest in activities such as prompt design and project creation and suited themes like landscapes and conceptual art. Testing AI tools enhanced technical proficiency (average of 3.95/5), while pedagogy shifted to project-based learning, increasing engagement. Students’ digital art skills improved from 3.26 to 3.78 (16% growth), with creativity and originality (3.82/5), style diversity, visual complexity, and divergent thinking notably advanced. The technology also fostered metacognitive skills and critical thinking, proving to be an effective teaching aid beyond a mere digital tool. This discovery provides a fresh theoretical viewpoint and instructional procedures for high school art education curricula, anchored in technology, and highlights the importance of nurturing students’ innovativeness and adaptability within the contemporary digital age. © 2025 by the authors.

With the growing interest in entrepreneurship, increased attention has been paid to entrepreneurship education. In recent years, attention has been paid to entrepreneurship education in engineering majors. This study examines the impact of attitude, subjective norms, and self-efficacy toward entrepreneurial intention and the moderating role of entrepreneurship education among students at the National Institute of Technology, Tsuruoka College, Japan. This study was grounded in the theory of planned behavior and social cognitive theory, suggesting a new approach to examining entrepreneurship education in engineering students. A questionnaire survey was conducted with 275 Japanese students (150 second-year students and 125 fourth-year students). Employing structural equation modeling, the findings indicated that attitude and self-efficacy significantly influence entrepreneurship intentions, with notable differences between the second- and fourth-year students. Results have suggested focusing both on project-based learning and theory-based learning to nurture knowledge, skill, and mindset to comprehensively develop entrepreneurial intention. © 2025 by the authors.

Millions of young Africans earn a variety of qualifications annually, yet the majority return without prospects for employment. This challenge has become a catalyst for inequality, poverty, crime involvement, and international migration. Empirical discourse points to education—such as a pedagogy that is chiefly theory-oriented rather than aligned with a knowledge economy, mismatched skills, and irrelevant qualifications—as constraints that contribute to the unemployment of the continent’s vibrant young graduates. Amidst this surging issue, the call for transformation in higher learning has never been clearer. Focusing on rural landscapes, this case study analysed the contextual employability potential of graduates pursuing an entrepreneurial university trajectory in Africa, illustrating why the paradigm should be implemented. The findings, based on qualitative data collected using a semi-structured questionnaire through one-on-one and remote approaches from stakeholders in universities across five African countries, highlight three dimensions central to this pathway. These include (1) curriculum alignment to advance cutting-edge qualifications and skill development that resonate with industrial demand and local economic priorities; (2) stakeholder embeddings in which universities strive to partner with local organisations and established alumni to provide mentorship, job leads, and referrals; and (3) innovation hubs that offer a variety of entrepreneurial support, real-world experience, and Indigenous entrepreneurship practices, leading to unique new ventures and employment opportunities. Implementing this strategy will enable rural-based universities in Africa to innovate in promoting graduate employability, socioeconomic advancements, and sustainable development, ultimately shaping a brighter future for the continent. Further studies could test the assumptions for broader application using statistical analysis. © 2025 by the author.