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This article examines the institution of apprenticeship in artisanal production during the second half of British colonial rule in India (1850–1950). It proposes that apprenticeships were used strategically by various types of businesses that employed or trained artisanal labour, ranging from craft industries, technical schools and government enterprises. The article focuses on three strands of apprenticeships. First, it discusses the master-apprentice relationships, which were bound through artisanal rituals, customs and community norms. Second, it discusses the mutation of master-apprentice relationships in artisanal workshops undergoing commercialisation. It highlights the role of debt as a key instrument in binding apprentices to master artisans. Finally, it focuses on the colonial state’s interventions to institute indentured apprenticeships, some of which were legally bound. The article highlights the broader colonial discussion on the institution of apprenticeships, including the Indian versions of it, which were marked by the rigidity of caste and unscientific training methods. © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

This article employs a capability approach and a sustainable wellbeing theory to present a holistic analysis of wellbeing dimensions from students’ points of view within Finnish vocational education and training (VET). Drawing from feminist ethnographic research, the article places everyday life at vocational cooking school at the centre of the analysis and explores how students’ opportunities for wellbeing are shaped by power dynamics operating within social relations. The analysis identifies valued functionings for the students, which are further systematised into categories of sustainable wellbeing: Having, Doing, Loving and Being. The paper consolidates findings from previous studies that highlight students’ valuing VET beyond mere labour market opportunities. Additionally, it makes a novel contribution by integrating students’ perspectives on ecological elements into the study of VET and capabilities. The paper demonstrates that opportunities for flourishing are not equally accessible to all students but are embedded in values and norms of employability that operate within social relations. Acknowledging students’ appreciation for ecologically and socially sustainable wellbeing could contribute to transforming VET to better account for the needs of both students and the planet. © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Dual vocational education and training (VET) is said to have positive economic effects. However, recent contributions suggest that the rise of the knowledge economy may undermine these positive effects because university-educated workers are better suited for the new knowledge-intensive jobs. This paper provides the first evidence on the relationship between dual VET and wage inequality in mature knowledge economies. Using a new dataset on 37 advanced economies from 1996 to 2020, we find that dual VET is associated with lower levels of wage inequality. This negative association is particularly strong in the lower half of the wage distribution, which suggests that academically weaker students are the main beneficiaries of dual VET. Using three different indicators of the knowledge economy, we find, contrary to the fears often espoused in the literature, no clear evidence that the knowledge economy erodes this negative association between dual VET and wage inequality. © 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).

This study provides an example of critical performative practice in business school leadership learning. Through qualitative research with an academic team and leadership learners, we offer novel insights into critical performativity; where a critical approach becomes performative through various tactics aimed to disrupt the normative, while engaging with practitioners, practice and the normative. We articulate how we facilitate a critical pedagogy and deliver a normative UK Government Senior Leader Apprenticeship with leadership practitioner learners. Using the metaphor of ‘educators as curators’, we theorise our critical performative tactics through a relational pedagogic process of ‘Elegant Curation’. This illustrates how we practically engage in ‘progressive pragmatism’ aiming to impact on leadership practice by simultaneously combining and switching between critical pedagogy and offering alternatives to normative leadership, while delivering normative apprenticeship knowledge, skills and behaviours. We extend understandings of critical performative practice and how critical leadership learning can practically respond to contemporary society and organisational contexts by highlighting how critical performative tactics can both disrupt the normative and ‘deliver’ a Senior Leader Apprenticeship. © 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).

Purpose – The purpose of this research article is to explore the strategies and frameworks employed for Industry 4.0 integration, study the effects of Industry 4.0 integration on student engagement and outcomes, identify the challenges faced by educators due to the integration of Industry 4.0 in higher education institutions (HEIs) and suggest curricular designs aligned with Industry 4.0 job market requirements. Finally, strategies for equitable access and the long-term impacts of Industry 4.0 integration on the education landscape and job market are identified. Design/methodology/approach – Research articles from various electronic databases such as Google Scholar, Scopus, Science Direct and Web of Science are reviewed and analyzed. Then, research gaps are identified, and six research questions are developed and addressed. Findings – It has been observed that a strategic framework is required for the effective integration of Industry 4.0 technologies in HEIs. This framework should highlight collaboration between academia and industry, robust professional development programs for educators and innovative curricular designs. Integration of Industry 4.0 in HEIs has positively impacted student engagement and learning outcomes, but it also brings challenges for educators. Well-established strategies are required to bridge the digital divide and address the key concern of equitable access. In the long term, Industry 4.0 integration in HEIs will help to meet the dynamic needs of the future job market and reshape the higher education landscape. Practical implications – This research provides practical implications to HEIs, policymakers and educators to effectively integrate Industry 4.0-enabled technologies. This integration will lead to improvement in teaching and learning experiences, curriculum development based on industry requirements and promotion of equitable access to education. This will drive the innovations among students and make students ready for the industry skill requirements, which will lead to sustainable economic growth. Originality/value – This study provides a comprehensive review of the multifaceted impacts of Industry 4.0 technologies on higher education. © 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to empirically test whether or not an online business simulation game (OBSG) can enhance key soft skills and self-perceived employability. Design/methodology/approach – This research employed a blended learning approach to syllabus delivery. Five soft skills and self-perceived employability were measured before and after OBSG gameplay using previously validated scales and analyzed using linear mixed models. Findings – Key soft skills notably teamwork, communication and problem-solving can be enhanced via online business simulations. Additionally, individual self-perceived employability was significantly improved, while time management significantly declined. Practical implications – The use of OBSGs can improve soft skill development and be embedded into regular curriculum courses via blended learning. This research should inspire educators to further use technology as a way of motivating learners to actively engage in their studies and promote employability skills without sacrificing learning outcomes. Originality/value – This article provides empirical validation of the benefit of OBSGs, specifically with respect to improving select employability skills so sought after by employers, thereby helping to bridge the employability skills gap. © 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited

As cultural work becomes increasingly precarious and digitally mediatized, we ask how mentorship can continue to play a crucial role in shaping how the know-how of cultural work is organized and shared. Drawing on a case study of a mentorship program for cultural work taking place in Greater Vancouver, Canada, we propose conceptualizing mentorship as a figuration, which we describe by tracing three interdependent threads: a constellation of actors, frames of relevance, and communicative practice. Focusing on the constellation of actors, we analyse how the mentorship spans across a dynamic network of actors whose connected presence shape the sharing of the know-how and distributed knowledge among heterogeneous mentors and mentees. Turning to the frames of relevance, we find that mentorship is much more than a means of skill transmission. Instead, it is a site where struggles over the meaning of know-how for cultural work – frames of relevance including skill, creativity, and social justice – take place. Finally, by foregrounding the communicative practice for the figuration of this mentorship, we illustrate how mentorship is facilitated through various layers of digitally mediated exchange which reconfigure traditional notions of guidance and support for sharing experience and knowledge for cultural work. Reconceptualizing mentorship as a figuration allows us to move beyond accounts of dyadic relationships between an individual mentor and a mentee working in co-presence, and instead recognize the relational, institutional, and technological dynamics that structure contemporary cultural work. Ultimately, our findings suggest that, through the figuration of mentorship for cultural work, mentors and mentees can still share meaningful collective experiences and knowledge, which expands our understanding of the know-how necessary to practise cultural-work and how it is shared. © 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 pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

Background: Social–emotional learning (SEL) is crucial to the development of professional identity and collaborative competence in medical education. However, research exploring how teaching assistants (TAs) act as affective mediators to support SEL in project-based service-learning (PjBL-SL) is lacking. The present study investigated two research questions: (1) How do the roles and facilitation strategies adopted by TAs in PjBL-SL influence the development of medical students’ SEL competencies? and (2) How do TAs interpret students’ SEL growth trajectories during the course? Methods: This qualitative study was conducted in a required PjBL-SL course at a Taiwanese medical school. In August 2022, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 TAs. Thematic analysis was used to examine their observations and strategies to support student SEL competency development. Results: The TAs reported observing substantial student growth across all five SEL competencies defined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. The TAs described how students engaged in perspective-taking, reflective practice, and collaborative problem-solving. The TAs viewed themselves as affective mediators, providing emotional safety, attentive feedback, and tailored guidance throughout the learning process. A dual-layer TA support system—consisting of precourse training grounded in the sequenced, active, focused, explicit principles and ongoing in-course reflective dialogue—was a key enabler of this emotional support role. Conclusion: TAs in PjBL-SL courses are crucial to supporting medical students’ SEL competency development by offering emotionally attuned, context-sensitive guidance. This study’s dual-layer model of TA preparation and engagement can enhance the emotional dimensions of learning in medical curricula. © © 2025 Liao, Hung, Chen, Chen, Ting and Chang.

This article explores the key elements and application of Ubuntu as a humanising pedagogy within nursing education, highlighting its potential to foster culturally responsive and inclusive learning environments. Although indigenous philosophies like Ubuntu have historically been marginalised in formal nursing education in South Africa, they provide a powerful framework for restoring students’ identities and bridging the gap between traditional curricula and the expectations of patients for culturally informed care. Rooted in African traditions of communal interconnectedness, Ubuntu holds significant promise for addressing the health needs of diverse populations by cultivating empathy, compassion and social justice. A systematic search strategy, using keywords related to Ubuntu as a humanising pedagogy in nursing, was applied across multiple databases to identify relevant qualitative research. A meta-synthesis of 14 studies was conducted using Noblit and Hare’s (1988) meta-ethnographic approach, synthesising the literature on Ubuntu as a transformative pedagogical approach. The analysis identified key elements of Ubuntu and its application in teaching and learning practices, emphasising self-awareness, nurturing positive relationships, implementing responsive instructional practices, fostering teamwork and leveraging students’ linguistic resources for meaningful learning. The findings reveal that Ubuntu fosters transformative learning by promoting personal and collective growth, enhancing cultural competence and challenging dehumanising practices. Integrating Ubuntu into nursing education can bridge cultural gaps, contribute to the development of socially just healthcare professionals and enrich nursing practices by aligning educational outcomes with the needs of diverse communities. © © 2025 Vhothusa Edward Matahela. Nursing Forum published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Purpose: In response to the constantly evolving career world which lifelong jobs are less plausible, Project Careerpillar, a newly developed career planning service program in Hong Kong which adopts the life-design approach to career intervention, seeks to enhance youths’ self-understanding, career adaptability, the alignment between their self and job market, sense of satisfaction, and thus fulfilled involvement in work. Method: This study investigates the service outcomes (self-concept clarity, career development self-efficacy, career maturity, and satisfaction with life) using quantitative methods. Results: Mediation analyses showed that the four outcome variables were significantly related, with self-concept clarity significantly mediated the relationship between the other three variables. Also, paired t-tests demonstrated that the participants displayed significant positive changes in the four outcome variables. This showed that the service model was effective. Discussion: Results suggest the applicability in implementing this service model to facilitate youths’ meaningful engagement in the career world. © The Author(s) 2025