Search Results for
"Vocational education"

Sexual harassment is a widespread problem. In care work, a significant proportion of sexual harassment comes from care recipients. vocational education and training has an important role to play in preparing students to deal with sexual harassment from care recipients, but students describe a silence about sexual harassment in their education. This paper uses theories of gender and institutional betrayal to examine the mechanisms that enable the silence surrounding the sexual harassment from care recipients that students describe exists in health and social care education. The data consists of focus group interviews with 49 students. The findings, derived from the students’ descriptions, indicate that the mechanisms that facilitate the perpetuation of silence regarding sexual harassment are as follows: firstly, assistant nurses are inclined to prioritise the needs of the care recipient, and they are expected to demonstrate loyalty to the care recipient rather than prioritise their own safety. Secondly, managers and future colleagues socialise students into an environment where sexual harassment is condoned. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

In recent decades, reforms of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) systems have mostly focused on the needs of employers to produce graduates ready for the labour market. The academic literature has extensively criticised the narrow focus on the performance of work tasks at the expense of other types of knowledge in the curriculum. In our paper, we reflect on the evidence that a curriculum that delivers the appropriate development of expertise can be associated with colleges that incorporate certain social characteristics. These characteristics were found in the way colleges deliberately build collaborative relationships internally through teamwork, conflict resolution among their disciplinary experts, and externally through partnerships with employers. In addition, those colleges externally mediated employer’s skills expectations of students and internally translated the curriculum. Our analysis is based on a study of well-resourced vocational colleges in South Africa, two of which emerged as successful, in contrast to one college that failed to contribute to the appropriate professional development of its students which differed in that the latter lacked these social characteristics. Thus, in addition to resources as an appropriate precondition, we argue that the development of expertise is strongly related to how vocational colleges manifest their social characteristics. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

The choice of higher education studies is a key moment for students with disabilities. In this line, the progressive increase in the number of students with disabilities at Spanish universities implies an imminent need to delve further into the reasons that have led them to choose university studies. A total of 91 university graduates with disabilities from different Spanish universities participated in this study. The data were obtained through semi-structured individual interviews and, subsequently, a mixed methods analysis was carried out. On the one hand, the obtained qualitative results indicate that decision-making is mainly based on personal interest. A significant proportion of respondents also referred to other factors, including family, disability and specialisation. On the other hand, the quantitative results define significant associations between various factors, such as gender, type of disability and area of expertise. In conclusion, these results are relevant in terms of guaranteeing the university success of students with disabilities, since, although the choice of degree is a complex issue due to the diversity of factors involved, having this information would allow universities to anticipate in order to favour their vocational development. © 2024 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Purpose: This research analyzes the preparation of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) for inclusion in the open labor market via supported employment (SE). To this end, Fraser’s (1995) concept of transformative action is used to evaluate changes in students’ attitudes and behaviors. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative approach was adopted, consisting of interviews with SE organizations and observations of students participating in workshops focused on internships that form part of their educational process. Findings: The research findings indicate that an educational approach to SE inclusion can generate transformative processes that contribute to changing the conditions leading to exclusion from the labor market. Research limitations/implications: This research develops further the use of Fraser’s (1995) theorization in disability studies. Students were observed participating in workshops, and not in their workplaces, which represents both a limitation and a line for future investigation. Practical implications: This research contributes to reducing managers’ reluctance to contract people with IDD. It is also useful for those secondary schools implementing an inclusive educational approach that are willing to include internships as part of their academic curriculum. Social implications: Greater investment and cooperation by education and labor policy makers are needed to make inclusion possible. Originality/value: This study investigates inclusion in the labor market as part of the educational development of students with IDD, focusing on its transformative nature. © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited.

The growing complexity of care and healthcare workforce shortages in the Netherlands necessitates exploring interprofessional collaboration (IPC). However, the predominant single-professional education may result in a professional identity (PI) among healthcare students, which may not support successful IPC. Internships in student-run interprofessional learning wards (SR-IPLW) could foster interprofessional identity (IPI) development. There is a need for a better understanding of the intricacies involved in learning to work collaboratively, particularly when undergraduates are still shaping their professional identities. Our aim, therefore, was to identify facilitators and barriers for interprofessional education (IPE), IPC, and identity development among 21 healthcare students during a 20-week clinical placement on a SR-IPLW in rehabilitation medicine. An action-based prospective study using grounded theory analysis of nine focus groups across three semesters identified 17 theoretical codes. These codes are elaborated in a conceptual model highlighting facilitators and barriers for IPC and identity development, emphasizing the importance of fostering feelings of relatedness, competence, and autonomy. There are indications that professional and interprofessional identities changed during the internship. Implications for preceptors are delineated, showing the importance of personal relationships and elements of a positive learning climate. © 2025 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Studies on the education-work transition have traditionally focused on the ways in which young people mobilize their capital and adapt to the conditions offered by distinct workplaces. However, it is also important to consider the impact of work and working life on the transformation of the subjectivities and social relations of new generations in the places where they begin their professional experience. This article analyzes this issue based on professional internships in secondary technical education in Chile. Institutional intermediation mechanisms and the agents that participate in their implementation play a significant role in the education-work transition, but, paradoxically, there is little research on these actors, on the processes and on almost everything related to their achievements and weaknesses. This topic is explored through a qualitative approach in a sample of technical-professional educational establishments in Santiago, Chile. Based on semi-structured interviews with teachers and graduates, the main mechanisms of management of the professional internships are described. It is concluded that, although the conditions of implementation are open to criticism, there is a high valuation of these internships as an induction into the world of work, especially because of the social learning that such experiences entail. © 2025 FLACSO Ecuador. All rights reserved.

This article proposes the use of specialized computer models of measuring instruments using the example of using a measuring computer simulator in the study of the field of “Metrology, standardization and certification”. The purpose of this article is to improve the educational process when studying the basics of measurement in electronic devices by students of educational institutions of higher education. The purpose of the article is to describe the features of the creation and application of specialized computer models of measuring instruments in the form of a measuring computer simulator, which is developed and used in the educational process of the North Caucasus Federal University. The article develops a creative method of vocational training based on increasing the degree of student participation in the educational process. This makes it possible to increase the efficiency of the educational process and the value of innovative educational programs. Since the measuring computer simulator is based on the visualization of measuring instruments and their controls like the original measuring instruments, it has a novelty. The evaluation of the effectiveness of the developed computer-based learning tool in the educational process indicates that with its help it is possible to improve the educational process in relation to the development of students’ competencies in the practical application of measuring instruments and evaluation of measurement results. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.

Context: Most education systems equip graduates with the professional knowledge and cognitive skills needed to enter the world of work. However, there are other competencies also important for young graduates to become successful employees. Due to the growing uncertainty that characterizes the labour market, the demand for non-cognitive skills (communication, collaboration, critical thinking etc.) that support employee development potential and better integration has increased significantly. However, higher education institutions often transmit a culture that is different from that of workplaces. The aim of our study is to explore the role of the examined higher education institution in preparing students for the labour market. Our long-term goal is to support institutional development on the basis of this data. Methods: To answer these questions, semi-structured inteviews were conducted. Qualitative research methods were preferred, which offer the possibility of uncovering hidden mechanisms. The selection criterion for participants (n=18) was that they had obtained their diploma within the last three years, while, for the other portion of the interviewees, a selection criterion was that they were full-time students. The participants are students of the same rural higher education institution. To ensure the validity and reliability of the research results, personal triangulation was validated using the intercoding technique, which is suitable for a priori coding. Results: The results confirmed that higher education institutions provide a good foundation for entering to the labour market, but the development of broad competencies is less advanced. Frequent reference was made to the dominance of theory at the expense of practical orientation. Additionally, participants emphasized that they did not see relevance of the course material and its future applicability to the labour market, and, in some cases, they mentioned problems relating to the attitudes of instructors and the quality of the training provided for the students. A portion of the undergraduate students who work (in addition to being in school) believe that they acquired the most important skills during student employment and not during their higher education studies. Conclusions: One of the challenges for higher education is to prepare students to meet employers' needs by developing students' competencies. During their years in higher education, students should be equipped with a set of competencies that will ensure their integration into the labour market. Our current research contributes to this goal by mapping the competencies, and highlighting where there is room for improvement which can contribute to graduates' success at work. © 2025 European Research Network vocational education and Training. All rights reserved.

Context: The German vocational training and education (VET) system is designed to cope with change. Within this system, organizational VET trainers (OVETT) are the main persons of reference for apprentices in the organization, in most cases for the whole three-year training period. Whether training can help to realize or maintain decent work also depends on whether the trainers themselves have decent working conditions. Approach: The empirical foundation for our analysis of the situation of OVETTs and the challenges they face in transformative times is a recently conducted study. Using a mixed-methods research design, consisting of 28 qualitative interviews and an online survey completed by 1,004 organizational VET trainers, this study analyzes the working conditions of German VET trainers and assesses possible effects on decent work. Findings: We show that although there is a willingness on the part of OVETTs to handle change and transformation, they are not sufficiently involved in their companies' strategic decisions. Our data shows that some OVETTs perceive themselves as being in a potentially influential position. Many, however, report that they are only the object of change instead of participating and contributing their competencies and opinions. The data shows the extent to which the work of vocational trainers is affected by stress, conflicting demands and a lack of support. This is particularly true for part-time trainers who, in addition to their normal work, are also responsible for the success of the apprentices and the entire VET system. However, the high intrinsic motivation of trainers enables them to fulfil their tasks and meet the high expectations placed on them. Conclusions: A special aspect of this is the "sandwich" position of OVETTs, who face transformative, societal demands, and challenges from both below (i.e., from the apprentices) and above (i.e., from management). At the same time, there is a lack of structural and operational resources. Organizational changes expose them more directly to certain challenges, but do not give them a chance to help shape their own conditions. Although the VET trainers are accustomed to mastering different requirements and interests, in transformative times new challenges arise and intensify the already heavy burden on VET personnel. If these are not addressed and VET work is not organized as decent, this will also jeopardize the quality of the vocational training system in the medium term. © 2025 European Research Network vocational education and Training. All rights reserved.

Work-based learning (WBL) is an important tool for enhancing students' employability skills in vocational education and training. Many studies have underlined the importance of a variable of WBL, self-efficacy, and vocational identity in developing vocational students' employability skills. Nonetheless, the research is limited and examined separately. Therefore, this study investigates how WBL, self-efficacy, and vocational identity influence employability skills and how self-efficacy moderates between WBL and employability skills. Four hundred and three state university students in Yogyakarta were involved in the data collection. This study used structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis to test its hypothesis. The results of the study revealed that the implementation of WBL did not have a direct effect on employability skills; however, self-efficacy was able to moderate the relationship between WBL and employability skills. However, WBL directly influences vocational identity, which in turn directly influences employability skills, while self-efficacy also directly influences employability skills. This research has important implications for improving learning that can improve students' self-efficacy skills in an effort to build students' employability skills in vocational education and training. © 2025 The Author(s).