Search Results for
"Vocational education"

Dual education, a hybrid model combining classroom learning with practical on-site training, is critical to vocational and technical education (TVET). Despite its widespread implementation, there are significant gaps in understanding how dual education influences student satisfaction. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the key factors influencing student satisfaction in Kazakhstan’s dual education system, focusing on the impact of practical and theoretical training. This study adopted a quantitative approach, and data were collected from students enrolled in dual education programs across various educational institutions using a structured survey. The survey measured overall satisfaction and professional experience on a Likert scale. The analysis revealed that the practical component of dual education significantly increases student satisfaction by 42.3%, followed by theoretical training (35.1%) and professional experience (16.6%). The model explains 46.3% of the variance in overall student satisfaction. This suggests that practical and theoretical components are critical to enhancing student experiences in dual education programs. The findings highlight the need for further development in both practical and theoretical aspects of dual education to meet student and labor market needs. The study’s implications are essential for improving vocational training programs, particularly aligning education with market expectations. The implications of our study can be instrumental in refining educational programs and aligning them with the needs of students and the labor market. Further research is necessary to explore the specific challenges different specializations face in dual education. © 2024, Institute of Economics Committee of Science MSHE RK. All rights reserved.

Construction managers must broaden their knowledge beyond standard subjects to stay updated with today's technical advancements and practices. Among specific needs of construction managers in various areas, the environmental impact of earthquakes and mining for construction managers is one of the important topics that requires investigation. However, there are two main challenges in addressing these needs. The first challenge involves enhancing specialized training and making the construction sector more appealing, especially for blue-collar workers, technical colleges, and universities. The second challenge is fostering innovation and promoting the adoption of new technologies. To tackle these challenges, the education sector and the construction industry, involving technical universities, professional associations, and construction companies from five different countries, namely Germany, Italy, Iceland, Poland, and Turkiye, have collaborated under the European Union project called Common Learning Outcomes for European Managers in Construction VI (CLOEMCVI). This project aims to support the development of high-quality vocational education and training (VET) with a strong emphasis on work-based learning. By combining the best approaches to education and training with the specific needs of the European market, the project aims to modernize and strengthen the education and training systems for construction managers in the EU, addressing the key challenges of employment, economic stability, growth, and active participation in democratic life and the labor market. As an outcome of the project, a set of seven intellectual outputs will be produced and made available to all interested parties, utilizing innovative methods that are suitable for the modern digital era. This paper primarily focuses on the environmental impacts of earthquakes with special emphasis on the resilience against earthquakes along with the management operations in seismic regions. It also addresses crucial aspects such as landslides, surface faulting, liquefaction, tsunamis, and ground shaking, all of which are significant concerns for construction managers. Within this perspective, this paper contributes to the body of knowledge in terms of proposing novel content for construction managers' education and training. © 2024, International Association for Earthquake Engineering. All rights reserved.

Colleges are important providers of vocational education and training and in some countries they are the major provider. Although the international literature on colleges has grown considerably in the past two decades, it still consists primarily of qualitative descriptions of college sectors in different countries. Quantitative studies of differences in the activity mix of colleges in different countries could improve knowledge of international variation in the roles of colleges and provide a stronger foundation for study of the sources and consequences of variation in college roles. After reviewing different methodological frameworks for comparative analysis of college activity, the research reported here employs one of these frameworks to analyse differences in the activity mix of colleges in five countries. In addition to finding some noteworthy differences among the five countries, the paper also identified several problems of comparability of college data from different countries. The paper concludes that the development of internationally comparable data on colleges would require leadership by international organisations and agencies and is an undertaking well worth pursuing both for the benefits that it could bring to those whom colleges serve and for its contribution to the advancement of comparative study of vocational education and training. © 2021 The vocational Aspect of education Ltd.

The challenge faced by newly graduated nurses from undergraduate study to practice is a persistent theme in nursing practice literatures. However, there is a lack of understanding about how this transition happens. This focused ethnographic study explored how newly graduated nurses (novices) interacted with experienced nurses and learnt in a hospital ward in Singapore. Using the ‘Trajectory of identification framework’ developed from Wenger’s Community of Practice theory, data was collected through observation and focused group discussions. This research revealed the participating rules as the sociocultural characteristics of the nursing community, and how these characteristics are ongoingly negotiated among the nurses. The nurses’ changing performative competence and identity in different situations are conceptualised as the ‘Participation Space’. This study also showed how concepts of Community of Practice theory can be analytically applied and further developed in empirical study. Specifically, a conceptual ‘Participation Matrix’ is theorised which adds an additional tool to understand the nurses’ dynamic participation and negotiation of membership in a Community of Practice. Novices’ transition should be viewed as an ongoing dynamic workplace learning, through which negotiation of performative competence and identity among members take place. The soon to be novices and workplaces should be prepared with this understanding. © 2021 The vocational Aspect of education Ltd.

Twelve qualitative case studies in German and Canadian hospitals and IT companies were used in this mixed-methods study analysing the labour market outcomes of immigrants. The reported case studies investigate the immigrants’ recognition, integration process and the usability of foreign qualifications, skills and work experiences in the labour market. Furthermore, the strategies and rationales of employers and employees within the recruiting process are analysed. Here, the focus lies on the transferability and obstacles of cultural and social capital across country borders as well as the relevant framework conditions. This paper refers to Bourdieu’s approach towards different types of capital as well as the rational choice theory. The results demonstrate that immigrants in both countries face more obstacles accessing the labour market within the health sector than within the IT sector. The context of the recruiting situation strongly affects the strategies and behaviour of the employers or the recruiters. Within these sector- and country-specific confines, individual factors determine the immigrants’ labour market success. Furthermore, the sector and the country affect the relevance of each individual factor in the recruiting process. © 2021 The vocational Aspect of education Ltd.

This paper proposes a critical assessment of equality policies from a theoretical standpoint. As an analytical proposal, this idea is exemplified within the educational context of vocational education and Training in Spain, specifically in the Region of Valencia. We have analysed Order 85/2016, insofar as it establishes mechanisms that seek to encourage access by women to professional fields which have been historically and culturally masculinised. Our analysis is based on two key questions: Does this policy succeed in increasing the number of women who undertake studies in masculinised professional fields? Is providing access to training sufficient to drive changes in gender relations? To approach these questions, we have reviewed the theoretical framework that gives rise to public policy and performed a comparative analysis of the number of enrolments registered since these mechanisms came into force. Our findings have led us to conclude that not only does this policy fail to fulfil its goal of encouraging women to enrol in certain studies, but its theoretical implications have paradoxically been found to heighten the gender divide. © 2021 The vocational Aspect of education Ltd.

Basic vocational training (BVT) represents a new opportunity within the Spanish education system to reduce the school drop-out rate and ease the transition into the workplace. However, this educational route is highly male-dominated and presents a high degree of segregation by gender and pathways. It was therefore necessary to carry out a gender-based analysis and investigate the processes, options and reasons behind students’ decisions to opt for a particular professional category. To achieve this, we carried out 35 in-depth interviews at educational centres that teach BVT in the Valencian Community, Spain. Our main findings were that BVT is not only highly male-dominated, but that the female-dominated branches are few and far between, are still subject to strong stereotypes, enjoy less prestige and have fewer job prospects. Therefore, BVT and its impacts are far from gender neutral. In addition, this negatively influences future training and employment options and choices, especially for females, which obviously has a direct impact on their professional careers and life courses. © 2022 The vocational Aspect of education Ltd.

Economic growth is dependent on well-skilled human capital. Technical and vocational education and Training (TVET) programmes are paramount in provision of the requisite capabilities which encompass both academic and non-academic skills also known as whole youth development (WYD) skills. Youths leaving training institutions in Kenya experience various challenges associated with skills gap including incapacity to access, sustain and progress in the labour market. This article examines influencers of WYD skills acquisition among learners in the TVET institutions in Kenya. The article uses data from a cross-sectional survey, targeting students aged 15–25 years in both public and private TVET institutions. We analyse data from 3452 students, 347 instructors and 171 heads who participated in the study. A composite score based on four domains measured acquisition of WYD skills: functional numeracy and literacy, soft skills and digital learning. Multi-level regression results on WYD reveal better performance in well-equipped institutions compared to inadequately equipped ones. Similarly, better performance from institutions located in wealthier regions compared to those in marginalised areas. We deduce that the uptake of WYD skills among TVET students heavily relies on supply-side influencers. © 2022 The vocational Aspect of education Ltd.

This article analyses the main reasons for dropping out of Spanish Intermediate vocational education (IVET) and the link to personal (sex, ethnicity, age), family (parents’ educational level) and financial sociodemographic characteristics, as well as academic background (repeating or expulsion). To do this, a cohort of IVET students was monitored over three years via three questionnaires presenting the results for students who, over the monitoring period, dropped out without obtaining the corresponding qualification. The study was carried out in a Mediterranean region (Mallorca) with the highest levels of school dropout in Spain and an economy essentially centred on tourism. Results show that the most important reasons for dropping out are finding a job or wanting to find one, obtaining bad results and wanting to do other courses. The analysis highlights differences in reasons for dropping out by sex, ethnicity, age, the perception of financial difficulties and previous academic background. The findings suggest that educational interventions aimed at reducing dropout at this level of education should take into account the heterogeneity of student profiles as well as the limitations of the quantitative perspective in analysing students’ reasons for dropping out. © 2022 The vocational Aspect of education Ltd.

Singapore, like many other countries in the world, is on a journey towards a culture of lifelong learning to keep its workforce competent, resilient, and future-ready in the rapidly changing world of work. In order to realise this, a significant amount of resources has been invested to the training and adult education (TAE) sector. The TAE sector is expecting considerable and evolving skills demands from the TAE professionals specifically from the adult educators who are directly involved in the training delivery and development activities. With the high skills expectations from the profession, it is important to find out the level and predictors of work satisfaction among adult educators so as to provide necessary support for their performance and development. Work characteristics or quality indicators such as income, work autonomy, complexity, intensity, security, career prospect, professional development support, as well as work expectations were examined in relation to adult educators’ work satisfaction. Multivariate analyses show that work autonomy, job security, and professional development support are strong determinants of work satisfaction among adult educators, even after considering adult educators’ work expectations and other employment and individual characteristics. © 2022 The vocational Aspect of education Ltd.