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Marginalised youth in resource-constrained vocational education and training (VET) centres struggle to create engineering products and services with entrepreneurial value. This is due to limitations in the vocational engineering curriculum in addressing real community needs, exacerbated by inadequate resources, limited technology access, and other socio-economic challenges. This paper explores how the vocational engineering programme curriculum can be enhanced to improve learners’ capabilities to create engineering solutions with entrepreneurial value tailored for low-income consumers. The approach explores the Learning Factory (LF) concept, where design optimization strategies are investigated, rooted in sustainable humanitarian engineering, cost-effective materials, and energy-efficient production methods. The research entails enhancing the vocational curriculum by integrating authentic, real-world projects in real settings, giving students hands-on experience with engineering and business practices. The proposed methodology allows for a participatory approach to be explored in engaging local communities and stakeholders, ensuring the solutions fit the region's cultural and economic needs. The research highlights challenges and opportunities in VET institutions in Western Kenya and ways to optimise their engineering design and production processes. Additionally, this study offers insights for educators, policymakers, and practitioners in similar resource-limited settings. This study explores how a traditional hands-on, project-based approach complements the principles of learning factories, offering a practical model for fostering innovation and skill development in resource-constrained vocational settings. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2026.

The rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies demands a fundamental transformation in vocational education curricula to prepare students for the evolving digital economy. This paper presents the evaluation of the AIM4VET project, an Erasmus+ funded initiative that integrates ambient intelligence and IoT technologies into Vocational Education and Training (VET) programs across Portugal, Spain, and Slovenia. The study focuses on the implementation and assessment of twelve modular teaching units centered around smart home energy management systems, utilizing Arduino-Raspberry Pi architectures and KNIME analytics platform. Employing project-based learning methodologies, the curriculum addresses critical competencies in sensor integration, data processing, machine learning, and ambient intelligence applications. Results from 14 VET students demonstrate significant improvements in technical understanding, with post-assessment scores showing mastery across all evaluation criteria. Student feedback revealed high satisfaction levels with instructional clarity, while teacher assessments confirmed strong performance in autonomy, creativity, and collaborative problem-solving. The majority of students rated module difficulty as appropriate, indicating well-calibrated instructional design. The findings validate the effectiveness of integrating ambient intelligence environments in VET curricula, demonstrating enhanced student engagement, practical skill development, and preparation for Industry 5.0 contexts. This research contributes to the growing body of knowledge on technology-enhanced vocational education and provides a scalable framework for implementing AI and IoT literacy across European VET systems. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2026.

Background: Empathy is crucial for effective clinical practice, and patient care. Despite its importance, the comparative studies and effectiveness analyses focusing on empathy-training strategies within both medical education and clinical practice are limited, particularly in China. The objective of this study is to compare empathy levels across doctors, nurses, medical students, and nursing students in China, exploring how workplace settings, professional roles, and training stages influence empathy development, to inform targeted empathy education strategies. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using the Chinese Version of the Jefferson Scale of Healthcare Professional Empathy (C-JSHPE). Participants included doctors, nurses, medical students and nursing students from primary, secondary, and tertiary hospitals, as well as medical schools located in eastern (economically developed), central (moderately developed), and western (less developed) regions of China. Results: Qualified professionals (licensed nurses and doctors) exhibited significantly higher empathy scores than healthcare students (doctors vs medical students t = 12.959, p < 0.001; nurses vs nursing students t = 7.135, p < 0.001). Nurses exhibited significantly higher empathy than doctors (t = 4.081, p < 0.001), and nursing students likewise exhibited markedly greater empathy than their medical student counterparts (t = 5.221, p < 0.001). Significant differences in empathy scores were observed between nursing students who participated in internships and those who did not (t = 2.548, p < 0.05). In contrast, no such differences emerged among medical students (t = − 0.228, p > 0.05). Both doctors and nurses with more clinical experience demonstrated higher empathy scores (F physician = 10.696, p < 0.001; F nurse = 30.029, p < 0.001). In contrast, those working in tertiary hospitals reported reduced empathy (F physician = 94.018, p < 0.001; F nurse = 486.586, p < 0.001). Conclusions: This study underscored the importance of both developing and retaining empathy in qualified professionals and healthcare students, and highlighted the significant role of clinical work environments and stages of professional development in shaping empathic capacity. The findings suggested that empathy was not static, but evolved in response to the demands, pressures, and relational dynamics of different clinical roles. Simulation-based education and other experiential learning approaches represent promising avenues for fostering empathy, particularly when integrated longitudinally throughout training and aligned with authentic clinical contexts. Embedding these strategies into the continuum of medical education may be key to sustaining empathy as a core professional competence in complex healthcare systems. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd

Background: The global healthcare workforce is facing a substantial shortage and an uneven distribution of qualified professionals, which restricts access to essential healthcare services. This shortage may be mitigated through more effective support of healthcare workers in training. Therefore, an overview of existing economic barriers for this demographic is necessary. Objective: To review the existing literature on financial challenges of students and early-career professionals in the healthcare sector. Methods: Following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, articles published between January 2008 and February 2024 were identified using PubMed and Scopus. A total of 17,268 articles were screened by reviewing their titles and abstracts followed by a detailed review of full texts with cross-validation. Themes were identified, clustered, and analyzed. Results: This scoping review included 167 articles focusing on the themes debt (36.5%, n=61) and loans (10.2 %, n=17) and their influence on career pathways, the role of employment for career satisfaction, summarizing findings concerning salary (29.9%, n=50), finances (25.1%, n=42), funding (10.8%, n=18), and savings (10.2%, n=17), and obstacles toward a sustainable lifestyle, which included results considering career choice (34.1%, n=57), migration (7.2%, n=12), gender disparity (6.0%, n=10), and working conditions (2.4%, n=4). Conclusions: Efforts to close the healthcare workforce gap require greater investment in training, compensation, and support for junior healthcare workers. students and early-career professionals warrant particular attention to build a sustainable, resilient, and reliable healthcare workforce. © 2025 The Author(s)

Malaysia’s TVET sector faces challenges in providing effective automotive assembly training due to limited resources, equipment, and industry exposure. Virtual Reality (VR) technology offers a promising solution to address these limitations by creating immersive and interactive learning experiences. This paper focuses on the development of AssemVR, a VR-based training platform designed to enhance automotive assembly skills among Malaysian TVET students. By integrating VR technology with automotive assembly curriculum by implementing the event interaction on handling the car components, AssemVR aims to provide learners with hands-on experience, improve skill acquisition, and bridge the gap between academia and industry. The development process involves designing realistic VR simulation using Unity3D and XR interaction toolkits, creating interactive learning modules by adapting the Graphical User Interface (GUI), and incorporating instructional design principles to optimize learning outcomes. For future recommendations, AssemVR can be incorporated with Artificial Intelligence (AI) aspect to provide real-time feedback on learners’ performance in which, AI algorithms can be used to analyzed learner’s actions, movements, and decision-making within the VR environment to identify areas for improvement. This paper contributes to the advancement of VR-based education and training in the automotive sector, as well as exploring the synergistic potential of VR and AI in developing intelligent learning environments. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2026.

Apprenticeship programs are common practices around the world for training young people for their first experience in the job market. The immense social divide in Brazil led the Federal Government to create the Young Apprentice initiative to assist and protect young people from social risk. Such an initiative aims to allocate adolescents and young people aged between 14 and 24, as well as individuals with disabilities, into the job market. Large and medium-sized companies are mandated to participate. The Information Technology (IT) sector is expected to have an average demand of 159,000 vacancies annually until 2025 in Brazil, where only some programs aim to train the target audience in IT. However, they are superficially technically trained before their first contact with the company, generating insecurity in the apprentice. This paper presents the design of an apprenticeship program focused on IT services, aiming to better prepare individuals in the IT area, including front-end programming. The proposed program includes a selection process by the training entity and an initial technical and behavioral training phase for the participants, followed by a more specific training phase in programming. The program prioritizes socially and economically vulnerable students, aiming to reduce social inequalities. In addition, it meets four Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The first class achieved a 90% approval rate in the initial technical training course, being successfully qualified for inclusion in the IT market. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2026.

This paper reviews the performance of students who graduated from the foundation year programme in business studies and compares their performance with non-foundation students at the higher national diploma equivalent to the foundation degree in the business programme. The study is conducted to understand how foundation students perform at the same level as their peers who have completed their schooling from the traditional school system in UAE. Data collected was secondary from the institution’s archive files of both the groups of students and their academic performance over fifteen modules. Descriptive statistical techniques were used to analyse the data. The results from the analysis found that the foundation students performed equally better as non-foundation students in most modules while in a few cores mandatory modules, students performed better than non-foundation students. The foundation programme students were not found to underperform in any module. In specialisation modules the data varied, however these modules were in marketing/finance/business in which the results were no longer comparable due to differences in specialisation, the field of study, and the type of assessments varied. Foundation students exhibited greater variability in their grades. This study contributes to scarce literature and research work in the area of foundation education in the UAE higher education teaching and learning and guides the future direction of studies based on the findings. © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Vocational education in Portugal has improved secondary school qualifications, but its impact on higher education remains limited. Government efforts to facilitate this transition have been only partially successful. This paper explores vocational students' perceptions of the accessibility and relevance of HE, with a particular focus on how socio-economic background, educational pathways and labour market challenges influence their aspirations. Using a qualitative approach, data was collected through focus groups and interviews. Findings highlight systemic inequalities, financial constraints and limited cultural capital as key barriers to participation in HE. Economic pressures lead students to prioritise immediate employment and practical skills, while social influences, particularly from family and peers, reinforce doubts about the value of higher education. Many see it as unattainable or unnecessary. To reduce inequalities and improve access, targeted interventions such as improved careers guidance, financial support and better integration of theory and practice in the curriculum are essential. © © 2025. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly integrated into early childhood education (ECE), equipping educators with the skills to effectively incorporate AI tools into their teaching practices is essential. Through reviewing current literature, the chapter outlines AI's potential in education and case studies, emphasizing its impact on young learners’ engagement development, and highlights the key competencies required for AI-enabled pedagogy in ECE, including transforming pedagogical approaches, that require educators to develop new competencies to effectively leverage AI tools. Various professional development (PD) approaches are also discussed, as they are crucial for ensuring that educators are well-prepared to integrate AI into their teaching, fostering continuous growth and support. The chapter also addresses the challenges educators face when integrating AI in classroom settings. Overcoming these challenges is essential for creating a supportive environment where AI can be integrated effectively and ethically in ECE. By addressing barriers such as infrastructure limitations and ethical concerns, educators can ensure equitable and responsible AI usage that benefits all students. The chapter concludes by offering recommendations for designing sustainable PD initiatives that align with educators’ diverse needs and institutional goals, ensuring that AI integration enriches teaching practices and enhances student outcomes. © 2026 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published 2026 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Agile methodologies are widely used in engineering education to align academic outcomes with industry needs. Embedding Agile as a learning culture requires the pedagogical adoption of its principles rather than reliance on tools. This study examined links between Agile principles, team quality, and professional readiness in vocational software development education, where students often face tight deadlines and limited real-world experience. A pilot framework was implemented across 6 courses at an Indonesian polytechnic (51 students, 9 teams), operationalized around 12 principles over 5 sprints, and evaluated through peer assessments and retrospectives. Team quality was computed using a hybrid metric from Tuckman's stages and Lencioni's dysfunctions; students rated their agility on a 10-point scale. Results showed heterogeneous levels of team quality and principle adoption. A regression model explained a modest share of variance (R2 = 0.26), and the average rank correlation between team quality and principle scores was low to moderate (Spearman's ρ̄ = 0.39). Correlations were stronger for constant pace and self-organizing team and weaker for customer satisfaction and technical excellence. Cultural norms (politeness and hierarchical deference) tempered direct feedback during retrospectives. These findings support the integration of Agile principles into vocational curricula, with attention to local cultural dynamics. © 2025 Wiley Periodicals LLC.