Search Results for
"Higher education"

The research of teacher training in vocational environments is aimed at the development of abilities and knowledge using collaborative methods like enterprise-school collaboration. This research delves into how such collaborations influence vocational teacher readiness and professional growth. It looks at the existing vocational teacher education and determines the role that school-enterprise collaborations play in teachers’ industry knowledge and teaching effectiveness. The evidence demonstrates that teachers’ active engagement in such collaborations is positively related to a better grasp of industry trends, higher student motivation, and better academic performance. The novelty of this study derives from determining and examining the particular factors that enhance vocational education through school-enterprise integration. © 2025 International Professional Development Association (IPDA).

Vocational education and training (VET) is crucial for labour market integration and ensuring a skilled workforce. However, VET systems, particularly in countries like Germany and Switzerland, offer heterogeneous training occupations with different labour market returns. This study examines occupational segmentation within VET, applying labour market segmentation theories to identify structural differences in skill profiles, training commitment, gratification and social access based on school-leaving certificates. Utilising the German VET system as a case study, we analyse data from 338 dual and school-based training occupations. We employ latent profile analysis to classify training occupations into skill profiles according to their firm-specific and occupation-specific skills, as well as their cognitive requirement level. The analyses reveal four distinct skill profiles that are systematically associated with training commitment, gratifications and social access based on school-leaving certificates. The results suggest that VET is stratified into occupational training segments, offering training at varying skill levels. These segments exhibit unequal training conditions, with some providing significantly higher commitment or higher gratifications. This research provides a more nuanced understanding of VET segmentation than the distinction into dual and school-based trainings, offering valuable insights for political actors and institutions involved in VET, as well as training firms and vocational schools. © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Purpose This study explores the soft skills learnt during internship programmes in small enterprises and their impact on student employability. Compared to typical internships, this type of internship is not aligned with the student’s areas of expertise. This study examines whether the nonlinear apprenticeship programme (mismatch internship) contributes to the development of student’s soft skills. Design/methodology/approach The subjects were 47 intern students from the Mathematics education Study Program at the Indonesian Catholic University of Santu Paulus Ruteng who participated in the 2022 Independent Campus Competition Program (Program Kompetisi Kampus Merdeka – PKKM) and their mentors from SMBs. The mixed-methods study used questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussions and documentation. Findings Several soft skills were developed during the students’ participation in this programme, including creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem-solving, communication, collaboration, accuracy, leadership, responsibility, adversity, curiosity, discipline and adaptation and self-management, which are needed during times of employment uncertainty. Research limitations/implications First, this study has not specifically analysed the influence of attribute variables such as gender, learning motivation and work motivation or attitudes towards pre-employment work. Second, no study has examined this internship’s effect on company performance. Some small and medium enterprises are start-up businesses; therefore, the risk of business failure overshadows stringent work demands on employees. Practical implications First, students should be challenged during learning with constructivist and project-based learning approaches. Second, campus partnerships with industrial business fields are essential. Originality/value This study is useful for developing a higher education curriculum that is more adaptive and supports independent learning. © 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited

Purpose Sustaining engagement in high-stakes vocational training is a global imperative. This study investigates the interplay between motivation, personal best (PB) goals and multifaceted student engagement (behavioural, emotional, cognitive and agentic) among Indonesian aviation vocational higher education (AVHE) students. Addressing a gap in demanding, non-Western contexts, it examines PB goals’ mediating role, offering insights for high-stakes programmes worldwide. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was employed. Data were collected via an online questionnaire from 267 students (Levels II-IV) across ten study programmes at the Indonesian AVHE institution (N = 668 population). Situational motivation, PB goals and student engagement dimensions were measured using adapted, validated scales. Data analysis utilized partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4. Findings The measurement model demonstrated adequate reliability and validity. Motivation significantly predicted PB goals (large effect) and all engagement dimensions (small effects). PB goals strongly predicted all engagement dimensions (large effects). Crucially, PB goals significantly mediated the motivation–engagement relationship: mediation was moderate for emotional engagement and small for behavioural, cognitive and agentic engagement. This highlights PB goals as a key mechanism translating motivation into active engagement. Originality/value This study makes three primary contributions. First, (Theoretical) it extends motivational theory by empirically demonstrating the potent mediating function of PB goals in a novel, high-stakes vocational context. Second, (Empirical/Contextual) it provides rare empirical evidence from the under-researched, semi-militaristic setting of non-Western AVHE, thus enhancing the global perspective on student engagement. Third, (Practical) it offers transferable, evidence-based strategies for educators and policymakers in demanding educational fields, showing that fostering PB goals is a highly effective pedagogical approach. © 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited