Search Results for
"Higher education"

The Fourth Industrial Revolution has resulted in a significant digital skill gap between employees' current skills and job demand, requiring new skills to correspond with technological changes. Unfortunately, there is a scarcity of studies that address both direct and indirect indicators in the employability of digital technology graduates, particularly in Malaysia. The objective of the study is to forecast the indicators of employability, such as industry-specific knowledge, digital skills, and the mediating effect of professional network and adaptability of digital technology graduates. In terms of methodology, the current study employed the purposive sampling method to collect data from 180 respondents throughout Malaysia, and PLS-SEM 4.0 was used to analyze data. The results show that human skill that encompasses industry-specific knowledge and Digital Skills into the higher education system are critical for improving the employability of Digital Technology Graduates in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. However, from the perspective of employers, both professional network and adaptability, which represent the competitive advantages, were found to be insignificant in terms of digital technology graduates' employability. Furthermore, the current study discovered that only professional networks had a mediating effect on both industry-specific knowledge, digital skills, and the employability of digital technology graduates. The current study concludes that both digital skills and industry-specific knowledge have a significant impact on digital technology graduates' employability in the fourth industrial revolution from the employers' perspective. This is followed with the final section of this study, which includes recommendations for future research. © 2025, IPMEDIA SDN BHD. All rights reserved.

This study examines the effectiveness of an applied master's program in tourism business planning at the State Polytechnic of Bali (Matrappar-PNB) through a mixed methods approach. The research investigates the interplay between industry demands, government policy, and program management in shaping vocational higher education outcomes in Indonesia's tourism sector. Quantitative data were collected from 79 alumni and 79 employers using structured surveys, while qualitative insights were gathered through in-depth interviews with key stakeholders. Findings revealed strong alignment between the program's curriculum and industry needs, with alumni demonstrating high competency levels in problem-solving and leadership skills. Government policies were identified as crucial enablers of industry-based learning processes, although implementation challenges remain. The program's success was further attributed to effective organizational culture, strategic external partnerships, and targeted communication strategies. The study contributes to the understanding of applied higher education in tourism by proposing a conceptual framework that integrates industry requirements, policy frameworks, and institutional readiness. Recommendations include strengthening entrepreneurship education, enhancing industry immersion experiences, and developing more robust assessment mechanisms for applied learning outcomes. © 2025, Southeast Asian Association for Institutional Research. All rights reserved.

Public housing is an important resource for ensuring the safety and integration of newly arrived refugees in the United States (U.S.). This study examines the prevalence and multiple factors associated with accessing public housing programs among refugees in the U.S. The data for this study were derived from the 2019 Annual Survey of Refugees (ASR) collected over the past 5 years between 2014 and 2018 (N=3,995). Prevalence estimates were obtained through chi-square tests, while multiple logistic regression was used to determine significant associations between independent and dependent variables. The prevalence results indicated that 33.3% of refugees had access to public housing programs. Several primary factors, including being older, female gender, unmarried status, lower educational attainment, resettlement in the Midwest or South, and participation in other social welfare programs, were associated with decreased odds of accessing public housing programs among refugees. In contrast, refugees with chronic debilitating conditions were associated with increased odds of accessing housing programs compared to those without suchchronic debilitating conditions. These findings highlight the need for improved programs focused on vocational training, English language services, cultural orientation, and policy advocacy for higher minimum wages and affordable housing to facilitate the smooth resettlement of refugees in the U.S. © The Author(s) 2025.

This paper addresses an issue of concern with regards to the teaching of competencies within the context of undergraduate university studies, in this case, in the field of social work. In it, we question if the basic curricular processes of the explicit instructional, teaching and assessment system regarding specific competencies of professional social work are effective in promoting, improving or training in the performance of these specific competencies, or if, on the hand, they are axiological in nature and can better explain the performance of specific competencies by undergraduate students studying social work. A survey method has been followed. Data were analyzed using a two-step multiple lineal regression analysis with bootstrapping based on 5,000 resamples. The results suggest that the subjective assessment of the competencies by undergraduate students of social work could affect the relationship between the perception of teaching and evaluation of competencies and the subjective level of their own competency in them. These results provoke an inescapable reflection on the validity of pedagogical practices for promoting the self-assessed performance of the specific competencies of social work by future professional practitioners, opening the door to a reflection on the ways of influencing the competency performance of the current teaching and evaluation processes in higher education. © Psychology, Society, & education, 2020.

Nowadays, when the digital tide of the world is sweeping the world, the digital transition of the logistics industry is speeding up, and the demand for the professional of the logistics management is higher. As an important approach to enhance the quality of personnel training and to promote industry development, it is urgent to evaluate the effectiveness of the integration of industry and education, especially when it is empowered by digital technology. In this paper, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is used to evaluate the effectiveness of the integration of industry and education in the field of logistics management. Through the systematic analysis of the related theories, the determination of the evaluation index, the calculation of weights by AHP and the conformity test, and then the development strategy is proposed. © 2025 copyright held by the owner/author(s).

This research aims to assess the effect of entrepreneurship education through the ADDIE model on the entrepreneurial intentions of higher vocational college students in Hebei Province, integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and John Dewey's "Learning by Doing" theory as a foundational framework. This study used a cross-sectional design with a quantitative approach to evaluate the impact of an entrepreneurship education curriculum based on the ADDIE model. Data were collected at two time points: the Analysis phase (pre-test) and the Evaluation phase (post-test) after a 3-month curriculum. Participants included 260 vocational college students from eight universities in Hebei Province, specializing in Automotive Manufacturing Technology across all academic levels. A survey questionnaire with 28 questions was used to assess students’ entrepreneurial intentions, attitudes, and perceived behavioral control. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 26.0, with independent t-tests and linear regression employed for statistical evaluation. The research indicates a positive influence of the entrepreneurship education curriculum on students' perceived entrepreneurial attitude and behavioral control. The t-tests showed significant changes with large effects. However, regression analysis indicated a possible deterioration in attitude and a lack of significant change in behavioral control, suggesting other factors influencing the situation. The impact of the curriculum on entrepreneurial intentions is therefore contradictory. The findings suggest that entrepreneurship education positively affects students’ attitudes and perceptions about entrepreneurship, although perceived behavioral control presents some challenges. © 2025 Conscientia Beam. All Rights Reserved.

This research aims to formulate an internship model based on SMEs and Industrial Clinics to enhance the competencies of students in the Mechanical Engineering education department within the context of the Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) or Freedom of Learning Independent Campus program. The study employed a mixed-methods approach using a concurrent triangulation strategy. Data were collected through questionnaires, focused group discussions supplemented with observations, and in-depth interviews with respondents, including students, lecturers, and industry/SMEs partners. The data were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively through data reduction, data presentation, conclusion drawing, and verification. The findings indicate that: (1) Industrial clinic development is initiated based on the relevance of vocational education to the workforce, particularly the industrial sector, including small and medium-sized industries. The relationship between education and the workforce, especially SMEs, fosters various schemes and strategies related to partnerships in technology development, human resource education and industry development, economic growth, and strengthening the business climate; (2) The development of industrial clinics is oriented towards integrating systems in higher education, innovation, and production processes in industries including SMEs, local governments, vocational high schools, and communities; (3) The characteristics of industrial internship implementation through industrial clinics include internship activities, independent studies, and/or independent research. Students carry out activities for a specific period, which can be recognized for up to 20 credits. © 2025 Author(s).

To increase participation in STEM related programs and careers, education stakeholders have explored the reconfiguration of high schools into STEM theme-based career academies However, it is critical to acknowledge the academic and psychological challenges impacting high school academy students during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, particularly for ethnically and racially diverse learners. In this study, we examined the perspectives of high school academy stakeholders as well as students in terms of the academic and psychological challenges they encountered. Further, we discuss an educational intervention to provide virtual internships for students in the STEM academies. We followed a qualitative case study design to examine the perspectives of school stakeholders and students who participated in a high school STEM academy. We conducted 25 semi-structured interviews with school stakeholders and 23 Black male academy of engineering students. Four themes emerged: Social and Student Engagement Lacking; Growing Pains: School Stakeholders and Students as Adaptive Learners; Work-based Learning Implementation Challenges; and The NAF Future Ready Lab as an Intervention. We discuss implications of our findings for educational scholars and practitioners. © 2025 Information Age Publishing Inc.

This study proposes an intelligent and adaptive evaluation framework for assessing e-commerce talents in higher vocational colleges under the 'New Business' paradigm. Drawing on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), the framework integrates expert-driven judgments with competency-based evaluation indicators across six dimensions: professional knowledge, technical application, innovation, market analysis, communication, and ethics. Based on 192 valid survey responses and 10 expert consultations, an empirical AHP-based model was constructed, with indicator weights validated through consistency testing.To address the inherent subjectivity and static nature of traditional AHP, this research introduces a forward-looking design that incorporates AI-driven concepts. A three-layer intelligent evaluation architecture is proposed, consisting of data input, evaluation logic, and feedback layers. While actual AI modeling is reserved for future work, the conceptual integration outlines how machine learning, fuzzy logic, and behavioral data from LMS and internship platforms can enable dynamic weight adjustments, personalized feedback, and real-time competency profiling. This hybrid approach not only enhances the flexibility and scalability of the evaluation process but also aligns with the digital transformation of vocational education. The study provides a theoretical and methodological foundation for the development of smart evaluation platforms and future AI-powered educational decision-support systems tailored to evolving vocational demands in the digital economy. © 2025 The Authors.

Within the realm of technical and vocational education (TVET) in Central Asia, this study examines contemporary ways to designing educational programs in pedagogical domains. A comparative analysis was carried out on the curricula of three universities: Kyrgyz National University named after J. Balasagyn, Issyk-Kul State University named after K. Tynystanov, and Arabayev Kyrgyz State University. The primary focus of the analysis was on the incorporation of competence-based and modular strategies, as well as the utilisation of information and communication technologies (ICT). The research employed a qualitative methodology based on document analysis of official curriculum materials and related instructional documents. These were evaluated according to structural composition, the integration of ICT, and the application of competence-based and modular approaches. The analysis also incorporated thematic synthesis and interpretive comparison to reveal both shared and divergent trends in programme design. This work, in contrast to earlier research, presents a novel methodology for aligning educational content with the requirements of the digital literacy environment, the needs of the job market, and inclusive pedagogy techniques. In doing so, it highlights how modular architecture can promote flexibility, while competence-based learning can ensure that professionals are ready to adapt to changing circumstances. In addition, the study underscores the role that information and communication technology plays in boosting interactivity and access to resources, which contributes to student involvement and autonomous development. The findings provide support for the necessity of developing a curriculum that strikes a balance between theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and technological competencies. It is advocated that recommendations be made to stakeholders at the policy level and at the institutional level in order to improve the quality of pedagogical programs in accordance with global education trends. © 2025, Precarpathian National University. All rights reserved.