Search Results for
"learning"

The Informal Artisan Training System (IATS) is crucial to Ghana’s construction industry but faces challenges that affect the quality of skilled labour and project outcomes. While research has documented the general limitations of informal artisan training, limited focus has been given to analysing specific learning patterns of artisans and their impact on project outcomes. This study addresses this gap by examining these learning patterns and evaluating their direct influence on construction project outcomes in Ghana. Through a mixed-methods approach, data were collected from 314 participants, including apprentice artisans, master artisans, and construction supervisors, using surveys and field interactions. Findings identified two training approaches: traditional and attachment-based apprenticeship, with significant deficiencies in technical skills, formal education, and apprentices’ readiness for independent work. Master artisans are committed to ongoing learning but rely heavily on practical experience. Construction supervisors recognize the IATS’s role in meeting industry needs but highlight persistent skill gaps affecting productivity. By recommending formalization and standardization, this study underscores the importance of aligning artisan skills with industry standards, ensuring that training outcomes directly support the construction industry’s quality and productivity benchmarks. This study provides actionable insights for improving artisan training and deepens understanding of informal training dynamics. © 2025 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

As career opportunities in the agricultural industry continue to increase, there is an ongoing need for trained graduates to meet workforce demands. Though technical knowledge is important, agribusiness organizations have emphasized the importance of higher-order behavioral skills, such as problem-solving, decision-making, organization, teamwork, and communication. Undergraduate research, broadly defined as scientific inquiry, creative activity, or scholarship which produces some original work from students, it also builds transferrable workforce skills. Using social constructivist and experiential learning theories, this qualitative case study explored the role of undergraduate student research in developing graduates who are prepared to meet the needs of industry and future careers through the perspectives of industry and university professionals. Participants thought that students with strong research skills would greatly benefit their future employers, regardless of that organization’s need for research. The following themes were identified in relation to the research questions: (1) Success in the workplace is more than technical knowledge; (2) Research skills are desirable workforce skills; and (3) Social science research can address agricultural issues alongside industry. Although participants’ experiences with research varied, they viewed undergraduate research as an opportunity for students to increase their workforce readiness by developing higher-order behavioral skills. Framing undergraduate research as an opportunity to intentionally network and build skills for their future careers may encourage more students to participate in research. However, faculty must be intentional when designing and delivering learning opportunities, taking time to understand students’ career goals, identifying topics of interest, and encouraging reflection. © 2025, New Prairie Press. All rights reserved.

This article explores how arts-based programs in Danish schools and daycare centers support educators’ professional development through collaboration with professional artists. Although such programs primarily aim to enhance children’s creative engagement in arts, our data from the Danish KUMULT! initiative – a cultural arts-based program involving professional artists and children from daycare centers to 9th grade – reveal that teachers and pedagogues also experience unexpected professional development. Drawing on interviews, surveys, observations, and teacher reflections from institutions across six municipalities, we identify a phenomenon of unintended apprenticeship, where educators informally adopt new methods and perspectives through practice-based collaboration with artists. Using situated learning theory, we show how such programs revitalize teaching and support creative, practice-driven professional development. ©2025 Maria Lyndgaard & Lene Tanggaard.

Purpose – Cooperation between learning locations is a central yet challenging aspect of vocational education and training (VET). This study explores how digital tools – used as digital boundary objects – can support boundary crossing between vocational schools, training companies and inter-company courses. It investigates the potential and limitations of these tools in two pharmaceutical training contexts in Switzerland. Design/methodology/approach – The study draws on qualitative data from two case studies in the Swiss pharmaceutical industry. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, site observations and guided tours of training departments. Findings – The findings suggest that digital boundary objects play a crucial role in facilitating learning across institutional boundaries – especially when learning locations operate within a shared organisational framework. In such settings, common digital platforms enable seamless coordination, personalised learning support and ongoing communication between locations. Conversely, when learning locations are institutionally distinct, digital tools offer only limited support for boundary crossing. In these cases, learners are required to take the initiative in bridging the gap between disparate learning contexts. Originality/value – This study provides new insights into how cooperation between learning locations is structured in large Swiss companies and highlights the importance of organisational frameworks for successful digital integration. The findings indicate that while digital tools hold considerable promise, their effectiveness largely depends on shared goals and institutional alignment. Learners require support in navigating their role as boundary crossers – particularly when cooperation between locations is limited. © 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited

Purpose – To investigate how VET teachers in post-compulsory education integrate digital technologies into teaching, collaboration and assessment and to identify strategies for addressing digital competence gaps using the DigCompEdu/SELFIE for TEACHERS framework. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative case study in a Spanish Vocational Education and Training (VET) centre. An online open-ended questionnaire collected accounts from 25 teachers representing five professional families. Grounded-theory coding in ATLAS.ti generated 105 initial codes (meaning units), which were then mapped to the DigCompEdu areas to identify themes and actionable areas for improvement. Findings – Teachers report a solid baseline of integration centred on the learning management systems, collaborative platforms and sector-specific software aligned with occupational standards. Assessment routines exist, but self- and peer-assessment are inconsistent without explicit scaffolding. VR/AI attract strong interest yet remain marginal in practice. Mapping to DigCompEdu shows strengths in Areas 1–3 and clear needs in Areas 4 and 6. Research limitations/implications – This single-centre study, grounded in teachers’ detailed accounts, offers in-depth insight rarely captured in VET research, enhancing transferability and providing a solid foundation for future multi-site and mixed-methods studies. Practical implications – Professional development aligned with DigCompEdu; stronger assessment literacy; investment in simulated/VR spaces and industry–centre partnerships for tool access and mentoring. Social implications – Strengthening teachers’ digital competence supports equitable access to future-relevant skills, enhancing employability and mobility through digital and green transitions. Originality/value – The study provides evidence grounded in teachers’ practice in post-compulsory VET, applying DigCompEdu in classroom settings and linking the results to policy and leadership actions. In doing so, it contributes to the Special Issue’s aim of foregrounding rigorous VET research and challenges its under-representation by placing teachers’ voices at the centre. © 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore the continuing professional development (CPD) experiences of technical and vocational workers in the informal sector of Ghana. Design/methodology/approach – A phenomenological research design was adopted. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 technical and vocational workers who were conveniently and purposively recruited from the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings – Motivations, barriers and pathways explained the CPD experiences of technical and vocational workers. Technical and vocational workers in Ghana were found to engage in four categories of CPD pathways, which were largely formal and informal. Three distinct categories of motivations were identified, which related to self-determination and personal drive, skill acquisition and continuous learning and economic survival and business sustainability. Further analysis revealed five barriers, which were largely institutional and situational. Research limitations/implications – Research limitations include potential biases resulting from self-reported responses. Practical implications – Continuous learning for technical and vocational workers must be highly considered as a national priority. Professional associations should continue to mobilize and enhance the professional competence and practices of technical and vocational workers. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, almost no study has investigated the CPD experiences of technical and vocational workers from adult learning and self-determination perspectives. This study, therefore, contributes to the occupational competence and professional development literature in a developing country context. © 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited

Purpose – This study explores how work-based tutors (WBTs) operationalise tripartite reviews (TRs) within UK higher and degree apprenticeships (H&DAs). TRs are generally positioned as compliance tools to monitor apprentice progress; however, focusing on the under-researched WBT role, the paper addresses how these practitioners navigate tensions between regulation and personalised support. Design/methodology/approach – The study adopts a qualitative interpretivist case study methodology situated in a UK Higher Education Institution (HEI) business school delivering levels five, six and seven H&DAs. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with seven WBTs and an open-ended survey of 34 apprentices. Reflexive thematic analysis allowed triangulation of tutor and apprentice lived experience to provide rigorous findings. Findings – Findings indicate WBTs have hybrid roles that extend beyond compliance to apprentice wellbeing, resilience and professional growth. TRs were found to sit along a compliance–support continuum, with WBTs adjusting their approach based on apprentice needs. Despite facing inconsistent workplace mentor (WPM) engagement and administrative inefficiencies, WBTs are vital in linking theory to practice, stepping into pedagogic functions not formally recognised in their role description. Originality/value – Through an in-depth institutional case study of WBTs and TRs, this paper contributes a new “Compliance–Support Continuum” to help characterise the WBT role. The study encourages professional recognition of WBTs, enhanced training and systemic reforms. It holds value for higher education (HE) leaders, policymakers and practitioners seeking to strengthen H&DA provision through more relationally and pedagogically informed TR practices. © 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited

Higher education faces accelerating disruption – technological, environmental and social. Traditional curriculum models are too rigid and reactive. They fail to match the complexities of today’s world. This paper advances foresight-based framework for curriculum design. It foregrounds adaptability, sustainability and inclusion. The framework is rooted in futures thinking. It draws on insights from social justice theory and constructivist pedagogy to position curriculum as a strategic, living system. Institutions can anticipate change, build resilience and cultivate critical, future-ready learning. The paper moves beyond risk mitigation. It frames foresight as an ethical and transformative tool for navigating uncertainty. Foresight-informed curriculum design prepares educators and equips learners to engage, innovate and lead in volatile times. The framework offers conceptual depth and practical strategy. It reimagines curriculum as a force for systemic change. The paper responds to global calls for equity, relevance and educational renewal. © The Author(s) 2025

Purpose – This study aims to develop and validate an Industry 4.0 (IR4.0) talent framework for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students enrolled in work-based learning (WBL) programmes, ensuring they are equipped with relevant technical, cognitive, personal and ethical competencies. Design/methodology/approach – An exploratory sequential mixed-methods design was employed. In Phase 1, semi-structured interviews with 11 experts identified key talent domains. In Phase 2, a survey of 159 final-year WBL students from four Malaysian polytechnics was conducted. Data were analysed using principal component analysis (PCA) to validate the framework's domains and components. Findings – The study validated four distinct and unidimensional talent domains: Intellectual Talents, Proficiency in Work Talent, Individual Talent Potential and Ethical Professional Talent. PCA results confirmed strong construct validity across all domains, with high explained variance ratios and item fit indices, indicating the robustness of the framework. Research limitations/implications – The study is limited to Malaysian polytechnic students and may not fully generalise across different education systems or countries. Future research should include cross-country comparisons and longitudinal assessments of framework impact on employability. Practical implications – The framework provides TVET educators and policymakers with a structured model to revise curricula and align WBL programmes with IR4.0 industry demands, enhancing graduate readiness. Social implications – Adoption of the framework can address the national skills mismatch by fostering a future-ready workforce equipped with ethical, adaptable and innovative capabilities. Originality/value – This study presents a validated and holistic IR4.0 talent framework uniquely tailored for TVET-WBL contexts, integrating theoretical and practical insights to inform talent development in the digital age. © 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited

This open access book describes and explains a fifty-year-old woman’s process of developing trade competences. Drawing from daily journal entries, photographs, interviews from 10 fabrication shops, and online forums about trades, this autoethnography details the author's learning process at Howe’s Welding and Metal Fabrication, where she has worked for over three years. This book uses accessible, everyday language and draws heavily from personal experience in trades, taking the value of trades as a given and explaining the process of developing the depth and breadth of conceptual and procedural knowledges—the competences—required to work in repair and fabrication shops like Howe’s. This book combines a research-derived framework for analyzing scaffolded learning and expertise development with stories of learning how and learning what. Readers will gain a better understanding of knowledge development in trades workplaces, including how one-to-one interactions scaffold knowledge, how workers gradually enter a community of practice, and how workplaces can constrain learning. This book also gives readers a view of workplace learning over time and helps readers—researchers and practitioners—recognize opportunities for development toward expertise. The book is useful for tradespeople, especially newcomers to trades and, in particular, women. © 2025 The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s).