This study was conducted to determine if there is a difference in learning between a required career preparation course without a client-based project (Class A) and one with a client-based project (Class B). Members of each course took a pre and post survey where they answered 59 items from Caballero et al.'s (2011) Workplace Readiness Scale…

This research seeks to define and understand the experience of adult learners in the Experiential Learning (EXL) Program at MTSU. It looks at how this EXL program prepares these students for the workforce. This has made the role of EXL programs imperative to help deal with the issue of graduates having the proper competency levels for employment.…

This paper aims to understand the marketing workplace soft skills gap and address the possibility of closing that gap through the implementation of a student-run marketing agency at institutions of higher learning. A 2016 report from Payscale.com suggests that employers feel like new graduates lack the ability to think critically, to work in…

Within Career and Technical Education (CTE), some students have the opportunity to participate in Work Based Learning (WBL) as a third-level course to achieve CTE completer status. Participation in WBL has proposed benefits beyond students learning technical skills to the more substantial development of employability skills. Although employers…

In Mississippi, 57% of job vacancies through 2022 will be middle-skill jobs, but only an estimated 50% of the state's workers will be trained to fill these jobs. The ACT WorkKeys assessment is the primary credentialing tool for high school students entering the middle-skill labor force. The problem addressed in this study is while Mississippi uses…

The underlining purpose of all career and technical education (CTE) strives to prepare students for the world of work. Schools throughout the country offer CTE programs, yet manufacturing, healthcare, and STEM industries struggle to fill entry-level employment vacancies. This exploratory narrative qualitative study aimed to explore the stories of…

The purpose of this research was to explore the various types and components of work-based learning experiences (WBLE), best practices, and the special education students' outcomes in a suburban public high school located outside of a large metropolitan area. Students with disabilities (SWD) have a difficult time transitioning postsecondary, and…

The United States economy currently suffers a significant skills gap in its workforce, one that approaches crisis proportions. This skills gap (Christo-Baker et al., 2017; King et al., 2017; Laboissiere & Mourshed, 2017) will have profound effects on future U.S. economic growth and, by extension, on global economic growth. Researchers have…

More than three-quarters of Delaware Technical Community College (Delaware Tech) students graduate without a work-based learning (WBL) experience. In the 2017-2018 academic year, only 14% of Delaware Tech students statewide participated in a WBL activity. This figure was the same for the two previous academic years as well. These participation…

Cocurricular student communities of practice (CoP) can significantly impact a student's construction of their professional self. This interpretative phenomenological analysis explored the perspectives of four near graduates and one recently graduated undergraduate student at a mid-size, regional public college regarding how their CoP engagement…

The purpose of this case study was to describe the processes used by a high school vocational program to provide vocational training and preparation for postsecondary employment to students with disabilities. This research addresses the deficient circulation of qualitative research regarding vocational training practices used by functioning…

People who are blind or visually impaired have experienced employment rates of around 30% for decades despite legislation to improve educational outcomes and ban discrimination in employment. It is imperative to study existing comprehensive programs for these students and to understand leadership roles which provide support and lead to continuous…

Students with disabilities face a variety of challenges that extend beyond the classroom, as they are often behind their peers in social and life skills. As they exit their secondary education programs they are often ill prepared to meet the multi-dimensional demands of the work place. According to the United States Department of Labor (2011),…