This study focuses on the school-work connection from the perspective of curriculum design. The aim was to uncover considerations underpinning the design of learning environments in vocational education. The research took place in the Netherlands. A focus group methodology was chosen to elicit designers' considerations, which generally remain…

This study explores the alignment of the music education curriculum with employment trends at Jiangxi Normal College, emphasizing the integration of professional skills and academic learning to enhance employability. The objective is to investigate and evaluate the strategies employed in the development of an employment-oriented curriculum for…

Purpose: This paper aims to find out what conditions are needed to enhance higher education curricula towards employability from the perspective of different stakeholders in the graduate labour market. Design/methodology/approach: An empirical study was developed, using a qualitative approach, based on semi-structured interviews with higher…

In this paper, we propose a methodology to support the Curriculum Design and Development (CDD) process with the aim of aligning competences provided by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) with the ones required by companies. The proposed methodology stems from the identification of companies' training needs and aims at classifying a set of…

This article proposes a model for the design of a hybrid VET curriculum across the school-work boundary. VET-curricula are designed on the basis of two main types of learning arrangements, namely, the plan for learning in school and for learning at the workplace. A challenge for curriculum development is creating consistency between different…

In the sociology of education the relation between education and work is analysed in many ways and, since the rise of neoliberalism, increasingly in market terms. Skills are the dominant labour market currency, described in terms of competence profiles that seek to link educational qualifications directly to work. Contrary to the widespread appeal…

The increased complexity of today's work environment has made the need for soft skills, such as teamwork, communication, leadership, and problem solving, more salient than ever. Employers hire for these skills because it is increasingly the human resources that give organizations a competitive advantage. Therefore, academia must respond to these…

Academic programs must constantly evolve in order to ensure that students are best prepared for success in internships and subsequent post-collegiate endeavors within the dynamic, rapidly changing sport industry. Based upon qualitative research, this work assesses and recommends areas of development in sport management curricula using internal and…

A wide variety of software tools is currently available to businesses when building e-commerce solutions. Businesses are in need of employees with the appropriate skills to support and implement their e-commerce solutions. Students transitioning from school into the workforce need a well-designed curriculum that can prepare them with the skills…

Geographical information science (GISc) is one of the fastest growing industries worldwide. Being a relatively new discipline, universities often provide training as part of geography, surveying, town planning, environmental and computer science programmes. This complicates professional accreditation assessments as the content, outcomes, extent…

There is considerable national interest in STEM initiatives, but yet there is little discussion concerning what STEM means in terms of a curriculum concept to be applied to school programming. This article focuses on STEM as a curriculum concept. First, STEM programming is discussed in terms of separate subjects, correlated and broad fields…

Many academic departments, concerned with providing curricula that are both current and targeted to student and employer needs, are tailoring their curricula to target specific skill sets. This in turn generates students who graduate more prepared to assume positions being demanded by employers. Curriculum development includes changing content and…

In this article, relevance of practice during university studies is highlighted, as well as the main stages of its organisation, qualitative parameters, as well as criteria and indicators that validate them are defined. Discussion on the idea that taking into consideration qualitative parameters of organising practice as a component of studies…

Vocational education by its nature has a need for delivery methods that place a strong focus on the relationship between school and work and seeks to deliver instruction in a manner that bridges the two as seamlessly as possible. This paper presents a curriculum and constructivist-based instructional delivery approach, designed to emphasize a…

Interviews with 28 middle school staff regarding school-to-work STW curriculum implementation, focus, outcomes, and issues found a range of benefits provided to students. STW experiences contributed to young adolescent development, self-understanding, confidence, self-esteem, motivation, and responsibility--in other words, what middle schools were…