Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore Master of Social Services students' (MSS) thoughts of transversal skills in higher education studies and working life practice. Transversal skills are general skills that are transferable from field to field. For instance, transversal skills can promote individuals' employability in the labor market…

This article investigated the learning experiences of students who obtained certificates from a TVET institution in Uganda (referred to in the article as graduates). Qualitative data collected through in-depth interviews and observation from 12 purposively selected participants was analysed thematically. Findings show that graduates acquire…

In the context of technological change and the ongoing transformation of the labour market, this paper investigates firms' employer-provided continuing training provision for employees with different skill requirements. Following human capital theory, firms invest in training when expecting higher returns than costs. From a theoretical point of…

Following the financial crisis and the ensuing economic downturn in the past decade, apprenticeship sparked renewed interest among policy-makers both in Brussels and the EU Member States. Since, European and national crisis management strategies have advocated apprenticeship both as a short-term solution to youth unemployment and a useful response…

Existing evidence shows that the higher the level of education the higher the likelihood to participate in workplace training. However, we know little about training participation of individuals educated to the secondary level, and whether this may vary by the type of qualification attained, i.e. vocational or general. Vocational qualification…

In this study, we argue that effective workplace education and training is critical to support workers with intellectual disability (WWID) at work. Moreover, we contend that it is workplace learning that prepares WWID for future career development and opportunities to enrol in and gain vocational education and training (VET) qualifications.…

Expanding access to higher education has taken priority in South Africa. There is a focus on improving entry into learning contexts and subsequent economic and social mobility opportunities by developing attributes in graduates that are in line with employment sector expectations. Work-integrated learning (WIL) processes serve to expose students…

Work-based placements, site visits, field trips and embedded industry-informed curriculum are employability strategies frequently applied by universities, and clustered under the umbrella term -- work-integrated learning (WIL). Referring to each of these strategies as WIL can complicate comparisons (e.g. long-term placements vs. field trips) and…

Concise, clear and comprehensive snapshots of vocational education and training systems in EU, Iceland and Norway: this is what the Cedefop Spotlight on VET series offers. Building on individual country Spotlights, this publication provides an overview of VET systems with their distinctive qualities, such as main accession and progression routes…

The UK entered the deepest recession in history in 2020, following a decade of sluggish growth. Coronavirus restrictions led to a sharp rise in unemployment, vacancies plummeted, and millions were furloughed. The pandemic has also accelerated technological change, with increased digitalisation and firms discovering new ways to harness emerging…

This paper outlines the scale of the adult literacy and numeracy issue in New Zealand and describes a policy intervention designed to upskill employees in workplaces to help resolve the issue for them. This is the Workplace Literacy and Numeracy (WLN) Fund, which enables around 7000 employees a year to complete a 25- to 80-hour learning programme,…

Research indicates that work-integrated learning (WIL) experiences enable students to develop both generic and work skills as well as helping students identify their future academic and career directions. This study used pre- and post-survey instruments to evaluate the effectiveness of a WIL placement to develop work skills of students in…

The effectiveness of vocational education and training (VET) depends on the quality of interactions between the actors from the education and employment systems, which ensure the correspondence of skills supply and demand. This paper develops an instrument to measure education-employment linkage (EEL) by capturing EEL in each sub-process…

This report is the result of an explorative study, carried out at a time when interest in apprenticeship for adults was on the rise and research and evidence on the topic was scarce and fragmented. It has explored the topic from a conceptual and theoretical point of view, reviewing relevant existing research. It has also considered a practical…

This report explores the links between trade unions and workplace training, and the potential benefits of social partnership in the skills system. The UK is relatively unusual in having no formal role for trade unions in the training system. In most advanced economies, trade unions and employers work alongside government in shaping the skills…