This paper seeks to contribute to the knowledge of the relationship established between firms and vocational education and training (VET) schools around work placements in companies (both standard and extended, so-called 'dual', models) in Spain. An ad hoc survey of 332 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from two industrial regions was conducted…

Purpose: This article explores the perceptions of professionals on the implementation and impact of Dual Vocational Training (Dual VET) in the Spanish education system. Design/methodology/approach: The study involves interviews with various professionals in the education and employment sectors and two discussion groups. Findings: Results reveal…

Cooperation between universities and business is manifest in a wide range of activities related to the three missions of the entrepreneurial university: education, research and entrepreneurship. However, the vast majority of University-Business Cooperation (UBC) literature has focused on R&D-related activities. This bias has given rise to a…

The objective of this study is to analyse the contribution of students of vocational education and training (VET) to the innovation processes of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) during their apprenticeships. Qualitative research was conducted through in-depth interviews with 97 respondents in Catalonia, including VET teachers and…

As entrepreneurs and start-ups have become increasingly significant components of world economic growth, Japan has enacted and discussed various policies to spur entrepreneurship. However, scant attention has been paid toward motivating its youth to embrace the entrepreneurial spirit. Therefore, this study focuses on undergraduate and graduate…

Innovation has been at the forefront of the reforms and changes in the vocational education and training (VET) system in Spain and is defined as a necessary competence to be developed in students to improve their adaptation to the work context. However, there is still only limited knowledge about the role VET plays in the innovation process. Given…

This paper studies entrepreneurial intentions in undergraduate students and the obstacles perceived by the students in the process of starting their own business. Using a sample of 1053 undergraduate students from Andalusia universities, this study explores attitudes, capacities and social environment to determine the profile of university's…

Twenty years since educational reforms were implemented in Spain aiming at the modernisation of the vocational education system and at the improvement of its educational and developmental functions, relationships between education and industry have not been widely analysed. This study reviews the recent international literature on the topic and…

In the current context of economic crisis, the European Union seeks to promote the integration of the vocational education and training system (VET) system and foster greater cooperation between this system and enterprises. Education and innovation are part of the answer to achieve this goal. This research explores the relationship between the VET…

This article locates training and development in Spain within the country's socio-economic context. It maps the major changes which have been introduced into the training and development system since the briefing by Escardíbul and Llinas-Audet published in this journal in 2010. It relates those changes to the ongoing economic crisis which began in…

This handbook, first published in 2014, aims at helping policy makers and social partners understand some of the ways in which learning in the workplace can be encouraged and how its quality can be improved. It is also intended to help them understand some of the ways that such learning can be organised in a structured manner so that it benefits…

Reforms of the vocational education and training (VET) system in Spain are committed to a closer relationship between the VET system and companies' needs. One of these needs is for a greater contribution of the VET system to innovation in companies, especially SMEs, which have limited resources to innovate. This contribution could materialise…

In this paper, the authors first discuss the Neumark and Troske piece, and then compare the U.S. context to that in Europe and Korea, as described by the Caspar, Hartwig, and Moench and the Cho and Shin contributions. Although they are in basic agreement with Neumark and Troske on the extent and depth of the current employment situation, they…

Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in creating a dynamic and successful European economy. Time-poor managers in these organisations generally have fewer opportunities for training and development than their counterparts in larger organisations. As a result, different requirements are placed on training. The aim of…

Rapid developments in how international enterprises cooperate raise many lot of problems, when business partners apply attitudes, aspirations, and behaviour shaped in their own cultural environment. Business partners often do not take into account management traditions and value systems of countries in which they set up business. Business…