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The paper aims to comprehensively study the current learning environment of export skills in China and to identify the needs of Chinese firms for skills training. Thus, it proposes a conceptual framework of skills identification and ranking model. Another main purpose of this paper is to expand the domain of export skills and knowledge management by including a broader range of the determinants of interests in export skills acquisition and identification than is normally found in the related literature.

A comprehensive and thorough survey on the learning environment of export skills acquisition was conducted in this study targeting 800 exporting firms in China. Ten propositions were proposed and the data were complemented through correspondence analysis to study the determinants of interest in export skills acquisition among these firms.

The results indicate that the overall level of export skills for Chinese exporters is somewhat low and little training resources are invested in export skills acquisition. Furthermore, interest in export skills learning is broad based and unrelated to ownership structure. It is demonstrated that Chinese exporters of greater export development and management commitment show more interest in export skills learning. Those of lower export development need more support from government trade agencies, yet in general, government assistance in meeting the demand of Chinese exporters is still insufficient.

Because of the chosen research approach, the research results may lack generalisability. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to find the best practice.

The paper includes implications for the intelligence of learning environment, the identification of determinants of the learning interests in export skills and the development of skills training and knowledge management.

This paper can be used by the exporting firms, the universities and government trade agencies to design more effective skill training programs and to guide their resource allocations.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the cause–effect relationship between vocational support and the levels of acquisition of practical skills via learning self-efficacy during a training intervention in computer maintenance technology among vocational electronic technology students.

Quasi-experimental research was employed. The participants were 84 undergraduates of vocational electronic technology education in Nigeria. The study applied the modified stages of the Dreyfus model of skills acquisition as the training model. The study proposed a four-simple mediation models based on the first four stages of the modified Dreyfus model of skills acquisition (namely, novice, advanced beginner, competent and proficient stages) via practical skills learning self-efficacy.

The result showed significant effects of perceived vocational support in practical skills training on the levels of acquisition of practical skills in computer maintenance technology. Learning self-efficacy mediated the relationship between perceived vocational support and three levels of practical skills acquisition (advanced beginner, competent and proficient).

All possible mediation pathways were not covered in this study. However, the study x-rayed the tendency of pathways in training intervention in vocational education and allied fields of study.

This study has empirically provided evidence to support the Dreyfus model of skills acquisition, as a plausible practical skills training model. Hence, the study can serve as a model for other researchers for replication in other fields of study.

To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that revealed potential pathways in work-related practical skills training interventions. The study has also validated the Dreyfus model as a potential skill acquisition model for practical skills training.

The benefits of trade liberalization on upskilling and skill-based wage premiums for high-skilled workers have recently been questioned in policy circles, in part because of rising income inequality and populist movements in developed economies such as the USA. The purpose of this paper is to determine the effects of trade liberalization on the relative supply and demand for skills.

Through the systematic review of the literature on trade and skill acquisition, this paper isolates a total of 25 articles published over the past two decades.

Key findings demonstrate the importance of the relative development of the trading partner, with more developed countries experiencing higher upskilling, while less developed countries experience deskilling. Technology, geographic level of analysis, sector and gender were also found to be important influences on human capital acquisition associated with international trade.

Overall, the authors find support for the idea that trade with developing countries places pressure on low-skill jobs in developed countries but increases the demand for educated workers. The implications of shifts in skills for public policy-making and in terms of the skill premium on wages are discussed.

The vocational education and training (VET) system needs a future change in order to be more accountable to employers (and their associations) for training outcomes that match employer expectations. As part of this, an important focus is employability skills that go beyond work-related technical and interpersonal skills to include employer-preferred values, attitudes and personality dimensions. The purpose of this paper is to determine the effect of supervised work experiences (SWEs), among other factors, on undergraduate vocational trainees’ acquisition of employability skills.

A total of 138 respondents ranging in age from 17 to 24 years who successfully completed their two years program awarded with Malaysian Skill Certificate were included. They were divided into two sub-populations, trainees participating and trainees not participating in the SWE. Descriptive analysis, Correlation and ANCOVA were applied for data analysis.

The results showed that participating students achieved a moderately higher level of employability skills compared to students not participating in the SWE. The findings also revealed other factors contributing to the acquisition of employability skills, including gender, age, work experience, self-concept and achievement motivation. However, achievement motivation was found to be significantly related to the acquisition of employability skills. Therefore, participation of vocational trainees in the SWE influences the acquisition of employability skills which are identified as career success skills and could facilitate youth in transition from school to work.

Although the research has reached the aims, there were a few limitations which may effect on generalization of the findings. Because of the limit access to students from all majors in vocational training, this study focused on six types of skills. In addition, the number of participants from different courses was not equal.

The research findings also imply several practical implications. First, based on the finding, it can be suggested that industries provide students’ vocational training under supervision of expert in their course area in order to enrich the level of trainees’ acquisition of employability skills. Second, referring to the finding, focusing on the key aspects of employability skills, industries can improve the trainees learning process and producing workers with abilities to allow them to interact with job duties in the organization of workplace.

This study can serve as a model for evaluation when implementing school to work programs.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether managers can acquire strategic skills using management education methods in lieu of experience. It demonstrates that experienced‐based pedagogical methods can be effective in developing traditional skills or “hard” skills and “soft” skills such as interpersonal communication, which then facilitate the acquisition of strategic skills.

The paper uses data from questionnaires and achievement scores from capstone classes to determine whether exposure to an experiential technique called large‐scale simulation can lead students to acquire traditional, soft and strategic managerial skill sets.

The results show that soft and traditional skills are complementary and together lead to better acquisition of strategic skills and also imply that mastering soft skills may enhance the mastery of traditional skills.

A limitation of the research stems from the use of students as research subjects. While this limits generalizability, it is important to remember that many such students go on to be successful managers in large and small organizations, partly due to their educational background. Replicating these findings with graduate and executive students is required.

A key practical implication is that organizations may be able to effectively supplement their own experienced‐based developmental efforts for their managerial personnel with course‐based learning.

The paper's findings support an option for many firms, although this has not received much direct empirical support. Additionally, the results support the increasing emphasis placed on soft skills, suggesting that development of strategic skills may help managers grasp the bigger‐picture implications.

Are ethnic specialization and thus a downward sloping labor demand curve fundamental features of labor market competition between ethnic groups? In a general equilibrium model, this chapter argues that spillover effects in skill acquisition and social distances between ethnic groups engender equilibrium regimes of skill acquisition that differ in their implications for ethnic specialization. Specifically, fundamental relationships through which relative group sizes determine whether ethnic specialization arises and in what degree are established. Thus, this chapter theoretically justifies a downward sloping labor demand curve and explains why some ethnic groups earn more than others, ethnic minorities underperforming or outperforming majorities.

The purpose of this paper is to explain some phenomena observed in the acquisition of motor skills: the loss of conscious access to knowledge of the structure of a skill and the awareness that an error has been made prior to the receipt of knowledge of results. Although there are rich descriptive accounts of skill acquisition in the literature, there are no satisfactory explanatory models of the cognitive processes involved. The paper provides such a model.

In the 1970s, the first author implemented a computer program model of the cognitive processes involved in learning and skill acquisition, based on a series of empirical investigations. Recently, with assistance from the second author, the model has been reviewed, updated and re-implemented. The paper sets this work in the broader context of a theory of learning and teaching, conversation theory.

The model provides a constructivist account of skill acquisition and associated phenomena. The model provides theoretical foundations for conversation theory.

The model adds to the understanding of motor skill acquisition and to the understanding of processes of learning and teaching in general.

The model and its interpretation are an original contribution to the skills acquisition literature.

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between psychological contracts and subsequent internship outcomes, with a specific focus on employer obligations with regard to career development. The study also examines the potential moderating role of person–organization (P–O) fit.

Online surveys were administered to 196 college students both prior to and upon completing their summer internships. Moderated mediation analyses were performed following Hayes (2018).

The results show that employer fulfillment of career development is positively associated with organizational attractiveness, as mediated by intern skill acquisition. In addition, high levels of P-O fit ameliorated low developmental situations, with high P-O fit resulting in stronger attraction to the organization than low P-O fit.

The study underlines the importance of career development and the associated attainment of instrumental resources in the psychological contract process between organizations and interns. For the former, the provision of career development may increase interns' attraction to the organization. For interns, such opportunities can enhance skill acquisition, with differential effects for those with high and low P-O fit.

This study is the first to provide an empirical assessment of the instrumental outcomes of psychological contract fulfillment with regard to career development prior to formal organizational entry. It further sheds light on the interactive effect of skill acquisition and P-O fit in predicting individual perceptions of the organization.

This study aims to examine the impact of knowledge and skills acquisition from youth leadership programs on the extent of training transfer. Additionally, it explores the role of self-esteem as a potential intervening mechanism in linking the acquired knowledge and skills to the transfer of training.

Using a non-probability purposive sampling, data were gathered from participants of youth leadership programs in Brunei. The study hypotheses were validated using multiple linear regression analysis and Hayes PROCESS macro.

The findings revealed that knowledge and skills acquisition positively affect the extent of training transfer among youth leadership program participants. Moreover, self-esteem is found to be a crucial mediator in the relationship between knowledge and skills acquired from youth leadership programs and the extent of training transfer.

The study suggests that to optimize the transfer of training in the youth leadership programs, relevant stakeholders – training providers, and practitioners – must prioritize not only the knowledge and skills acquisition but also the cultivation of participants’ self-esteem. To achieve this, a primary focus should be placed on the criticality of designing such programs to address these factors. Policymakers, particularly in Brunei, can enhance the leadership pipeline among the youth population and expedite progress toward achieving the national vision by aligning leadership development initiatives with the broader national development agenda.

Collectively, this study enhances understanding of training transfer in youth leadership development, an often-overlooked area in the literature.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of soft skill acquisition and the training methodology adopted on employee work performance. In this study, the authors study the trends of research in training and work performance in organisations that focus on the acquisition of technical or “hard skills” for employee training and evaluating work performance. This study was conducted to redirect the focus of employee training and development goals to the acquisition of soft skills, which have a very high and lasting impact on improving employee performance.

This study adopted a quantitative research approach. Questionnaires were administered to selected managers and executives of a few Malaysian private companies. The questionnaire was specifically designed to examine the competencies of various Malaysian-based company managers, executives and supervisors who had undergone a soft skills training programme over a period of a few weeks or months. These soft skills training programmes were not conducted consecutively, but rather with a break or “time-space” in between each session. The target population in this study consisted of 810 employees from nine companies. The sample size was 260 trainees who were selected from the population with a 95 per cent confidence level within 0.05 risk of sampling error.

Using regression analysis, this study estimated the relationships between employees’ acquisition of soft skills, the training methodology adopted by the trainer, and work performance. The results indicate that the two predictors – soft skill acquisition and training methodology – significantly predict employee performance. The authors propose the need for employers to redesign the methodology for training employees in soft skills. Based on the findings, “time-spaced learning” is highly potent in undermining the hindrance associated with training transfer.

The findings of this study help to raise the awareness of employers, human resource managers, professional and industrial experts and the government to rethink the need to improve soft skills training methodologies. Specifically, this can be achieved by giving the trainees “space” or breaks to practice, apply and internalise what they have learnt intermittently during the training programme. This will enhance employee performance, and consequently, organisational performance. These findings also inform company managers that the time-spaced learning method enables employees to acquire soft skills more effectively, which will invariably bring about positive behaviour changes in employees towards their work and co-workers.

The originality of this research is based on the fact that the results are peculiar to Malaysia, whereas most of the literatures on training methodology especially the time-space and soft skill have focused on developed countries. Furthermore, the study emphasised that time-space learning training methodology helps employees in transferring knowledge acquired during training to their work. The research also emphasised that soft skills acquisition brings about increase in employee work performance. This research shows 14.5 per cent increased employee work performance in the selected companies because of their employees’ acquisition of soft skills and a 27.9 per cent increase in employee performance is based on time-space training methodology. This makes the investigation on the effects of soft skills acquisition and the training methodology adopted on employee performance very important for organisational survival.