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This paper aims to explore the perceptions of pre-school educators for the application of total quality philosophy in kindergartens in the prefecture of Corinthia, Greece. Dimensions, such as the adoption of quality philosophy in the pre-school unit by the superiors, the active participation of teachers in decision-making and human resource management parameters, are examined.

The methodological approach of qualitative research was selected for the collection, processing and analysis of data based on the methodological tools of the interview with a semi-structured questionnaire and deliberate random sampling of kindergarten teachers serving in public units where they have teaching and/or administrative tasks.

The analysis of the data shows that there is no particular familiarity with the basic parameters of total quality philosophy in pre-school education and is related to empirical planning and lack of long-term vision. However, participatory decision-making and emotional intelligence are found as essential elements for ensuring an efficient and open-ended school culture.

The study is the first of its kind in Greece and abroad and its findings can be used to enrich the thematic scope of application of total quality management dimensions to pre-school education and in particular, those dimensions related to the leadership profile of teachers exercising responsibility tasks.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the degree apprenticeship of the vocational training institutes (VTIs) enhances the labor market and enables the trainees to detect the knowledge and skills that are acquired during the training. In addition, this study tries to detect through work-based learning whether the workplace function as a learning place and whether the trainees are satisfied by the experience during the degree apprenticeship.

In total, 129 graduates by various VTIs in the wider area of Patras (Western Greece), who completed the degree apprenticeship, participated in the survey.

The findings of this study highlighted the difficulties that the graduates of VTIs face when they look for a job in the economic crisis era that Greece faces. However, this study also highlighted the satisfaction that the trainees denoted about the knowledge and the vocational and social skills that they acquired during the degree apprenticeship. Additionally, the trainees are satisfied by the workplace where the degree apprenticeship took place because it became a learning environment.

This study is evidence of a need for developing the degree apprenticeship programs in Greece as a means of enhancing the transition from training to work.

This research is the first and serious recording of the trainees’ opinions regarding their degree apprenticeship, during their studies in VTIs. The presented professional and social skills could use as guidelines for the implementation of new practices and educational policies in training during the educational process. Additionally, the degree apprenticeship programs will be further linked to the educational institution and the educational community will benefit from the trainees’ experience. These new degree apprenticeship practices will be implemented in the following years in all the VTIs in Greece.

Through the present study, the authors investigate whether online practicum in teaching, with fellow teacher-candidates acting as students, can be effective and whether the teacher-candidates actually developed skills useful for their future teachings, through this form of practicum, which is necessary when, out of necessity, like in the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is no other option for universities.

The method selected was qualitative research through in-depth interviews, since the present research question and the research topic in general have not been examined in the past. The authors gathered 45 teacher-candidates' journals on this experience, and, then, they interviewed them through semi-structured interviews.

The findings indicated that the teacher-candidates got acquainted with new technologies in education to a great extent. Moreover, they developed skills that will be proven useful for their future teachings, like adaptability, flexibility and handling of students' interaction in online settings.

The present case study consists of a paradigm of international value, since it fills in a gap in literature on an online alternative of practicum in teaching in cases of crisis, like the COVID-19 pandemic. Valuable insights are gained for researchers, practitioners and policymakers and best-practices for online teaching practicum have derived for future use.

The purpose of this paper is to reflect the multi-level mentoring practices of a Teacher Education Program in Greece and the mentors’ perceptions on them. The mentoring practices of the specific Program are unique in Teacher Education in Greece; and therefore, the paper examines the extent to which they are considered as capable of developing in mentors and mentees specific skills that contribute to the development of student-teachers’ professional identity.

The case study is based on qualitative research and 32 interviews with mentors of the specific Program who report their experience. Six mentees have also been asked to provide the researchers with comments, so as to observe whether their answers confirm the mentors’ perceptions.

The different types of mentoring of the specific Program are perceived as able to enhance the mentors’ and the mentees’ professional development and self-confidence as well as to the latters’ improved transition and engagement to the Program. The authors also contribute to the fostering of the mentees’ experiential learning and to the capitalization of knowledge in Teacher Education. The EES teacher mentoring is considered of important adding value to the formation of student-teachers’ professional identity, according to the mentors interviewed. Mentees comments were found to confirm the mentors’ perceptions.

The conclusions of the paper are of significant value, since multi-level mentoring as a holistic approach to teacher-candidates’ experiential learning and professional development examined in a single paper is rather rare. Moreover, the Program of the paper’s case study follows this multi-level innovative approach, which includes EES teacher mentoring, and which is of considerable adding value, according to the mentors and the mentees interviewed. It could, therefore, constitute a paradigm for other Teacher Education Programs in Greece and in other countries.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the way informal groups rise and operate in the Teacher Association in a Secondary Vocational School Unit in Greece. More specifically, the way the role of the head teacher, the school culture and teachers’ emotional intelligence impacts these groups is investigated.

Qualitative research through in-depth interviews with teachers and the head teacher as well as the researchers’ participatory observation has been conducted, in order to support the selected method of the case-study.

The findings showed how both positive and negative informal groups rise and function in the Teacher Association. The role of the head teacher emerges as a very significant factor that influences the emergence and the preservation of such groups. The school culture has a bidirectional relation with the existence and quality of informal groups. Emotional intelligence also plays an important role in forming informal groups and in the quality of actions of these groups.

This study covers a significant gap in the international literature of group dynamics in a Teacher Association and provides practitioners with valuable insights regarding the underexamined factors that lead to the formation, operation and preservation of informal groups, the study of which can lead to the development of sophisticated scales of measurement of these dynamics by future researchers.

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the benefits of implementing the Project method, by applying the technique in adult vocational training environments.

While the central idea of this method stems from Greek antiquity, the method itself began to evolve within American pragmatism based on the principles of cognitive and Gestalt psychology. In the present paper, the assessment process of the Project method was undertaken with the multi‐methodical approach and use of combined levels of triangulation to determine whether it can be applied to a group of adults, training in the subject of marketing communications.

Since the projected conditions from the bibliography are observed through the implementation of the Project technique it appears that adult trainees activate learning skills and competencies of emotional intelligence. Thus, the creation of knowledge operates as a “spiral” process starting from the individual level and expanding to the business and social environment with significant benefits for participants.

This application proposes fertile speculation about alternative, practical instruction, in the future environments of the broader vocational education, as well as their effective connection with society and the economy in general.

This paper provides empirical results from the application of Project technique in vocational training for adults. It highlights the benefits of this method in teaching standards, personal and social development, human resource development and, consequently, in the development of the business, economic and wider environment.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a new trainee‐oriented teaching method: “The Project Method”. The aforementioned method highlights the important role of the experience of the training process and the links between training and the trainees' social life.

This method draws its origin from the American Pragmatism and the German “Project Education”, while it is based on the principles of Gestalt and cognitive psychology. The application of the Project Method in vocational training is examined through the emotional intelligence skills, that a group of people has developed — and claimed so in a relevant questionnaire — in a seminar concerning the subject of Marketing.

Through the Project Method's application, the trainees have developed their emotional intelligence skills, and have instilled new pedagogical ideas; providing long‐run benefits to themselves, the enterprises, the society and the economy in general. Research contends that this method is efficient when there are no time constraints.

While the focus is vocational training, the implications have a broader focus, enabling the Project Method to be applied to adults' education.

This paper provides empirical results of the Project Method application in vocational training. The Project Method training provides the effective cooperation of the human resources that is of high importance for the efficiency and the profitability of the enterprises.

The educational methodology of lifelong learning and adult education ensures human employment, the progress of society and peaceful social coexistence. Programs of vocational training for unemployed people or for groups with special needs are the common ways to ensure that employment inequalities are diminished and job opportunities for a better life are provided to the members of the community. Obviously, the standards of such education are of a great importance. If high standards are ensured, better results are achieved. The purpose of this paper is to document the development of a prototype system that will ensure high quality standards in the operation of a vocational training centre (VTC).

Research was carried out among students, teachers and staff of a specific VTC in Xanthi, aiming at specifying the key factors that influence the quality of the training provided.

The results of the research are presented and in relation to the answers given to special questionnaires there are suggestions regarding the issues of decision making, dealing with complaints, monitoring the quality of the training procedure and evaluating the vocational program in coordination with all members of the VTC (students, trainers and staff) and the companies where the trainees had practical training.

Some of these suggestions have already been implemented, with promising results.

The paper draws conclusions and makes recommendations for further research on specific topics that may improve the operational quality of the vocational training centres under discussion. Initiatives that will be taken by the state authorities are also described.

This research presents the characteristics of leadership (style adopted, sources of power exercised and factors affecting leadership) of high school principals in Greece.

235 school principals were surveyed using questionnaires. These questionnaires assessed how often they adopted specific practices while managing their school, in relevance to their educational, managerial and administrative duties. Thus, the researchers were able to assess the leadership style of the principals (transactional or transformational) and the sources of power exercised (reward, punishment, expertise, example and information).

The majority of school principals in Greece prefer the transformational leadership style instead of the transactional one and they frequently exercise the power of information. There is a strong positive link between the transformational leadership style and the tendency to exercise the power of information. Furthermore, it is shown that the leadership skills grow with the educational/managerial work experience of a school principal.

The researchers explored the notion of leadership within the context of a centralized educational system, where most critical decisions are taken by central educational administration (e.g. the Greek Ministry of Education). The findings reveal that being a transformational leader in this educational context is not due to the personal characteristics of the school manager (e.g. age, sex, studies). This fact provides insight on issues related to the recruitment/selection and training/development of school managers.

Taking into consideration the fact that there is currently a strong debate in Greece on whether school staff should be evaluated or not (and under what kind of criteria), these findings could be very useful to central education authorities as well as the whole educational community. Furthermore, they contribute towards a better understanding on school principals; what their personal characteristics are (education, work experience), what their leadership style is, how they manage their schools and what obstacles they face. Therefore, it is hoped that in the future, better processes could be followed on recruiting, evaluating and promoting managerial staff within school units.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the views of the employees of GM Hellas, the subsidiary of the Opel car manufacturer in Greece, with regard to the training they receive from their employer.

It explains that the conclusions are based on the responses of 114 employees and trainees to a survey at Opel’s 22 largest dealers in Greece.

It reveals that the training provided by GM Hellas is viewed positively by most employees.

It indicates that GM Hellas could make greater use of online training, which is both popular and cost-effective.

It highlights how staff development is contributing to the performance of a company that is flourishing, despite the severe economic downturn in Greece.

Emphasizes the importance of in-company training for business growth and competitiveness.