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There is a global concern about the effectiveness of vocational education and training (VET) programmes in developing job-related skills and competencies for real-world environments for disadvantaged and unemployed youths. Experiential learning (EL) is a major component of VET programmes. This article aims to examine the effects of facilitating VET through EL theory to promote youths' skills acquisition. The study looks at the effects of material resources on the use of experiential learning theory (ELT), the types of EL and the contribution of ELT to VET programmes.

The research design mainly entails a qualitative research design and research method to allow the researcher to view the reality as is experienced from the inside out by the trainees and training centre managers on important data for a thorough understanding. The study participants were 512 young trainees who completed different training courses from the VET programmes and 24 centre managers in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa.

The findings reveal that the use of ELT in VET programmes helped the trainees to gain real-world skills, hence contributing to their empowerment in terms of work experience and competence for their future employment. Based on the findings, the study concludes that ELT is an effective instrument to promote VET programmes for disadvantaged and unemployed youths.

The practical and social implications of the findings are that, while disadvantaged youths cannot access and afford higher education, public and private sectors can remedy their situation by providing non-school-based technical and vocational training to help such youths enter the labour market. The findings will motivate the providers of skills development for unemployed youths to use ELT in designing course curricula, planning resources and directing teaching-learning approaches to help trainees to acquire skills and competencies to perform tasks close to real-work situations.

The socio-economic implication of the article is that skills development plays an important role in poverty reduction. Investing in the skills development of citizens is vital to raise the incomes of poor groups and to reduce poverty (ILO, 2018). Although the causes of unemployment have also to do with economic factors in a country, skills development is an essential ingredient in developing capacities for labour market entry and increased income generation of a vulnerable group of people.

The article is significant because the study provides new insights into the use of ELT in VET programmes to improve their effectiveness in developing job-related skills and competencies for real-world environments for disadvantaged and unemployed youths. The study contributes to the body of knowledge by establishing a solid base for the evidence-informed practice of the effects of facilitating the VET programme through ELT to promote skills acquisition for the employment of unemployed and disadvantaged youths.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the recent economic boom in Tennessee and the role of work-based learning WBL opportunities in contributing to this growth. The paper will analyze data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to provide an overview of the changes in the labor force and employment in the state over the past ten years. Additionally, the paper will delve into the various WBL programs offered in Tennessee, such as K-12 Career and Technical Education (CTE), Tennessee Chamber Work-based Learning, and more, that are designed to provide individuals of all ages and stages with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the workforce. The paper will also discuss how the growth in WBL opportunities has led to an increasing need for new hires and how it could lead to the development of new industry in Tennessee. The paper aims to provide a detailed examination of the economic boom in Tennessee, and the impact of WBL opportunities on the development of local workforce and industry.

The design of this paper is to analyze the recent economic boom in Tennessee and the role of work-based learning WBL opportunities in contributing to this growth. The methodology used in this paper is primarily a review of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to provide an overview of the changes in the labor force and employment in the state over the past ten years. Additionally, the paper will review the various WBL programs offered in Tennessee and their standards, to understand how they are designed to provide individuals of all ages and stages with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the workforce. The approach taken in this paper is an analytical one, where the data is analyzed to understand the trends and patterns in the labor market and the impact of WBL opportunities on the workforce. The paper also includes insights from relevant research studies and experts in the field to provide a comprehensive understanding of the subject.

The findings of this paper indicate that there has been a significant economic boom in Tennessee over the past decade, as evidenced by data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data shows a consistent increase in the labor force and employment in the state, with a corresponding decrease in the unemployment rate. The paper also found that the growth in work-based learning WBL opportunities in Tennessee has played a significant role in contributing to this economic boom. The paper reviewed various WBL programs offered in Tennessee and found that they are designed to provide individuals of all ages and stages with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the workforce.

This paper brings an original perspective on the recent economic boom in Tennessee and the role of work-based learning WBL opportunities in contributing to this growth. By analyzing data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the paper provides an overview of the changes in the labor force and employment in the state over the past ten years, which has not been thoroughly examined in previous studies. Additionally, the paper delves into the various WBL programs offered in Tennessee, and how they are designed to provide individuals of all ages and stages with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the workforce, which is an original aspect of this paper. The paper also presents the original finding that the growth in WBL opportunities has led to an increasing need for new hires and could lead to the development of new industry in Tennessee. This paper provides an original and comprehensive examination of the economic boom in Tennessee and the impact of WBL opportunities on the development of local workforce and industry.

This study aims to examine internal and external factors as well as main obstacles to managers’/owners’ participation in education and training.

The sample comprises managers of 151 Bulgarian predominantly micro- and small-size enterprises. The data was gathered in 2020 through direct standardized interviews at the respondent’s workplace. This study uses quantitative estimation methods including binominal and multinominal logistic regression as well as nonparametric testing.

Regarding the findings in the relevant studies, the results confirm that the larger firm's size, the existence of human resource management strategy and practices as well as learning-oriented culture stimulate employer-financed management training. The lack of trainers with relevant need-specific expertise appears to be a major barrier. Additionally, the outputs highlight the role of other important determinants not being extensively discussed so far such as the level of development of the region in which the company operates, involvement in R&D and innovation activity as well as the issue of trust in trainer.

This study provides insights into (under)investments in continuing vocational training which might lead to practical implications for businesses, education and government policy in lifelong learning. Moreover, this study focuses on a country with one of the lowest participation rates in adult education across Europe which allows for a better understanding of similar examples.

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first paper examining determinants of management training in Bulgaria and one of the few in the European context. It gives support to the existing literature but adds new findings as well.

The South African vocational education and training (VET) sector is required by legislation to redefine postsecondary education, advance industrialisation and expand the job market to address unemployment in the country. Yet, VET leaders' heterogenous educational and occupational backgrounds do not enable them to address the needs of the VET sector. Continuous professional development of leaders in the education sector needs to include support structures such as mentoring.

The present study sought to investigate how VET managers in South Africa perceive three different types of mentoring – individual, peer group and expert-based key performance area (KPA) mentoring – during a part-time professional leadership development programme. Using interactive qualitative analysis (IQA), the authors collected and analysed data from focus group discussions (n = 24) and individual interviews (n = 21) from two cohorts of the programme.

The results revealed that individual mentoring represented the most important driving mechanism, followed by peer group mentoring and expert-based KPA mentoring. Participants identified leadership as a prerequisite for their development. Emotions formed the final outcome of the mentoring framework.

Based on the findings, the authors suggest investigating the role played by leaders' interpersonal competences such as emotional competence in the workplace. Additionally, research needs to clarify if and how mentoring can support leaders to develop interpersonal competences in formal and informal settings.

The study offers empirical evidence on a three-pillar mentoring framework adopted in a professional development programme for leaders in VET in South Africa. It highlights the importance of individual, social and emotional factors.

This paper aims to discuss how trade union leaders deal with the implementation of Industry 4.0 (I4.0). The study is circumscribed to the Brazilian automotive sector and came from a human-centric (Industry 5.0) concern related to issues such as organisational learning, knowledge, innovation and workplace learning.

Case studies in two truck plants related to union participation during new product and process implementation based on Industry 4.0. Semi-structured interviews with union leaders from both plants were conducted to determine the subtle similarities and differences between the two polar types.

The findings pointed out that human resources and workplace learning must be reviewed to prepare workers to face I4.0. Four themes are explored: modernisation origins; negotiation process; workers’ concerns; and results and lessons learned. The findings highlight concerns about employees and job loss; replacement of workers by technological devices; workplace learning and the trade union perspective; and influence of the country’s economic situation on I4.0 implementation in social systems dependent on worker tacit knowledge.

This paper presents labour union leaders’ perspectives related to the impact of I4.0 and contributes to a better understanding of industry-worker workplace learning.

Formal structured leadership training is increasingly incorporated as a regular fixture in developed nations to produce competent leaders to ensure the provision of quality patient care. However, most low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) rely on one-off external training opportunities for selected individuals as they lack the necessary resources to implement long-term training for a wider pool of potential health care leaders. This case study shares the establishment process of the Talent Grooming Programme for technical health care professionals (TGP), a three-year in-house leadership training programme specially targeted at potential health care leaders in Malaysia.

This case study aims to share a comprehensive overview of the ideation, conceptualisation and implementation of TGP. The authors also outlined its impact from the individual and organisational perspectives, besides highlighting the lessons learned and recommendations for the way forward.

TGP set out to deliver experiential learning focusing on formal training, workplace experiences, practical reflection and mentoring by supervisors and other esteemed leaders to fulfil the five competency domains of leadership, organisational governance, communication and relationship, professional values and personal values. The successes and challenges in TGP programme delivery, post-training assessment, outcome evaluation and programme sustainability were outlined.

The authors’ experience in setting up TGP provided valuable learning points for other leadership development programme providers. As for any development programme, a continuous evaluation is vital to ensure its relevance and sustainability.

Certain aspects of TGP establishment can be referenced and modified to adapt to country-specific settings for others to develop similar leadership programme, especially those in LMICs.

This study aims to examine the effects of vocational training programs for people with disabilities on their income.

It conducted a multinomial regression analysis of 10,469 survey responses from 31 provincial administrative areas in mainland China.

It finds the following antecedents all influence the trainees’ self-reported income, including their perception of the quality of the program, the training subject, the degree of consistency between their current job and this subject, their employment sector, their motivation and access to training resources and the geographical location of the program.

The findings are not representative of people with disabilities across mainland China because the respondents were not randomly sampled.

The findings suggest that to increase the income of people with disabilities, the training can be designed according to the needs of employers by teaching subjects relevant to the needs of the labor market, reaching out to motivated trainees and enhancing the quality of training. Training institutions, employers and governments are recommended to work together to integrate class-based learning with workplace-based learning and practices. More training resources can be devoted to the self-employed people with disabilities or those who operate in the informal sector and are in less-developed areas.

The improvement of employment opportunities and income of people with disabilities supports the safeguarding of their social economic rights and the building of an inclusive society.

Few studies have empirically explored and explained the effects of vocational training programs on people with disabilities’ income. This article fills this gap by assessing the performance of China's vocational training programs funded by the Federation of Disabled Persons at all levels.

This paper aims to focus on compliance of workplace sexual harassment-related provisions under Indian companies and securities law, based on an empirical analysis of companies’ sexual harassment-related disclosures contained within their directors’ annual reports (ARs). Specifically, sections devoted to sexual harassment-related disclosures, inbuilt within directors’ ARs for the financial year 2019–2020 for a selected sample of companies listed under the National Stock Exchange, have been analysed.

To examine the nature of companies’ disclosures to demonstrate their compliance with statutory requirements under the POSH law, aligned with the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014 and Securities and Exchange Board of India’s regulations, an empirical-based, descriptive content analysis of ARs of 200 listed companies were used.

This study primarily finds that the majority of companies from the sample have disclosed to have prepared a corporate-level policy, as required under the POSH law. As also required under the POSH law, companies, reportedly, have constituted an Internal Complaints Committee to adjudicate and dispose of incidents related to sexual misconduct reported at their workplaces. However, companies lack in disclosing qualitative information, with sufficient detail, on many important aspects related to prevention and resolution of reported cases of workplace sexual harassment.

This paper adds to the broader narrative of the lacunae within the disclosure and reporting requirements on enhancing the liabilities of the companies to prevent and address sexual harassment under India’s corporate and securities regulations.

Effective use of data is critically important for the provision of health services. A large proportion of employees in health organisations work in non-clinical roles and play a major part in organisational information flows. However, their practice, data-related capabilities and learning needs have been rarely studied. The purpose of this paper is to investigate issues of capabilities and learning needs related to employees' interactions with data in non-clinical work roles.

The study used a mixed-method approach. Qualitative methods were used to explore issues, and survey was administered to gather additional data.

Data use and related capabilities at the workplace are highly contextual. A range of general, core and data-specific capabilities, underpinned by transferable skills and personal traits, enable successful interactions with data. Continuous learning is needed in most areas related to data use.

The study was conducted in a large public-health organisation in Australia, which is not representative of unique organisations elsewhere. The study has implications for the provision of health services, workplace learning and education.

Findings have implications for organisational decisions related to data-use and workplace learning, and for formal education and lifelong learning.

The study contributes to closing a research gap in understanding interactions with data, capabilities and learning needs of employees in non-clinical work roles. Capabilities continuum presented in this paper can be used to inform education, training and service provision. The workplace-based results contribute to theoretical considerations of capabilities required for work in technology-rich environments.

Communication apprehension (CA) is the fear or anxiety about communicating. In addition, self-perceived communication competence (SPCC) refers to the learners' perception of their competence. CA hampers individuals' ability to communicate effectively in various communication contexts, which has an impact on their employability. Confident communicators with effective communication skills are important issues for graduation as well as desirable attributes for recruiting agencies. Given that employers value graduates who can communicate effectively in the workplace without any apprehension, this study was designed to determine the levels of CA and SPCC among final-year non-English major undergraduate students in Saudi Arabia and the extent to which SPCC could affect their CA when speaking in English with implications for their employability as the next generation of workers.

Two survey questionnaires were administered to 70 non-English major undergraduate students in their final year employing probability random sampling to measure their CA level and to assess their SPCC in different English as foreign language (EFL) contexts. Pearson's correlation and linear regression analysis were used to investigate the relationship between CA and SPCC. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics in SPSS 21.

The findings indicated a medium level of SPCC and CA. Moreover, the correlation formula revealed that there was a moderately significant association between learners' SPCC and their CA (r (70) = −0.524, p < 0.01). Through regression analysis, it was found that their SPCC could predict 27% of the variance in their CA. The moderate effect of SPCC on CA implied that students could be prepared to cope and perform in the workplace.

Without communication, the establishment and evolution of the human community are unattainable. This aspect is more evident and crucial in the list of graduate objectives and needed outcomes for future career endeavors. The findings encourage instructors and course designers to provide many learning opportunities in pleasurable learning environments to raise students' perceptions of their competence, in turn enhancing their confidence to speak in English and ensuring a smooth transition from academia to the workplace. Based on the findings, several suggestions for future studies in the EFL context are presented.