ABSTRACT This study explores the lived experiences of Technical and Further Education (TAFE) teachers and students who participated in a 6-week mindfulness program across six vocational learning areas in a large metropolitan college. While mindfulness is increasingly present in education, its application in vocational education and training (VET) remains under-researched. Using a phenomenological case study approach to better understand both teachers and students experiences, five key themes were identified: a) wellbeing, b) teaching practice, c) emotional vulnerability, d) timing, and e) contextual fit. Teachers reported enhanced self-awareness, improved classroom dynamics, and a desire to improve pedagogy. Students linked mindfulness to better focus and reduced stress, although some participants experienced discomfort or disengagement underscoring the need for emotionally sensitive delivery.

ABSTRACT In Finland, workplace-based learning (WPBL) is recognized as a promising educational strategy in vocational education and training (VET), with limited emphasis on students with learning difficulties (LDs). This study investigated the WPBL feedback experiences of students with LDs in six vocational fields in Finland: social and healthcare, business administration, building and construction, catering and tourism, electronics and automation, and logistics. Employing a qualitative paradigm, this study used semi-structured interviews comprising individual face-to-face and focus group discussions with 35 final-year students aged between 18 and 35 years in four inclusive vocational institutions. The data were transcribed and analyzed using the NVivo software. The results indicate that these students receive feedback from peers, trainers, and supervisors, and generally express satisfaction. This study underscores the significance of fostering student feedback literacy skills, emphasizing that support and guidance should be administered within a structured framework to ensure trainers’ proficiency in addressing specific difficulties.

ABSTRACT India’s Northeast Region (NER) comprises eight states, with 61% of its handloom workforce, a majority being women. Despite high global demand for handmade products, challenges such as the shift to mass-produced goods, globalization, and artisans’ lack of modern market skills threaten traditional crafts and their intergenerational transmission. Using a multi-method approach, comparing data from surveys, reports, and policies against field data, the study reveals that although several government schemes are operational, the NER receives a disproportionately low share of these compared to its craftspeople population, and available fund utilization is low. The current training programs emphasize tradition preservation but lack modern market dynamics, consumer engagement, digital literacy, and training in new technologies essential for craft marketability and sustainability. A structured training program akin to formal education systems is critically needed. The study categorizes artisans into Traditionalists, Potential Modernists, Artisan Associates, and Artisan Entrepreneurs, recommending tailored, structured, and digital-first training.

ABSTRACT The study explores the alignment between occupational competency assessment practices and strategies in Ethiopia, using a mixed-methods approach. It involved stakeholders at various levels, including deans, trainers, assessors, supervisors, directorates, and hotel and industry supervisors. Data was generated through questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussions, observation, and document analysis. Findings showed that aspects such as assessor methodology and tool validation align well with established strategies. However, challenges were identified, such as a lack of autonomy for CoC agencies, insufficient feedback for TVET institutions regarding assessment scores, a mismatch between occupational standards development and national market demand, fairness issues from using single assessors, and a scarcity of internal and external verifiers. The study proposes recommendations for the Ethiopian Ministry of Labor and Skill and regional CoC Agencies, including ensuring agency autonomy in competency assessments, tailoring assessment tools to occupational standards, fostering industry involvement, maintaining relevance, and addressing concerns about single assessors.

ABSTRACT The participation of females in non-traditional trades has been low. While various explanations are offered in the skills literature for the low representation of females, gender norms tend to be the dominant explanation. Females are often portrayed as conformists to gender norms. This article examines the responses of females in the automotive trade in Ghana, to gender norms that could adversely affect their participation in the trade, as well as the barriers to achieving independence. It draws on interviews with 13 female participants in the automotive trade in Ghana. The analysis shows that the craftswomen are critical of gender norms. On the other hand, a key barrier to achieving independence which is lack of access to land/a stable place of work, rather has the potential to negatively impact their continued participation in the trade.

ABSTRACT This paper reports on research undertaken to understand the contribution of formal Technical Vocational Education and Training (hereafter TVET) to company-level growth and transformation in the automotive sector in South Africa. The findings of this article are part of a larger research project conducted in South Africa and five other developing countries, namely, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Laos, and Vietnam, to explore the contribution of TVET programs to inclusive industrial transformation and growth in the manufacturing sectors. It argues that formal TVET training does not drive workplace changes in technology, work organisation, and product change in the automotive sector. This paper challenges the current formal TVET provision policy in South Africa to recognise other forms of training provision, such as non-formal, and informal on-the-job training, in addition to company-level factors critical in shaping the skills system if we are to understand the extent to which skills enhance growth and transformation.

ABSTRACT Despite many schemes, barely 5% of India’s workforce is skilled. In India, there is a shortage of trained workers in the informal hairdressing sector, suggesting the relevance of skill development. This is crucial as one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) emphasizes developing skills for vulnerable groups. Thus, this study uses the example of India to explore skill development, engaging an exploratory approach. The study finds that several skill development initiatives are neglected in the hairdressing sector, and some of the programmes fail to provide the desired results. Therefore, rather than expanding the vocational training system, a comprehensive skill development program is required that improves the socioeconomic conditions of the hairdressers, solves gender inequality in the sector, and the problem of skill development to the vulnerable.

ABSTRACT This study examines the effects of trainee reactions on perceived training utility and trainee course satisfaction and tests the effect of utility reactions on trainees’ satisfaction with training. 171 civil service officers participated in this study. The responses were analyzed using the Partial Least Square Approach of Structural Equation Modeling. The results support the proposed hypotheses, suggesting that both positive training reactions and utility reactions affect trainees’ satisfaction with the training. Also, while all reaction components are predictive of utility reactions and trainee satisfaction, the perceived usefulness of training has the most significant effect. This study has implications for policymakers on both a theoretical and practical level, given their roles in designing training programs and imparting them to civil servants. This paper extends management perspectives on training evaluation by examining the relationship between trainee reactions, utility reactions, and trainees’ satisfaction. Practical implications and directions for further research are also discussed.

ABSTRACT Appropriate, efficient and effective staff training and development programmes have the tendency to enhance work performance in an organisation. The study analysed technical staffs’ conception of training and development (T&D) and its influence on work performance in the University of Cape Coast. The mixed methods approach was used to collect data from 195 respondents. The study found that T&D programmes promoted peer learning, sharpened the skills of the technical staff, contributed to improved competencies and productivity. The study largely confirmed results from prior studies that providing training opportunities for staff improved performance and productivity. However, implementation challenges affect the effectiveness of training and development efforts, especially when staff resume work after training. The implication is that a combination of enhanced T&D programmes with stakeholder participation, provision of adequate logistics and other factors are essential for improved performance.

ABSTRACT Chinese secondary school vocational education has been given increased prominence over recent years to support the country’s need for a highly skilled workforce and continued economic growth. The integration of secondary vocational and higher vocational education to move towards a tertiary system embodying lifelong education with Chinese characteristics is central to this vision. It is within this policy context that we provide a critical exploration of vocational education and training (VET), and the implications and impact on teachers and their practices using the notion of vocational pedagogical capital. Teachers at one vocational secondary school are interviewed to explore their perceptions of recent policy changes and their potential impact on their practices going forward. They were optimistic about the potential impact of recent changes on their teaching practices, but their perceptions revealed a potential lack of progress to date. The article concludes that there is some way to go before the vision for Chinese vocational education is realised.