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Postsecondary vocational education in the United States has become an important part of training in the current knowledge-based economy. One such program of study is Natural Gas Compression. This industry requires highly trained individuals who maintain and repair the natural gas engines and compressors that gather, process, and distribute natural gas throughout the United States. This qualitative case study addressed two questions. First, how do graduates of a career and technical education (CTE) program perceive and describe how a technical curriculum prepared them for the transition from school to work? Secondly, how do CTE industry partners relate their understanding of how a technical curriculum prepared their employees for on-the-job demands?

This study intended to provide valuable insight on the efficacy of the curriculum of a Natural Gas Compression program (NGC) on providing the skills and training needed for a smooth school-to-work transition. Through semistructured interviews, graduate participants of this study believed that the NGC program curriculum gave them the skills and training necessary to smoothly transition from school to the workplace. In addition, industry partner participants felt that NGC graduates make excellent employees and admire their maturity and skill sets. All participants believed that there was a need for more 'hands on' training and that the lack of this training may have caused them to have some problems initially. The implications and recommendations for further research based on the findings from this study are discussed.

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Purpose: The New Zealand Pharmacy Action Plan 2016-20 acknowledges the young, highly qualified pharmacist workforce, and seeks to address pharmacist underutilisation in the wider health setting. Anecdotal evidence suggests many recently qualified pharmacists are dissatisfied with the profession. Therefore, those completing [Bachelor of Pharmacy] BPharm programs after 2002, who had left or were seriously considering leaving the New Zealand pharmacy profession, were invited to comment on future-focused pharmacy documents, and the current direction of pharmacy in New Zealand.

Design/methodology/approach: An online questionnaire was open December 2018 to February 2019. Recruitment occurred via e-mail lists of universities and professional organisations, print and social media, and word-of-mouth. Free-text responses were thematically analysed using a general inductive approach.

Findings: From the 328 analysable surveys received, 172 respondents commented on the documents and/or direction of the pharmacy profession. Views were mixed. Overarching document-related themes were positive direction, but concern over achievability, the lack of funding details, lack of implementation, their benefits for pharmacists and the public, and ability to bring about change and secure a future for the profession. Overall pharmacy was considered an unattractive profession needing to change.

Originality/value: This study highlights dissatisfied recent BPharm graduates agree with the vision in the documents but do not see progress towards achieving the vision occurring, leading to frustration and exit in some cases. Policymakers should be aware of these views as considerable resource goes into their development.

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Business and academia in the U.S. have traditionally been able to equip new workforce recruits with the hard skills they need to perform at a high level in the workplace. But with the regular flow of new technologies and business models into the market, today's employees must navigate all this change with a varied skill set. This means soft skills such as adaptability and complex problem-solving are more important than ever for recent college grads, mid-career professionals, and seasoned executives. Employer needs are continually shifting in response to changes in industry and the marketplace, so workers also need to keep refreshing both their hard and soft skills.

A 2018 Bloomberg Next and Workday survey asked if business and academia were meeting these challenges, and what areas they might need to refine or rethink to improve outcomes. The research team surveyed 200 senior-level individuals - 100 each in academia and business - focusing on four primary themes: preparedness, skills, collaboration, and planning. Corporate, professional service, and nonprofit respondents came from organizations with at least 500 employees based in the U.S. The survey results identified several significant issues: A majority of respondents said new hires are not well-prepared to perform at a high level in a professional environment, primarily because of insufficient soft skills; A surprising number of organizations lack formal plans and budgets for addressing the impact of emerging technologies; Business and academia are not collaborating as actively and effectively as they could be in preparing students for employment and reskilling individuals already in the workforce.

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This paper compares narrow, or specialised, and broad, or less specialised, upper-secondary vocational education (VE) programmes in the Netherlands with respect to their graduates' position in the labour market and how they assess a number of aspects of the programme they completed. The data used are from three years of the Dutch VE Monitor, a survey of secondary education graduates 18 months after graduation. The Level 4 programmes of the school-based learning route are investigated. To separate narrow from broad programmes, a new criterion is used, based on the idea that the match between education and a job within a narrow programme's own occupational domain is better than outside that domain and that for a broad programme such a match does not differ significantly between a programme's own domain and outside that domain. The research shows that graduates from narrow, or specialised, education programmes have a less favourable labour market position than graduates from broad, or less specialised, programmes. They are more often forced to resort to jobs outside their programme's own domain and are less satisfied with their jobs. Further, it has been found that graduates from narrow programmes think that the programme should have concentrated less on subject-specific knowledge and its practical application. They feel a need for competencies that are more generally applicable. They further find that their programme was too easy more often than broadly educated graduates, which could indicate that narrow programmes have room to concentrate more on teaching competencies that would make graduates employable outside the programme's own domain.

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Purpose - This paper is the second in a series of conceptual, contextual and empirical contributions that, individually and cumulatively, seek to analyse, develop and link two important fields of research: 'entrepreneurship' and 'entrepreneurship education'. Part 2 aims to provide a critical evaluation of entrepreneurship education and its impact upon graduate entrepreneurship in the UK. Design/methodology/approach - A comprehensive literature review and a structured evaluation of current knowledge on topics related directly and indirectly to 'entrepreneurship education' in the UK. Findings - It appears that conceptual, contextual, design and delivery differences can have a considerable influence upon entrepreneurship education courses delivered in the UK. There are significant definitional as well as conceptual and contextual issues affecting the design of relevant programmes and the delivery of the chosen curriculum. Consequently, a number of actual and perceived barriers need to be overcome in order to facilitate a better understanding of stakeholder needs and learning patterns. Research limitations/implications - The evaluation and interpretation of relevant research results represent the author's own perception and experiences, and should therefore be viewed with caution. It is suggested that the content of this paper is subject to the usual bias and singular perspective generally attributable to 'viewpoint' articles. Practical implications - The paper measures the outcomes of entrepreneurship education [which] is still proving difficult and inconclusive. More in-depth research is needed on current UK entrepreneurship education provision and initiatives in order to gain a better understanding of the scope and limitations of a wide range of entrepreneurship education programmes. Originality/value - This paper provides a critical evaluation of entrepreneurship education in the UK.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner.

Part one is indexed at TD/TNC 87.626. Show less

Based on 2013 data, Graduate Careers Australia reported that graduate employability rates are the lowest they have been in 20 years. This paper applies outcomes from a national [Office for Learning and Teaching] OLT project commissioned in 2013 (completed in 2015) in response to this employment crisis. This paper presents research outcomes from analysis of in-depth one hour interviews and focus groups with 147 people from across four stakeholder groups: students, graduates, higher education personnel (educators and career development personnel) and employers. Validated narrative analysis was conducted on full transcripts. Eleven themes emerged: multi-national corporations; competitive sport, athletes and employability; entrepreneurship; private institutions; career development centres; indigenous employment; commercial employment enterprises; government; emerging careers; generalist disciplines; and graduate attributes. Each theme is elaborated in the paper. Based on the research results, in order to enhance employability upon graduation, students are encouraged to: start early, such as in their first semester; participate in work experience, placements and internships; join in extra-curricular and co-curricular activities (e.g. student societies, clubs and competitive sport); and get to know their educators and their career development centre personnel. Based on the research, stakeholders from across groups perceive that employability is enhanced when graduates: actively participate in their learning, particularly engaging in placement/internship opportunities when available; choose a few prospective employers, do their research and tailor their applications; participate in industry graduate initiatives when offered; and know themselves and practice articulating their personal employability brands.

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The authors suggest that, in the contemporary economic environment, workers are expected to undertake jobs that are broader and vocational education is expected to produce an educated and skilled graduate able to perform such work. This article reports on a study that investigated the perceptions of educators and employers of the role of vocational education in the economic development of Malaysia. The aim was to determine the satisfaction of each group with the structure and effectiveness of Malaysian vocational education. Specifically, the study investigated the perceptions of both groups about the employability of graduates, the factors influencing the restructuring of vocational education to facilitate industrialisation, and the responsiveness of the government to the needs of vocational education and training systems. The research revealed that employers in Malaysia tend to be less satisfied than educators with the capabilities of graduates, particularly in terms of general workplace skills such as motivation, problem-solving ability and communication. Both groups advocated increased funding and greater involvement by private industry in the restructuring of public vocational education. Show less

A literature review identified 12 strategies that have been empirically linked to improvements in graduate employability. A survey methodology was used to investigate self-reported use and/or perspectives on these strategies among four stakeholder groups. The following questions were asked: to students - What strategies are you using to improve your graduate employability; to graduates - What strategies did you use to improve your employability?; to higher education career development professionals and educators - Which of the following employability strategies do you provide for students?; and to employers - Which of the following strategies undertaken by students does your organisation value when recruiting graduates? Across the four stakeholder groups, 705 responses were received and analysed. The key findings were discrepancies between the strategies reported in the literature and those indicated in the surveys, as well as discrepancies between stakeholder groups in regard to which strategies were indicated.

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There has been considerable debate in recent years about the value of museum studies courses, but little formal study. This paper is based on a piece of research conducted in 2013 as part of a Museum Studies MA course undertaken by distance learning at the University of Leicester. The research aimed to provide data on the level of demand for museum studies qualifications from employers, and how qualifications are used as a criterion in recruitment. An analysis of job adverts was undertaken, to discover what percentage request a museum studies qualification, and employers were surveyed on their opinions of courses. The results of this study indicate that employers do not place a high value on museum studies qualifications when recruiting, and that demand for these qualifications has fallen over the last decade. The implications of these findings on the future of museum studies courses and entry-level training for the sector are discussed.

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Introduction: The early closure of the Voluntary Dental Graduate Year Program and the Oral Health Therapy Graduate Year Program by the Australian Government adversely impacted New South Wales (NSW) Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs). This led to the co-design of a small-scale oral health therapy graduate year program for ACCHSs known as the Dalang Project, which enabled oral health therapists to engage with local Aboriginal communities and implement culturally competent, practical and evidence-based oral health promotion activities. This article provides an overview of the Dalang Project and its evaluation.

Methods: All graduates of the Dalang Project were invited via email and social media to complete an online survey. The survey included questions about their year in the Dalang Project, why they applied, what they liked and disliked about the project, where they planned to work post-placement, and examples of the most significant changes they observed in the communities where they were placed. Host sites were also surveyed and data were collated on clinical services performed as well as oral health promotion activity.

Results: Prior to commencing the Dalang Project only 4 of the 15 respondents came from rural or regional areas. Nine of the 15 respondents were considering working in a regional, rural or remote area prior to applying for the Dalang Project. Twelve respondents were working at the time of the survey and half were working in regional, rural or remote locations in NSW and one in the Northern Territory. All reported that they would be more likely to work in an ACCHS as a result of being a part of the Dalang Project. The majority of respondents said they would recommend the program to future graduates. A total of 63 schools, 21 preschools and 15 community health services received regular dental health education through the Dalang Project. A total of 3250 toothbrushes and fluoride toothpastes were distributed to children and families through the Dalang Project. A key part of the program was the installation of refrigerated and filtered water fountains in schools where there was no free filtered or refrigerated water supply. The inclusion of this component in the program was part of the co-design process and links the program to the wider population health strategies in NSW to help prevent childhood obesity.

Conclusion: The Dalang Project is an example of a successful co-designed project that has positively impacted oral health service delivery for Aboriginal children and has provided a valuable experience for new graduate oral health therapists working in ACCHSs. Overall, the Dalang Project was found to be a positive professional experience for the oral health therapists with many remaining in rural, remote and regional locations after completing the program.

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