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One way the United Arab Emirates uses to increase the employability skills of its nationals is by promoting and encouraging students to pursue technical and vocational education and training (TVET). This goal includes both female and male Emirati youth. However, studies show that females are still under-represented in TVET. Therefore, this study aims at exploring Emirati female students' perceptions of their educational experiences in TVET, the challenges they faced, and their future expectations.

The study followed a mixed methods design with data collected through an online survey. Findings revealed that participants have an overall positive educational experience despite the academic and cultural challenges they experience. They believe their vocational education enables them to have a better future be it a career or in continuing their education. Despite these positive influences, additional efforts are needed to improve vocational training and alter the mindset and perception of vocational education.

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Reform of formal technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is urgently needed in most low- and middle-income countries (L/MICs). Demographic trends, coupled with higher rates of students completing lower levels of education, can lead to an exponential increase in the number of secondary TVET students in the next 20 years, particularly in low-income countries. Yet, because of a broken link between TVET systems and labor markets in L/MICs, TVET cannot deliver on its promise. This report offers guidance to policymakers designing and implementing TVET reforms, emphasizing core principles and practical considerations for L/MICs. Getting TVET right is challenging but possible and the time for reform is now. Fortunately, there are many opportunities to leapfrog using new data and evidence, technology, and the lessons learned during the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 pandemic.

The report focuses on secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary formal TVET, defined as TVET obtained within the formal education system that leads to diplomas, degrees, or other formal certifications. The report has three parts. The first, 'The TVET promise', looks at the potential of TVET systems to deliver access to equitable, quality, and relevant training and contribute to employment and productivity in support of a sustainable economic transformation. The second, 'The TVET challenge', articulates the main observed challenges for L/MIC TVET systems. The last part, 'The way forward to better TVET', proposes three interrelated transformations (striving for 'excellence', focusing on 'end results', and making decisions based on 'evidence') and six policy priorities to help TVET deliver on its promise in L/MICs and discusses how these three transformations can be achieved and sustained.

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Purpose: This study seeks to show whether workplace experience (WE) in an apprenticeship programme affects the duration of joblessness amongst recent university graduates and to determine the antecedents that support a workplace well-being experience during an apprenticeship programme. Additionally, the research introduces the moderating effect of gender in order better to understand under what circumstances apprenticeship reduces the time taken to find employment. Design/methodology/approach: The research proposes PLS equation modelling constructed with a sample of 129 students from the Business Administration and Management degree at Mondragon University.

Findings: The research finds that social support and job demand are key features of work that should be addressed to ensure a workplace well-being experience in an apprenticeship programme. In addition, a workplace well-being experience during apprenticeship reduced the time taken by students to access their first job. This means that job training in a company helps students get their first job, but it is not the primary factor. The study also shows that men who had workplace well-being experience in an apprenticeship programme take less time to find their first job. Originality/value: The study proposes an exclusive analysis of apprenticeship programmes in higher education systems from the perspective of workplace well-being experience, based on the DCS model. This research also adds to the literature on apprenticeship by providing evidence that a positive experience of work during an apprenticeship programme facilitates undergraduate students in securing employment. Furthermore, this paper confirms that workplace well-being experiences in apprenticeship programmes constitute a valid tool for tackling youth unemployment, and finds that it is more efficient amongst males than females.

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Purpose: The study explores the perceptions of graduates on their employability and future of work, in light of the challenges thrown upon by new vicissitudes in the work environment. The study intends to assess the preparedness of management graduates in facing the challenges and uncertainties of the actual job market. Design/methodology/approach: Semi-structured and informal interviews with 65 management graduates from UK, Canada, Italy and India. The thematic analysis uncovered the concerns and areas to develop for management graduates regarding their future employability perceptions.

Findings: The authors benefited from a unique opportunity to capture the views and experience of graduates who are undergoing management education during this ambiguous period. Three major themes were developed on how to develop oneself for an ambiguous future of work which includes Psychological strengths, Skill enhancement and Future mindset. The study also unearthed the major focus areas for better employability from a graduate perspective. Practical implications: Practical contribution comes from strategies to prepare university graduates for sustainable careers. Study hints at the importance of work experience, adaptability and skill enhancement in meeting the challenges of the future. Originality/value: From a global approach this is one among the first studies to look into the graduate perspective of their preparedness for future work.

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There are growing expectations that tertiary education graduates will be ready for working life, that is, possessing the capacities to participate effectively in an occupational practice in a specific work situation. Yet, graduates are often unprepared to fulfil this expectation. In response, tertiary education increasingly includes workplace experiences (i.e., practicums, internships, and work placements). It is necessary to understand these experiences' efficacy and their optimisation to promote work-life readiness. Drawing on students' experiences of internships, this paper discusses what constitutes the value of internships in post-secondary diploma courses in Singapore.

A quantitative analysis of interview data identified the contributions afforded through these experiences in workplaces - students' intentional engagement, and their readiness for working life. Central here is how these contributions promote the development of the adaptability required for effective participation in contemporary working life. The analysis identifies challenges including students' adapting to new work environments, navigating workplace practices, and developing occupational capacities. Workplace supervisors' and host educational institutions' support suggests interns' adaptability can be enhanced by promoting the relations between the support they received, on the one hand, and their engagement with challenges during internships, on the other. These findings offer an understanding about the experiences and outcomes of interns' learning through workplaces and offer implications for supporting and augmenting transitions into working life.

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This paper presents the pilot study of the Hotel and Restaurant Services and the Electro Mechanic Course of the University of San Carlos, Basic Education Department during the academic years 2012-2015. These pilot classes initiated the Senior High School program before its full implementation in June 2016. Mindful of the objective of employment generation as championed by the Philippine government, a collaboration between the University of San Carlos, Basic Education Department, and the Center for Industrial and Technical Enterprise was formed to provide ideal conditions for the pilot study graduates to gain immediate employment. The collaboration is anchored on the expertise of the two learning institutions: the University of San Carlos Basic Education Department hosted the general education subjects while the Center for Industrial and Technical Enterprise delivered technically oriented courses.

The in-plant or job training programs paved the way for broadened industry exposure. The pilot implementation of the collaborative Senior High School program provided evidence from various stakeholders that competency-based training is what works best for both academic institutions and industry, as most students were employed after graduation and were workplace-ready. Thus, the hybrid model of the collaborative [technical-vocational-livelihood] TVL program was effective in developing the competencies needed in the workplace.

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Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to discuss the 'Q-Step in the Community' programme, part of the Q-Step Centre based in the Sociology Department at Manchester Metropolitan University, designed to help address the skills gap in quantitative methods (QM) that is evident across parts of the UK higher-education sector. 'Q-Step in the Community' is a data-driven work-based learning programme that works in partnership with local organisations to provide placement opportunities for final year undergraduates and postgraduates. Students conduct a quantitative research project, which is typically identified by the placement provider. Design/methodology/approach: The authors use quantitative and qualitative feedback from students and placement providers, along with our own reflections on the process to evaluate the placement programme. Data were collected through a focus group and email interviews with placement providers, along with a questionnaire, which was distributed to 'Q-Step in the Community' alumni.

Findings: Data-driven work-based learning opportunities allow students to develop and demonstrate their quantitative skills and support networking opportunities whilst also developing valuable soft-skills experience of the workplace that develops their career-readiness. In addition, those opportunities provide valuable research for placement providers, which support their sustainability and enhance their service delivery. Research limitations/implications: The research focusses solely on one programme at one university offering quantitative data driven work-based learning opportunities at undergraduate and post-graduate level. It is not possible to make valid comparisons between those who do a placement with those who do not. Originality/value: Views of key stakeholders in the process have been sought for this research, which can be useful to consider for others considering developing similar programmes for their students.

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This research discusses employability skills 4.0 for university students' readiness in work-based learning. This research explored relevant employability skills 4.0 for university students' readiness in the work-based learning program. The survey questionnaire consisted of 65 items developed to study the student's readiness to acquire these skills in a work-based learning program. This research obtained 633 respondents from five Malaysian research universities.

The association between employability skills and students' readiness for work-based learning was analysed using the [partial least squares structural equation modeling] PLS-SEM model of SMART-PLS software. Using measurement and structural model analysis, the PLS-SEM found six employability skills communication skills, interpersonal skills, IT skills, problem-solving skills, entrepreneurship skills, and self-management skills. From this analysis, the student's readiness employability 4.0 for the university student's readiness in work-based learning has developed. Further research can explore more significant respondents from public or private universities, including postgraduate students in the survey.

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In 2020, Professor Peter Shergold AC and Mr David Gonski AC were commissioned by the New South Wales (NSW) Government to lead a Review on the NSW vocational education and training (VET) sector. They were asked to provide advice on how the state's VET system could best address ongoing and emerging skills shortages, paying particular regard to its quality, efficiency and structural complexity. It was indicated that they should consider how to integrate secondary, vocational and higher education learning opportunities, how to re-imagine industry engagement and how to improve career advice to support lifelong learning. It was also suggested that they should seek to understand any negative public perceptions of VET. The request reflects the NSW Government view that an effective and sustainable VET sector is crucial for providing the skilled workforce needed for a strong NSW economy. The report was released on 18 March 2021.

The NSW Government has accepted all five recommendations of the report, which are: (1) Establish a NSW Institute of Applied Technology as an entirely new form of Australian tertiary institution. It will deliver fully integrated theoretical and practical employability skills, provided through a number of constituent colleges, with curriculums designed in collaboration with industry and focused on the state's emerging labour market needs; (2) Establish Careers NSW to make lifelong careers information, advice and professional career guidance accessible to students, trainees and employees seeking to enter the labour market, upgrade skills or change careers; (3) Improve the breadth and quality of vocational education made available in NSW high schools by: (a) ensuring practical course offerings, vocational learning, work exploration and career education are available to all students; (b) increasing the number of selected vocational courses that can be incorporated in the calculation of the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR); (c) strengthening the opportunity for students to gain Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) certification for the VET delivered to Secondary Students courses they undertake; (d) providing more opportunities for externally delivered VET where that is in the best interests of the student; (e) enhancing the number of school based apprentices and trainees; (4) Improve strategic and purposeful industry engagement in VET by ensuring that employers can have a more influential role in planning and designing relevant educational and training courses and have greater involvement in providing on the job training and career advice; (5) Establish an income contingent loan scheme for students studying Certificate III and IV qualifications that have been identified as addressing priority skill areas in NSW.

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Higher education institutions are challenged to prepare their students for employment in the labour market. Higher education policy reforms are looking for the right solution and we consider dual education as one such solution. The aim of our research is to present the perspectives of students, partner companies and lecturers on the perception of the effectiveness of the dual education and the quality of the practical training, which has been present at the University of Debrecen since the 2015/2016 academic year. The DUAL 2019 (N = 286) database was used, the data collection took place in the semester of 2018/2019, our results were supported by both quantitative and qualitative data. We were looking for the answer to the question of which student group had the best academic performance. We hypothesize that dual training has a positive effect on students' academic performance.

Based on student self-reports and quantitative results have shown that dual students have better academic performance than those in traditional education. In the interview part of the research it was revealed that the students perceive significant development of skills but our results call for further quantitative procedures. Our result is indispensable in the sense that we must constantly monitor these educational policy reforms because monitoring processes are essential in educational research.

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