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Cooperations or transfers of the German technical and vocational education and training (TVET) system have taken place in different cultural contexts in recent decades. In Mexico, the so-called Modelo Mexicano de Formacion Dual has been adapted to Mexico's cultural conditions. Yet, it still seems to be largely unknown in society, the education system and the labour market. Attitudes, perceptions or so-called 'social representations' are culturally anchored in a society and can be identified in artefacts and individual narratives. Especially social representations of company gatekeepers, such as human resources employees are focused because they regulate access in companies and to higher positions. Although this happens on the basis of organizational transition policies, decision-making processes are shaped by culturally anchored individual perceptions. The target group of company gatekeepers from the tourism sector was interviewed within the framework of a qualitative study during eight semistructured 'face-to-screen' interviews, analysed according to grounded theory methodology. Based on social representation analysis, the Mexican labour market seems to be dichotomized. Academic titles have a high symbolic value, promising prestige. TVET options are given little focus, lack a high social esteem and are still largely unknown. Those produce tecnicos, while holders of oficos often do on-the-job training within their families. Both depend upon their employers and have to accept unfavourable working conditions. This implies physically demanding, often gender-specific work. Promotions are possible, even without academic degrees. Because of a lack of institutionalization, these are subjective, depending on the goodwill of company gatekeepers. Promotions are possible to a certain extent, so nonacademic workers are facing a glass ceiling.

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This article contributes to feminist debates that seek to shed light on the politics of the contemporary neoliberal academy, contributing insights into experiences of early career academics on teaching-only contracts. Through collaborative autoethnography it explores configurations and intersections of the temporal with precarity, class and gender. We draw upon experience(s) of navigating academia as early career academics, reflecting on our journeys from doctoral study to and through the academic labour market, from fixed-term precarious contracts through to securing 'permanent' full-time academic contracts. We focus on ways in which temporalities have served as a structuring force in our working and personal lives, shaping experiences of navigating academia on both a micro and macro scale. We grapple with themes such as everyday experiences of time, precarious timelines, 'working against the clock', 'staying afloat' and 'finding the time'. We further consider way(s) in which our experiences have been further compounded by socio-historical positions, attending to intersections of class and gender given our differing class backgrounds, circumstances, life stage and the timeline of history and biography.

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The article examines the relationship between restructuring and work-based identity among older workers, exploring occupational identity, occupational community and their roles in navigating transitions in the life course. Based on working-life biographical interviews with late career and retired telecoms engineers, the article explores the role of occupational identity in dealing with change prior to and following the end of careers at BT, the UK's national telecommunications provider. Restructuring and perpetual organizational change undermined key aspects of the engineering occupational identity, inspiring many to seek alternative employment outside BT. For older workers, some seeking bridge employment in the transition to retirement, the occupational community not only served as a mechanism for finding work but also provided a sustained collective identity resource. Distinctively, the research points to a dialectical relationship between occupational identity and the navigation of change as opposed to the former simply facilitating the latter.

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Limited research has been conducted to explore the racial trauma experience of East Asian American women, especially in the workplace. We sought to understand (a) how racial trauma has influenced this population's work and non-work life and (b) how they have coped with this traumatic stress in career development and mental health aspects. Twelve participants working in the United States participated in semi-structured interviews about the impact of workplace racial trauma on their mental health, work, relationships, and coping strategies. Five domains were developed using conventional content analysis: (a) racial trauma at work is expressed with microaggression, (b) racial trauma causes a loss of psychological safety, (c) racial trauma creates relationship dilemmas, (d) racial trauma creates challenges in participants' career development paths, and (e) career and mental health coping strategies are used to manage racial traumatic stress. Implications for theoretical advances and counseling and organizational practice are also discussed.

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Three studies are reported concerning employees’ approaches to learning at work and their perceptions of the workplace environment. Based on prior research with university students, two questionnaires were devised, the Approaches to Work Questionnaire (AWQ) and the Workplace Climate Questionnaire (WCQ). In studies one and two, these questionnaires were administered to two different samples of employees, and the factor structure of the questionnaires was explored. In study three, the two data sets were combined, and a random half of it was used to develop reduced sets of items that addressed selected factors for each of the questionnaires. The other half of the data was used to test the scales developed. For the AWQ, three factors are proposed: deep, surface-rational, and surface-disorganised. The first of these is consistent with the student learning literature, but the other two represent a division of a unitary surface factor. The three components of the WCQ are good supervision, choice-independence, and workload. Correlations between scales indicated that the deep approach is positively associated with good supervision and choice-independence, whereas the surface-disorganised approach is negatively associated with these two constructs and positively associated with workload. Surface-rational is negatively, though less strongly associated with choice-independence. Suggestions are presented for use of these instruments in future research and practice.

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Women are the steering wheel of the Indian economy and it could be considered that they are the creators and controllers of this universe. They are contributing to the Indian economy from even before independence but in the recent scenario, their participation rate is declining. To highlight the issue, 'Female labour force participation rate is showing a downward trend', the authors of this paper address the factors affecting FLFPR and they believe that 'Working women are the future of India' which is the hypothesis of this paper. This paper contains the problems and challenges faced by the women of our country which limits them from stepping out of their homes. An analysis of every required section has also been discussed by the authors.

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Purpose: This study aims to examine the effect of workplace learning experience and intrinsic learning motive on job satisfaction and organizational commitment. In addition, the study examined the moderating effect of intrinsic learning motives on the relationship between learning experience and job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Design/methodology/approach: The current research used the Human Capital Corporate Panel survey data set, which aimed to explore how human resource development practices influence corporate performance. In all, 10,003 samples from 441 companies were used for data analysis. Findings: Results indicate that taking part in workplace learning programs positively affects job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Likewise, intrinsic learning motives are also positively related to work attitudes. However, no interaction effect between the intrinsic learning motive and the learning experience was found, which may imply that an autonomous extrinsic learning motive is a better predictor for explaining job satisfaction than is a purely intrinsic learning motive within an organizational context. Originality/value: Little research has examined the actual effect of workplace learning programs on employees' attitudes regarding job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Furthermore, to the authors' knowledge, no research has examined the moderating effect of intrinsic learning motive with workplace learning experience on employees' positive work attitudes.

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This article proposes a Marxist political economy (MPE) of youth to explain the material conditions of young people in developed economies. Central concepts of capitalist accumulation, labour-power and value are utilised to historicise and situate young people in relation to wage labour under capitalism. The article conceptualises how contradictory processes of capitalist accumulation impact young people through an analysis of the actions of private capital, labour and the state. The theoretical approach is supported with UK data which illustrates how young people have experienced challenges in education, labour market transitions, and work and employment conditions. The article reveals how a combination of structural economic change, state regulation and low-road employer business strategies which generate poor quality work have all contributed to the decline in the value of youth labour-power in the UK. The article also provides methodological insights for using the MPE approach in future youth studies research.

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In an attempt to probe the nuanced processes of non-unionization, this article analyses the agency of migrant construction workers and the ways they negotiate and navigate an increasingly flexible and pan-European labour market. Drawing upon qualitative interview data, the article argues that the precarious employment context limits opportunities for effective collective action (and unionization), and that workers employ a wide range of strategies to 'get by' and 'get ahead' instead. This analysis contributes to an understanding of the resilience of current employment relations by extending the discussion of agency with the category of reworking. Instead of challenging the way cross-border employment relations are organized, migrant construction workers employ various strategies that rework existing conditions to their advantage. On a broader scale, however, these practices contribute to the continuation of current employment relations.

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Skills shortages have reinvigorated ongoing debate and concern about high attrition rates among Australian apprentices and trainees. Low apprentice and trainee wages have often been cited to explain this ongoing problem. This paper discusses the factors contributing to non-completion among apprentices and trainees in regional Victoria, and how the experiences of those apprentices and trainees who did not complete their training compare to those currently in-training. It asserts that unpleasant working conditions, poor quality training, a lack of support and low wages are contributing to both non-completion and a high degree of dissatisfaction among apprentices and trainees. Consequently, it argues an increase in the apprentice and trainee wage can only go part-way to improving training outcomes and experiences and attracting young people into the system.

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