Purpose: This study aims to test the effectiveness of a training intervention based on the psychology of perception, delivered to young Italian workers and employees, with low education, hired with an apprenticeship contract and involved in a compulsory training course (duration 32 h; the training intervention reported in the paper covers the…

Context: After the Eurozone crisis unfolded a decade ago, comparative political economy has investigated reforms of public administration, labour market, welfare state and economic policy particularly in Southern European nations which were hit hardest by the crisis. However, analyses of skill formation reform, particularly vocational education…

The digitalization of operations is disrupting frontline technical jobs, entailing new competency needs currently not being met by upper secondary education and corporate training programs. To discuss how technical universities can help bridge the resulting "middle-skills gap" without incurring an unwarranted academization of these…

Apprenticeship is a contractual form of work-based learning that has existed for centuries, but despite its historical impact on innovation and competitiveness, it has been perceived as a system for the shop floor or low-skill jobs. The dual apprenticeship system combines school study with training on the job. Well developed in several European…

This article describes a service-learning program developed at the University of Verona, Italy. This community service research learning (CSRL) program involves preservice and in-service teachers and incorporates learning, community service, and research. We detail the program's theoretical basis and then present the results of a research project…

Critical reflexivity has been acknowledged as fundamental in higher education. For facing complex situations in turbulent environments, students nowadays need not only to be taught technical knowledge, but also to be helped develop "relevant" learning for their future professional practice. In recent years, scholars have concentrated on…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper was to explore if and to what extent workplace identity can mediate the relationship between learning climate dimensions and job satisfaction in a group of apprentices. Design/methodology/approach: Data were gathered thanks to a non-profit organization devoted to vocational training. Participants (N 87) were…

The links between tracked secondary schooling and social selection form part of a complex narrative regarding educational inequality in European schools. The relative contribution of family and school to unequal educational outcomes has dominated educational debates across the continent for more than 50 years. This article contributes to this…

Research tells us much about the effects of primary and lower-secondary schooling on skills inequality, but we know less about the impact of the next stage of education. This article uses a differences-in-differences analysis of data on literacy and numeracy skills in PISA 2000 and SAS 2011/12 to assess the contribution of upper-secondary…

This article examines cross-country variations in adult skills inequality and asks why skills in Anglophone countries are so unequal. Drawing on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's recent Survey of Adult Skills and other surveys, it investigates the differences across countries and country groups in inequality in both…

In this era of global competition, human resources will play a decisive role in the battle for efficiency and competitive advantage, where nations and organisations with superior and quality-oriented human capital will soon outperform those with inefficient and quantity-oriented labour force. Rate of human capital formation will be more important…

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to evaluate the leadership skills and entrepreneur's or owner/manager's ability to motivate apprentices and other young employees. Specifically, the article investigates young employees' perceptions about leadership and motivational behaviour in small- and medium-sized hotels. Design/Methodology/Approach:…

A discussion of the Italian system for vocational and technical education covers the educational alternatives available to students, on-the-job and continuing education, enrollment rates and trends, educational attainment levels of workers in different age groups, and training content. Current concerns are outlined. (MSE)