Purpose: This study is to examine and develop sector skills strategies and action plans for the textile and apparel (T&A) sector. Design/methodology/approach: The paper used a participatory action qualitative method anchored on the Skills for Trade and Economic Diversification (STED) framework, utilising the workshop-based approach with 24 key…

Research indicated that the workforce would require significant upskilling and reskilling over the next several years for organizations and their people to remain competitive in changing markets. This qualitative case study explored how human resources development (HRD), a mechanism leveraged to develop an organization's human capital through…

Understanding what determines a worker's passion for skills training has important policy implications, particularly in the current context of the fourth industrial revolution, in which knowledge is deemed obsolete within several years. The purpose of this study is to answer a specific question: are higher-ability garment workers more likely to…

In this new policy report, the fourth in a series examining the impact of human capital in the American labor market from the Educational Testing Service (ETS) Center for Research on Human Capital Education, the authors take a unique perspective on the critical link between human capital and labor market outcomes by expanding the analysis to…

The need for non-formal education (NFE), which does not result in a formal degree or certificate, is substantial as labour markets often require adult workers to take an initiative in advancing their job-related skills. Yet, NFE opportunities are more often pursued by high-income and high-skilled adults than their low-income and low-skilled…

This technical report presents the results of a cross-case analysis of the eleven case studies conducted under the Higher Education for Smart Specialisation project during the period 2016-2020. The analysis identifies key themes and innovative practice examples from across case studies, developing a structured typology of innovative practices for…

Purpose: The study aims to investigate whether participation to massive open online courses (MOOCs) may lead to labor market returns and through which mechanisms such relative advantage may take place. Indeed, despite high figures of registered users, empirical studies on occupational returns are limited and MOOCs may represent a viable,…

Creating labour mobility opportunities allowing refugees to move lawfully from first asylum countries to receiving countries, based on their skills and qualifications and recipient labour market needs, is a policy idea that deserves to be explored and tested. The conceptual framework presented in this report sketches the potential, the key…

According to the United States Department of Justice (2017), over 10,000 formerly incarcerated individuals are released each week from federal and state prisons. Approximately two-thirds of this population will be re-arrested within three years of release. Although employment has been found to reduce recidivism, the majority of formerly…

This paper, jointly prepared by Cedefop and the ETF, aims to inform the next steps in VET policy- making at EU level, including the Osnabruck declaration expected to be discussed by ministers in the autumn of 2020. It puts forward key challenges and opportunities for VET which have emerged from the intelligence, research and evidence collected…

This article aims to present the lifelong education system of Chile from a functional and institutional point of view, in an attempt to describe its strategy. This paper covers both formal education and graduate studies, which were analyzed systematically from the institutional framework and experience of Chile. A comprehensive review of open…

These Key Indicators on Education, Skills and Employment (KIESE) are a collection of statistics that are part of a broader set of indicators proposed by the ETF to enable an assessment of developments in the field of human capital in the partner countries. They include data on education, initial vocational education and training, lifelong…

Human capital theory was developed to study how individual agents make rational choices or how they invest in human capital to maximize their welfare. One of the leading founders of this perspective, Becker, argues that schooling, on-the-job training, medical care, migration and searching for information about prices and incomes are different…

Ageing populations and accelerating economic change make it increasingly important to update the skill levels of populations over the whole life course. Adult education is believed to allow adults' skills to adapt continuously to constantly changing economic requirements. Both research into adult education, and discussions on lifelong learning…

The purpose of this research case study was to examine a post-secondary pilot program that provides education to select New York City homeless adults at a private university. In this study, the researcher examined how the Academy program assists homeless and disadvantaged adults to obtain post-graduate employment opportunities through academic…