How to Prepare a Project-Based Business English Presentation in the Vocational Higher Education Context?

This article presents the process of preparing project-based business English presentations in the vocational higher education context. It emphasizes the relevance of these presentations in preparing students for the workforce by developing practical skills. The article provides a comprehensive guide, covering topic selection, research, presentation organization, and the development of language and communication skills. It offers strategies for delivering engaging presentations, managing anxiety, and handling questions. The importance of evaluation, self-reflection, and ongoing improvement is highlighted. By following these guidelines, students can enhance their communication abilities, gain confidence, and effectively showcase their business English skills in a vocational higher education setting

Business Communication Curriculum: Where Has it Been?, Where is it Now?, and Where is it Going?

Business communication curriculum plays an integral role in preparing students for the workforce. In order for students to succeed in the ever-changing world of business, the business communication curriculum must reflect the current trends that are being accepted in the business world. This article reviews studies conducted during the past 30 years that have reviewed what has been included in the curriculum and what employers have expected from incoming employees. This article discusses the purpose and philosophy of business communication and developing a business communication curriculum, which includes what has been included in the curriculum in the past, what is currently being included in the curriculum, and what should be included in the curriculum in the future

NEXT LEVEL: A COURSE RECOMMENDER SYSTEM BASED ON CAREER INTERESTS

Skills-based hiring is a talent management approach that empowers employers to align recruitment around business results, rather than around credentials and title. It starts with employers identifying the particular skills required for a role, and then screening and evaluating candidates’ competencies against those requirements. With the recent rise in employers adopting skills-based hiring practices, it has become integral for students to take courses that improve their marketability and support their long-term career success. A 2017 survey of over 32,000 students at 43 randomly selected institutions found that only 34% of students believe they will graduate with the skills and knowledge required to be successful in the job market. Furthermore, the study found that while 96% of chief academic officers believe that their institutions are very or somewhat effective at preparing students for the workforce, only 11% of business leaders strongly agree [11]. An implication of the misalignment is that college graduates lack the skills that companies need and value. Fortunately, the rise of skills-based hiring provides an opportunity for universities and students to establish and follow clearer classroom-to-career pathways. To this end, this paper presents a course recommender system that aims to improve students’ career readiness by suggesting relevant skills and courses based on their unique career interests

Perceptions of diversity, equity, and inclusion within undergraduate curriculum and university: A qualitative study

Objective Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts are important at university campuses, especially preparing students for the workforce. This study aimed to identify perceptions of DEI among seniors related to their major curriculum and at the university. Participants In Spring 2021, 101 graduating seniors, who are future health professionals, completed an online survey. Methods Open-ended and multiple-choice survey items were analyzed. Thematic coding for open-ended questions and SPSS was used for the quantitative analysis. Results Analyses revealed the university kept students informed of DEI activities; however, more could be done. In the department, participants reported that classes focused on DEI activities; however, some faculty entered classrooms without evaluating their own implicit biases. Future suggestions include creating a DEI-focused course and increasing faculty and student representation from underrepresented backgrounds. Conclusions Findings from this study can be used to inform DEI-related courses as well as faculty hiring and student recruitment guidelines

Career Focused Education: Evaluating Career Academies in a Large Midwestern District

It is generally agreed upon that in order to be an effective, contributing member of society one must work. The current axiom in education today revolves around preparing students to be college and career ready, with the ultimate goal of preparing students for the workforce but very little research has gone in to identifying the most effective way to do this. The purpose of this study was to analyze data collected from students in one Midwest Suburban School District to determine if Career-Focused Embedded Academies improve student success as noted by the likelihood to take the ACT and a students’ GPA compared to students of the same gender and similar racial, socioeconomic, and academic history using propensity scoring. Looking at this data, it was determined if there is a statistically significant difference between a student who attended an academy versus a student who did not. This research identified an effective way to prepare a student for both college and career, ultimately preparing them for the future workforce as an effective, contributing member of society

Nursing Students Experiences of Career and Technical Education Health Science Programs

The state of education in the United States faces many challenges in preparing students for the workforce and postsecondary education. These challenges are heightened at the postsecondary level for schools of nursing. The current shortage of nurses will continue to rise if recruitment and retention strategies are not employed. The purpose of this qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand and explore the experiences of former health science program students enrolled in nursing school. Research questions focused on the experience of career and technical education (CTE), motives and perceived benefits of CTE, nursing experience, career choice, and academic interests. The theoretical framework for this study was based on Lent, Brown, and Hackett\u27s social cognitive career theory. Data were collected through semistructured face-to-face interviews with 6 associate and bachelor degree nursing students in South Carolina that completed CTE health science courses in high school. Data were manually coded and analyzed. The findings of the study indicated that CTE health science program experiences were positive and provided early college preparation and career opportunities. Furthermore, findings indicated that collaborative efforts between secondary, postsecondary, and nursing stakeholders are needed. This study has implications for positive social change by providing information to stakeholders in education about CTE, bridge programs, and secondary-postsecondary partnerships that may lead to a solution for the shortage of nurses

Learning for employability in contexts of economic despair: Empirical insight from the Gaza Strip

Literature on education for employment (EfE) predominantly focuses on the role of higher education institutions (HEIs) in preparing students for the workforce. This focus covers links between employability, on one hand, and teaching, curriculum, assessment, and extracurricular activities, on the other. The role of independent learning, broadly understood as students’ individual effort to enhance their employability, remains masked and is assigned secondary importance in the relevant literature. This scholarship deficit is arguably more pronounced in contexts of economic despair. In such contexts, an EfE logic still supersedes any logic of learning for employability (LfE) in efforts to train a high-calibre workforce for economic recovery and development. Yet, this logic is often accompanied by decontextualized views of HEIs, which often lead to suboptimal problem formulations and unfeasible solution proposals. The study is an attempt at addressing this deficit. It proposes a parallel, not alternative, logic of LfE, which centralizes students’ independent learning engagements to examine and develop support for their own pursuits of employability development. The study draws on original empirical data collected, through a questionnaire and in-depth interviews, from new graduates in the Gaza Strip. Through interpretive phenomenological analysis, the study findings suggest that the participants exerted significant, independent, and strategic effort in seizing employability development opportunities. Based on the findings, I contend that a learner-centred logic of linking education and employability is of compelling significance to various stakeholders in the education and market spheres, especially in contexts of protracted hardship

Louisiana Survey 2012

The 2011 Louisiana Survey revealed a decrease in the number of residents who reported confidence that the future of the state was heading in the right direction. Other topics measured in the 2011 Survey included: perceptions that budget cuts were harming the state, and resident opinions as to what should and should not be cut opinions on the possibility tax cuts and raises higher education, especially on consolidating colleges and universities in response to spending cuts TOPS reform healthcare public confidence in local seafood quality perceptions of ethics and corruption in state government the evolving Louisiana media landscap

The engagement of mature distance students

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Higher Education Research and Development in 2013, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/07294360.2013.777036.Publishe

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Georgia Southern University Receives Research and Education Gift from Gulfstream Aerospace Corp