Towards a skills development theory

HE Engineering Programmes are required to prepare students for practice and professional work skills are an important component. This paper reports on part of a PhD study [1] (to be published in September 2018) to investigate how work skills can be taught in HE with a focus on preparing students to solve real problems as opposed to academic problems [2]

Describing ‘generic’ graduate engineer skills

Being able to describe skills effectively is essential for teaching and enabling students to learn skills. A previous study [1], investigating the development of real industrial problem solving skills in a taught Masters course, found inadequate skill descriptions were a significant problem. On further investigation, it was determined that skills could only described at a high level, unless the task and associated context was known. Such high-level descriptions e.g. project management, do not communicate the skills graduates need for work

Genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in a UK university identifies dynamics of transmission

AbstractUnderstanding SARS-CoV-2 transmission in higher education settings is important to limit spread between students, and into at-risk populations. In this study, we sequenced 482 SARS-CoV-2 isolates from the University of Cambridge from 5 October to 6 December 2020. We perform a detailed phylogenetic comparison with 972 isolates from the surrounding community, complemented with epidemiological and contact tracing data, to determine transmission dynamics. We observe limited viral introductions into the university; the majority of student cases were linked to a single genetic cluster, likely following social gatherings at a venue outside the university. We identify considerable onward transmission associated with student accommodation and courses; this was effectively contained using local infection control measures and following a national lockdown. Transmission clusters were largely segregated within the university or the community. Our study highlights key determinants of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and effective interventions in a higher education setting that will inform public health policy during pandemics.</jats:p

From stages to phases, a theory of small developing country internationalization

Existing research in firm internationalization tends to adopt the perspective of relatively fixed country specific advantages and disadvantages. However, firms operating from small developing countries may experience rapidly shifting country-specific advantages due to industrial policy interventions. These changes influence the internal configuration and, ultimately, the internationalization paths of firms, a factor that is not captured by current theory. Using a combination of a country case study and nested multiple firm cases, data were collected on how organizations internationalized from Trinidad and Tobago, a small developing country. Unlike the relatively deterministic outward patterns predicted by existing theories, analysis revealed both evolutionary and co-evolutionary trajectories of development. These outcomes suggest that as a country moves to more open economic environment, network connections in the form of supplier and institutional relationships are of increased value for firms seeking to enter external markets