GiLE Journal of Skills Development
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Paideia Patristic Education: Analysis into the acquisition of soft skills in Universities in Machakos County, Kenya
Full text linkThe acquisition of soft skills is increasingly recognized as a crucial component of higher education, essential for preparing students to meet the challenges of the modern workforce. This study investigates the process of acquiring soft skills through Paideia Patristic Education (PPE) in universities in Machakos County, Kenya. This quantitative study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the PPE framework in promoting key soft skills such as communication, teamwork, critical thinking, and flexibility. Purposive sampling technique was used to target specific faculty members and students. Data was collected using structured and semi-structured questionnaires. The study\u27s results show that PPE has a positive effect on students\u27 soft skills, particularly in enhancing their ability to work effectively in teams and collaborate. Universities in Machakos County and beyond should strongly consider incorporating Paideia Patristic Education principles into their curricula. This would help cultivate crucial soft skills in students, better equipping them for the challenges of the contemporary job market
Developing Managerial Framework to Cultivate Critical Skills in The South African Automotive Retail Industry
Full text linkThe purpose of this study is to develop managerial framework that could be utilised to cultivate critical skills in the automotive retail industry. This would be achieved by providing a comprehensive literature overview regarding skills development strategies including life-long learning, apprenticeship, and mentorship programmes. The study utilised a qualitative research methodology. Data are collected through face-to-face interviews using an interrogation technique. Data collection process was done in participants’ natural settings, enabling the researcher to develop new knowledge, and understanding of strategic tools that can be utilised to promote skills development of technicians for the automotive retail industry. The findings reveal a strong collaboration between non-technical and technical high schools as well as technical colleges is essential to ensure the quality of skills development in the automotive retail industry is improved, and thereby improve the market pool of skilled young technicians
Re-Thinking Teachers’ Roles for One-to-One Teaching: The Hungarian Perspective
Full text linkWhile teacher training generally focuses on preparing trainees for teaching groups of students, during their careers teachers will face situations where they need to teach students in one-to-one situations. Private language teaching is a large, but often informal industry; therefore, its scale tends to be underestimated. The lack of research and teacher training in this field leads to clients (or learners) being misled easily by untrained tutors or people claiming to be professionals without any training in teaching. This review of the literature focuses on this vast, but largely abandoned area of language teaching to create a framework for the discussion of one-to-one teaching by clarifying the terminology with a focus on interpreting teachers’ roles in one-to-one teaching based on the most popular English teacher training books in the Hungarian context. The implications of this review are relevant for any stakeholder involved in language teaching and learning. Within our theoretical framework, we have defined three main roles in three professional areas: instructors are course managers (course management), teachers (professional competencies), and supporters (social-psychological awareness and skills), being primarily responsible for course design, facilitating learning, and creating a supportive atmosphere, respectively. One-to-one teaching is unique and deserves not to be on the periphery of teacher training
Continuing Vocational Training in Enterprises: Comparison of Selected Indicators of the Czech Republic and Hungary
Full text linkThis article presents a comparative analysis of Continuing Vocational Training (CVT) in companies in the Czech Republic and Hungary based on selected indicators from the European Union\u27s CVT survey. The study examines the participation of employees, the time dedicated to training, and the primary targeted skills of CVT courses. The results highlight significant differences in participation rates and focus on specific skills between the two countries, with a higher percentage of employee participation in training in the Czech Republic and a particular focus on IT skills in Hungary. The findings suggest that CVT plays a crucial role in enhancing employee skills and organizational competitiveness, highlighting the need to explore further the reasons behind these differences between countries and their impact on policy and practice in vocational education. The study also emphasizes the importance of adapting CVT programs to the rapidly changing labor market and the employer\u27s need to effectively respond to new challenges in skills and competencies
The decision to study abroad at Hungarian university: for what benefits International students are looking for?
Full text linkGlobalisation is driving the internationalisation of higher education, promoting open access to universities, enhancing educational programs with an international focus, and stronger presence in the international higher education market. Thus, globalisation stimulates the internationalisation of universities. For universities to attract international students successfully, it is necessary to understand general issues regarding the decision-making process. The study aims to analyse the benefits of studying abroad at a Hungarian university among international students. To fulfil the aim of this study, a questionnaire was administered to 100 international students, aged 18 to 38. The study results showed that international students had been looking for benefits while studying abroad, such as personal development, cultural experience, career prospects, and the possibility of travelling. Some benefits were also related to social and economic factors such as access to unique courses and knowledge, positive country image, safety situation, and affordable living costs in Hungary. The decision to study at a Hungarian university was made according to such benefits, including a desired program of study, comfortable facilities, flexible schedule, admission criteria, opportunity to improve English language skills, good reputation of the university, European degree, supportive environment, related costs, and future career prospects. At the same time, different age groups of international students considered the importance of benefits differently. Also, different groups of international students based on perceived social family status paid attention to different benefits. The findings of this study can be used for the promotion of Hungarian universities internationally to attract more international students with benefits that they look for when studying abroad
“Mind the Leadership Gap!”: A Call to Action for the Future Research Agenda
Full text linkThe coronavirus pandemic has acted as a catalyst for organisational change, disrupting historic ways of working, and spearheading organisations towards the next evolution of their working environments. In the aftermath of the largest concurrent work from home experiment in the world, organisations are coming to grips with the new policies and practices they need to implement to remain competitive. But there is one crucial stakeholder who continues to be left out in academic research, leaders. New questions now arise as to how we should remodel leadership in an increasingly remote world. What skills do leaders need to develop and how, in order to maintain employee wellbeing and manage the intergenerational divide? This paper presents a short synthesis of the challenges faced by leaders today specifically around remote team management but also in the context of a multigenerational workforce, alongside a summary of the research gaps we face in post-COVID literature. This paper concludes with the production of a future research agenda for scholars to close this gap, and to help organisations in building their leadership capability in the ‘new normal’
Upskilling and Reskilling for a VUCA World: Organizational Sense-Response Framework
Full text linkOrganizations are operating in a VUCA world, punctuated by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. Recent technological developments have given rise to new jobs, new demands, new products, new processes, new work arrangements, and new methods of service delivery thus significantly disrupting workplaces and creating a need for new workplace skills. There is a growing anticipation of “new normals” characterized by skills revolutions, among other factors. Such a context poses serious challenges to human resource management in regard to developing and maintaining a competitive advantage amidst volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. The aim of this theoretical study was to assess the need for upskilling and reskilling and propose an organizational sense-response framework for upskilling and reskilling in a VUCA business world. The findings show that for any organization to ensure sustainability in the VUCA world, it must focus on its most valuable asset— its people. Organizations need to strategically develop employees’ skills based on organizational objectives. In such a dynamic world, people require competencies in different skills including but not limited to technological skills, self-management skills, social and cross-cultural skills, cognitive skills, entrepreneurial skills, and mastery of 21st century inter-disciplinary themes to exhibit good performance. The future of work is therefore likely to focus on continuous upskilling and reskilling people to be able to thrive amidst constant disruptions. The proposed framework shows that organizations need sensing and response capabilities for them to thrive amidst rapid change, especially in the external environment. The sensing capability ensures that organizations continually maintain awareness of external threats or opportunities. The response capability, on the other hand, ensures that organizations are able to determine how best they can adapt to changes, after assessing the relevance of those changes to their organizations’ current situations and long-term strategic objectives, as well as the possible benefits and threats of those changes