Portfolio Of Skills Research Articles

Tracking and assessing practical chemistry skills development: practical skills portfolios

We present the evaluation of the student response to a novel form of practical assessment; the Practical Skills Portfolio (PSP). The PSP is a concise record of a practical activity for the purposes of assessment, which prompts students to engage in reflective practice on laboratory skills, and provides opportunities for enhanced feedback delivered in a timely manner. Key goals of this new approach are to assist students in assimilating the practical skills they are developing during their studies and to support them in developing their ability to write the different components of a full lab report.

The relationship between admission exam and students’ performance on an undergraduate interior design program

The article investigates the relationship between admission exam and students’ performance on an interior design program. To achieve the objective of the study, a survey was conducted of 50 students from an interior design program. The performance of these 50 students was tracked from year 1 to year 4 of their degree program. Paired samples testing and linear regression analysis were performed. Then, the study randomly evaluated the admission criteria of 33 Council for Interior Design (USA) accredited programs (in 4 countries: USA, Canada, United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. The study reveals that there is no significant relationship between admission exam (skill exam) and students’ performance. There is also a significant difference in performance in an admission exam and the performance for students who hold a scholarship and for local compared with international students. The regression analysis, demonstrated that holding a scholarship and nationality are associated with performance in an admission exam. The critical evaluation of 33 Council for Interior Design (USA) accredited programs showed that a variety of different admission criteria were used (e.g. skill exam, portfolio, and high school/college GPA). In particular, 61% of the sample universities included submission of a design portfolio (USA: 37%; Canada: 92%; United Arab Emirates: 100%; Qatar: 100%) as part of the requirements for admission. The study also suggested that the Council for Interior Design (USA) should provide general guidelines on admission criteria for undergraduate interior design programs. Policy implications are also offered.

Graduate work-readiness challenges in the Asia-Pacific region and the role of HRM

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to focus on graduate work-readiness challenges in three Asia Pacific economies (Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia), and the roles of three main stakeholders (government, employers and industry) in the process. The intention of the paper is to design a stakeholder-oriented HRM model to address the identified graduate work-readiness challenges.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative triangulation method comprising interviews and focus groups was used with participant samples for each country – Australia (19), Indonesia (19) and Malaysia (15). Stakeholder-oriented HRM theory underpins the conceptual framework for the paper.FindingsAll three countries are currently experiencing difficulties attracting graduates with the required portfolio of qualifications, skills and personal capabilities. The reported effects include: constraints on national economic growth, future production structures, and long-term socio-economic development. Based on a review of the work-readiness and stakeholder-oriented HRM theory literature, it is posited that graduate work-readiness challenges can be effectively addressed by HR professionals in partnership with other key stakeholders.Research limitations/implicationsThe study sought the input of only three stakeholder groups for ascertaining graduate work readiness challenges, there is a strong case to include other groups including students/parents and secondary schools.Social implicationsBridging the graduate skills gap between government, employers and educational institutions is an important area in which HR professionals can contribute by reducing the mismatch between demand and supply through influencing and balancing the interests and goals of key stakeholders.Originality/valueThis study makes a contribution to the extant literature as it explores the role of HR professionals in relation to a multiple stakeholder strategy to address these challenges in the less-explored Asia Pacific region.

Key competences of logistics and SCM professionals – the lifelong learning perspective

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to identify specific qualifications and competences required within the field of logistics and supply chain management from the perspective of lifelong learning and hierarchical level. It also reveals a hierarchy level-specific job profile for logistics and supply chain management jobs based on the European Framework for Key Competences and the German Federal Employment Agency.Design/methodology/approachA review of the literature on competences and skills in the field of logistics is combined with an analysis of 832 job postings by means of content analyses and thematic mapping.FindingsThe academic literature discusses more than 280 skills and competences related to the job profile of logistics and supply chain managers. The majority of these skills represent social skills. Analyses of job postings show significant differences in the required portfolio of skills and competences depending on the hierarchical level of the position. Contrary to the literature, job postings include more cognitive competences and meta-competences than social skills.Originality/valueThe first contribution of this research is that competences were examined from the perspective of lifelong learning, revealing how this is applied in the field of logistics. The second is that this conceptual framework can be utilised to compare skills and competences between different hierarchical levels. The third contribution refers to identifying a set of skills and competences different to what had been presented in the literature.

Occupational Mobility, Occupation Distance, and Specific Human Capital

ABSTRACT:Distance and direction measures are constructed and used to contrast occupational mobility following involuntary job displacement and total occupational mobility. Displacement involves specific capital loss. Some voluntary occupational mobility, for example, promotions, reflects augmented skills rather than specific human capital loss. Wage losses following displacement are strongly related to distance and direction. This is reflected in a downward shift in the skill portfolio. By contrast, the skill portfolio change in total occupational mobility shows a neutral or modest upward pattern, suggesting limited or no specific human capital loss from voluntary occupational mobility. The mean distance in occupational mobility following displacement declined significantly in the 1980s and 1990s suggesting the labor market was more efficiently reemploying workers following displacement, lowering displacement costs in that period.

Entrepreneurship: skills and financing

This article analyzes an occupational choice model with risk-averse agents who are heterogeneous in terms of skills and wealth in a setting with financial frictions. We show that high- and middle-wealth individuals endowed with a balanced portfolio of skills upgrade their skills so that the resulting portfolio of skills is more balanced and choose entrepreneurship. In contrast, middle-wealth individuals endowed with an unbalanced portfolio of skills and low-wealth individuals specialize in the skill in which they have an absolute advantage and choose paid employment. Deeper financial development, a more balanced portfolio of skills, lower entrepreneurial risk, and a higher liquidation value for projects result in more entrepreneurship and higher welfare, while wealth redistributions and financial subsidies to entrepreneurs have an ambiguous effect on welfare.

Occupational Mobility, Occupation Distance and Specific Human Capital

Measures of occupation distance based on underlying skill portfolios are constructed and used to contrast involuntary and total mobility. One component of total occupational mobility is voluntary mobility, including moves to higher job offers using the same skills, as well as promotions that may reflect augmented skills. These are not sources of specific human capital loss. By contrast, the involuntary mobility component due to plant closure involves a higher incidence of loss of specific capital. The evidence indicates that a decreasing fraction of occupation switches involve significant skill portfolio switches: the mean distance in involuntary occupational mobility declines significantly over time. Wage losses following displacement are strongly related to distance. This is reflected in a marked downward shift in the skill portfolio for involuntary occupation switchers. By contrast, the direction of the skill portfolio change in total mobility shows a neutral or modest upward pattern, suggesting limited specific human capital loss from voluntary occupational mobility.

I am a teacher and I will do what I can: some speculations on the future of the dance technique class and its possible transformation

At a time when dance technique teachers may feel marginalised both by criticism of the quality of training in our conservatoires, and by questions raised by artists and their work in the twenty-first century, Sonia Rafferty and Erica Stanton (both including technique teacher in their portfolio of skills) discuss the place and function of the technique class. In the guise of a conversation that dance teachers might have with one other, we ask what might be revealed during class to afford a fuller sensory awareness of the ‘work’. We question the packaging of approaches that can enable dancers and educators alike to make productive connections within both the class and the curriculum in which it is sited. What is the nature of the environment in which technical capacities can be revealed and enhanced? We look at ways to communicate, organise and combine our individual stylistic tools and learning strategies effectively to afford a more productive engagement between all participants in class, including the dance teacher.

CIO Perspectives on Organizational Learning within the Context of IT Governance

Why is it that, despite the large amount of studies on IT governance, many professionals still fail to put these theories into practice? Building on the previous question, we reviewed the literature to examine how organizational learning theories can help in understanding the gap between the ‘theory' and ‘practice' of IT governance. Thereafter, a focus group discussed this gap within the context of Industry 4.0. The findings indicate important concerns that might hinder learning in organizations, including: lack of shared domain knowledge between business and IT stakeholders, lack of shared understanding and poor diffusion of IT governance practices in the organization. Unless these concerns are successfully resolved, executives will experience difficulties to govern IT successfully within the context of Industry 4.0. We provide recommendations to practitioners with regards to the capabilities which should be present in the organisation to overcome such concerns. These capabilities represent a T-shaped portfolio of skills.

Pengaruh Context-Rich Problems Berbentuk Multimedia Interaktif terhadap Keterampilan Proses Sains, Sikap Ilmiah, dan Pemahaman Konsep

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of context-rich problems in the form of interactive multimedia on chemical students’ science process skills, scientific attitudes, and conceptual understanding in practical activities. This research is the quasi-experimental study with post test only control group design. The research sample consisted of 142 students divided into 3 groups. The 1st experimental group was treated using a context-rich problem in the form of interactive multimedia before practical activities, the 2nd experimental group used conventional rich problems, and control groups without context-rich problems. Data were collected by the science process skills observation sheets and portfolio, scientific attitude observation sheets, and conceptual understanding tests. Data were analyzed by inferential statistical methods using SPSS 15 software for windows. The results showed that the context-rich problems in the form of interactive multimedia had an effect on students' science process skills, scientific attitudes, and conceptual understanding.

Achieving Gender Balance in the Chemistry Professoriate Is Not Rocket Science

Achieving Gender Balance in the Chemistry Professoriate Is Not Rocket Science

Perspective on “Ageing and the skill portfolio: Evidence from job based skill measures” by Audra Bowlus, Hiroaki Mori and Chris Robinson

Perspective on “Ageing and the skill portfolio: Evidence from job based skill measures” by Audra Bowlus, Hiroaki Mori and Chris Robinson

Ageing and the skill portfolio: Evidence from job based skill measures

Abstract The evolution of human capital over the life-cycle, especially during the accumulation phase, has been extensively studied within an optimal human capital investment framework. Given the ageing of the workforce, there is increasing interest in the human capital of older workers. The most recent research on wage patterns has adopted a new multidimensional skills/tasks approach. We argue that this approach is also well suited to the investigation of the evolution of the human capital of older workers. There is clear evidence that the typical concave Ben-Porath shape for a wage based single dimension human capital measure masks different shapes for the individual components in a multi-dimensional skill portfolio. Not all components evolve in the same way over the life-cycle. Some components of the skill vector are particularly sensitive to ageing effects for older workers, but this sensitivity is under-estimated using occupation level rather than individual level skill observations. The evidence suggests that workers can and do adjust their skill portfolios in various ways as they approach retirement and that the decline in skills is not purely driven by selection.

Reflections on a coaching pilot project in healthcare settings

This paper draws on personal reflection of coaching experiences and learning as a coach to consider the relevance of these approaches in a management context with a group of four healthcare staff who participated in a pilot coaching project. It explores their understanding of coaching techniques applied in management settings via their reflections on using coaching approaches and coaching applications as healthcare managers. Coaching approaches can enhance a manager’s skill portfolio and offer the potential benefits in terms of successful goal achievement, growth, mutual learning and development for both themselves and staff they work with in task focused scenarios.

Determinants of Successful Project Implementation in Nigeria

This paper investigated the critical success factors of project implementation in Nigeria. The study is motivated by the very low success rate of project delivery in the country which has created obvious problems of economic waste and end user unsatisfaction. The study sampled the opinion of fifty selected project professionals presently working in six project sites located in Anambra, Imo and River States. An objective realization instrument developed using twelve (12) factors identified in the literature as possible drivers of success in project implementation based on the Likert five-point scale of ranking. Weighted scores of respondents to the factors were analyzed using factor analysis, while the effects of the quantified weight of the critical factors were analyzed using the regression tool. Results of the analysis among others show that Environmental factors are more critical to the success of project implementation than skills portfolio of the project team. Collective responsibility among project stakeholders is a necessary condition for successful project implementation; Ability of project professionals to generate accurate designs, cost and time estimates will minimize the negative effects of economic instability on successful project delivery. Commitment of Clients to project financing obligations is a necessary condition for contractor commitment to project plans. The recommendation is that there is need for adequate environmental scanning, monitoring and evaluation at the planning stage of projects.

Working and employability after 75 in Australia

This research investigates individuals maintaining employability after 75. Thirty-one employed individuals aged over 75 were recruited through a mixture of advertising and snowball sampling. They were interviewed about the type of work they undertook, hours worked each week, how they gained their employment, what they perceived as the factors that facilitated their working, and what outcomes they sought. Individual factors facilitating their continued employment were above average educational attainment, good health, an established reputation and a proactive approach. Contextual factors included having skill portfolios that were in demand, availability for casual or part-time work and active networks. The majority worked an equivalent of 2–3 days each week. Valued outcomes reported were psychological factors, followed by social factors, and lastly financial factors. Despite ageing being associated with perceptions of deterioration, both physically and mentally, these data suggest remaining employed is both sought and enjoyed by some.

Multidimensional Skill Mismatch

What determines the earnings of a worker relative to his peers in the same occupation? What makes a worker fail in one occupation but succeed in another? More broadly, what are the factors that determine the productivity of a worker-occupation match? To help answer questions like these, we propose an empirical measure of multidimensional skill mismatch that is based on the discrepancy between the portfolio of skills required by an occupation and the portfolio of abilities possessed by a worker for learning those skills. This measure arises naturally in a dynamic model of occupational choice and human capital accumulation with multidimensional skills and Bayesian learning about one’s ability to learn skills. Not only does mismatch depress wage growth in the current occupation, it also leaves a scarring effect—by stunting skill acquisition—that reduces wages in future occupations. Mismatch also predicts different aspects of occupational switching behavior. We construct the empirical analog of our skill mismatch measure from readily available US panel data on individuals and occupations and find empirical support for these implications. The magnitudes of these effects are large: moving from the worst- to best-matched decile can improve wages by 11 percent per year for the rest of one’s career. (JEL E24, J24, J31, J41)

SCHOOL, COMPANY AND MUNICIPALITY COLLABORATION IN CAREER EDUCATION

This article presents results of implementation of school, company and municipality collaboration model in career education in Latvia. The purpose of the study was to work out and implement an educational model for facilitation of student career choice and learning for working life in general education. Empirical data were collected through student selfassessment questionnaires, student portfolio evaluation and analysis of career counselor’s interview. Data collected in period from September, 2012 till February, 2013. 969 students and 19 counselors were involved in the study. Results indicate positive correlation between student’s future plans and quality of career management skills portfolio. For integration of career education in school learning process career counselor, class teacher and subject teacher collaboration is necessary.

Multidimensional Skill Mismatch

What determines the earnings of a worker relative to his peers in the same occupation? What makes a worker fail in one occupation but succeed in another? More broadly, what are the factors that determine the productivity of a worker-occupation match? In this paper, we propose an empirical measure of skill mismatch for a worker-occupation match, which sheds light on these questions. This measure is based on the discrepancy between the portfolio of skills required by an occupation and the portfolio of abilities possessed by a worker for learning those skills. This measure arises naturally in a dynamic model of occupational choice and human capital accumulation with multidimensional skills and Bayesian learning about one’s ability to learn these skills. In this model, mismatch is central to the career outcomes of workers: it reduces the returns to occupational tenure, and it predicts occupational switching behavior. We construct our empirical analog by combining data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79), the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) on workers, and the O*NET on occupations. Our empirical results show that the effects of mismatch on wages are large and persistent: mismatch in occupations held early in life has a strong negative effect on wages in future occupations. Skill mismatch also significantly increases the probability of an occupational switch and predicts its direction in the skill space. These results provide fresh evidence on the importance of skill mismatch for the job search process.

THE ROLE OF CREATIVITY IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP

One of the most important factors to explain the sudden relevance of entrepreneurship, was the importance of creativity as a new source of competitiveness. Psychologists argue that being creative means to create something new, original and appropriate reality. Creative is characterized by originality and expressiveness, is imaginative, generative, pathfinder, invention, innovation etc. Increasing effects of globalization leads to the need creative approach in a market with a high level of opportunity and competition. Entrepreneurial factors overlap with many creative features such as curiosity, self-confidence, a high level of energy, responsibility and vision. As a highly complex mental formation, creativity is characterized by a multitude of ways such as productivity, usability, efficiency, value, ingenuity, innovation and originality. The impact of entrepreneurial creativity extends to the whole life of an entrepreneur, and not just during business. Success is stimulated by the use of juxtaposition and combination of different ideas that often but not related to the impact on decision making. Entrepreneurial Creativity should be seen as a competitive force and portfolio of skills. Adopting a creative entrepreneurial approach protects us from uncertainty and ambiguity in decision making in the external environment.