Vocational Education Research Articles

Evaluation of the Teacher Professional Development Model at Junior High Schools in Hanoi, Vietnam

Teacher professional development is an indispensable part of a pedagogical career. In essence, teacher professional development is the process of increasing the adaptability of teachers' professional work. It is a long process and is carried out in a variety of ways. It can be done formally or informally. Although teacher professional development is highly appreciated for its importance and impact on the quality of teachers and student learning outcomes, in reality, these activities are not effective in assessing teacher professional competence and student achievement at junior high schools in Hanoi city. Research results indicate problems with the teacher professional development model at junior high schools in Hanoi including (1) teacher professional development not meeting society's needs; (2) teacher professional development has not become a content that needs to be managed in junior high school management; (3) The role in supporting colleagues' career development is still vague.

Teacher, Professional or Both? A Mixed Method Study of the Professional Identity of Vocational Teachers and Trainers in Hungary

Purpose: Vocational educators in many countries enter teaching as a second career and authentic occupational expertise is seen as essential to good quality VET. The changing contexts of VET and the growing diversity of its learning populations also demand the development of teaching expertise. This dual professionalism is related to a unique combination of an occupational and a teacher identity, however, prior, and mainly qualitative research from a limited number of VET contexts suggests that often one side of this duality prevails. Our study aimed to explore the professional identity of vocational educators in Hungary and to identify some of the factors that might influence its formation. Methods: We applied a mixed method design, conducting a teacher survey (N=138) and semi-structured interviews (N=12). The quantitative and qualitative strands followed a parallel design, exploring the same topics but identity views and the organisational context were studied more deeply in the interviews. In the survey, we measured professional identity through a direct question about its type as well as questions about the importance of specific goals and teacher competence areas in vocational teaching. We used statistical and thematic analyses to study our quantitative and qualitative data. Results: Most vocational educators in our study identified as both a teacher and a professional, though the type of identity varied by gender and length of occupational work experience. Perceptions about the main goals in teaching revealed vocation/outcome-focused and student/education-focused goal orientations influenced by gender, qualifications and work experience, while our qualitative data also showed the impact of school culture and the wider socio-economic context. The goal orientations identified in the survey were more balanced for those with a dual identity, and they correlated with perceptions about the importance of different teacher competence areas, which were most influenced by whether or not the educator had obtained a pedagogical qualification. Conclusion: Our findings showed that although most vocational educators also in Hungary claim to have a dual identity, they often prioritise the development of occupational expertise as they believe it is what gives them credibility that is seen as essential to "good VET". Considering the significant impact we have found of teacher education and continued work in the occupation on identity views, it seems of utmost importance that policy and schools recognise and support the development of both occupational and teacher expertise, to ensure a balanced dual identity that seems best suited for vocational teaching.

Introducing Green, Eco-Friendly Practices and Circular Economy Principles in Vocational Education Through a Novel Analysis-Synthesis Method: Design, Implementation and Evaluation

Purpose: A novel, Project- and Collaborative Learning-based educational method is proposed, implemented and evaluated in this paper. The aim is to exploit hands-on laboratory modules in Vocational Education in order to experientially introduce students to green, eco-friendly practices and the principles of sustainability and circular economy. Besides their apparent individual and social benefits, such knowledge and skills are also expected to raise qualifications and employability of Vocational Education graduates. Methods: The proposed method is tested through a quasi-experimental methodology, via an educational intervention with a class of Vocational Lyceum students, in the field of Electrical and Electronics Engineering. The learning content focuses on the reclaiming and reuse of operational components from damaged electrical/electronic equipment at end-of-life stage. Through repeated Analysis and Synthesis phases, students learn to extract, measure, classify and reuse operational components either to repair similar equipment or to design and construct novel devices. Results: Evaluation is carried out via closed and open type activities as well as by observation sheets of the teacher. Learning outcomes are evaluated through knowledge post-tests of the closed type while social/emotional outcomes are evaluated through questionnaires. Evaluation results indicate that the proposed method does produce cognitive and social/emotional skills gains for the students. The development of metacognitive skills and the stimulation of imagination and innovative thinking in the students is also observed by the teacher, but not formally evaluated due to practical constraints. Conclusions: The proposed method is implemented and pilot-tested with positive results both as to the cognitive and as to the social/emotional domain – yet, these results are of an indicative value, due to the limited scale of the educational intervention. Future research is necessary in order to evaluate the proposed method in extent and possibly compare results across education grades or engineering fields, as the method is generic enough to be easily adaptable for different ages/grades and engineering/technical fields of study.

Regional Integration of Technical and Vocational Education and Training in ECOWAS Region

Regional Integration of Technical and Vocational Education and Training in ECOWAS Region

Simulation Exercises in Police Education, Why and How? A Teacher's Perspective

Context: This study is about the teaching method of simulation exercises and is set in a police education context. Simulation exercises are a central part of Swedish police education, and therefore it is of interest to explore how they are used, and for what purpose, by investigating police teachers' perceptions of this teaching and learning method. Police teachers are police officers who work as teachers at a police education unit on contracts lasting a few years, but which can be extended, and they usually lack any formal pedagogical training. Approach: In this study, the exploration of the use of simulation exercises was conducted through an inductive approach which included semi-structured interviews with 12 police teachers. The analysis was carried out in several steps. To promote impartiality in the initial data analysis the researcher first stayed close to the data and connection with the findings of previous studies was only considered in the latter stages of this analytic process. Findings: The findings show that the police teachers perceive that the overall purpose of simulation exercises is for students to apply specific content taught in courses, both physical techniques and methods, and more theoretical knowledge, in the fluid context of scenarios relevant to police work. The results also show that the teachers are aware that the purpose of the exercises is stated in the planning documents, but because they inherit the designs from previous teachers, they may not be aware of the underlying details of it or what is to be achieved in the scenario. The findings also demonstrate that the teachers learn the craft of designing and performing simulation exercises and develop their roles as teachers through an informal workplace learning process that involves tacit knowledge developed through working together, and by talking to and observing each other. Conclusion: The paper contributes to the field of simulation exercises in vocational (higher) education in that the findings can provide educated arguments for the need for scholarly discussions on simulation exercises as a pedagogical tool that supports student learning, as well as arguments for why formal pedagogically-oriented continuing education on the design and implementation of simulation exercises where learning is in the foreground may be needed to support police teachers' professional development.

Identifying challenges and best practices for implementing AI additional qualifications in vocational and continuing education: a mixed methods analysis

ABSTRACT As artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly integrates into various industries and educational sectors, there is a growing need for an AI-ready workforce. This study, focusing on a novel AI additional qualification in Germany, investigates the underexplored challenges and best practices regarding the learning software, the learning contents, and the didactic design. Addressing the research question ‘What are the teaching and learning experiences in AI additional qualifications, and to what extent do these experiences align?’, we adopted a mixed methods analysis. This entailed interviews with four educators and self-reported questionnaires with 73 learners, triangulating both groups’ findings for comprehensive insights. Key outcomes from this study demonstrate a significant alignment in teaching and learning experiences, particularly in terms of shared challenges. The findings significantly contribute to AI curriculum development and continuing vocational education and training practice. They underscore the necessity for robust and visually engaging learning software, as well as learning content that primarily covers AI basics with practice-oriented examples. Another best practice emerges for blended learning formats, favouring a greater emphasis on face-to-face instruction complemented by teacher-supported self-directed learning. Future research should focus on balancing theoretical and practical knowledge in AI curricula, preparing teachers for AI content delivery, and optimising teacher-learner interactions.

Do languages open doors? A theoretical model of linguistic capital and (im)mobility and its application in Spanish youth migration

ABSTRACT Language skills have demonstrated their significance in migration decisions; however, their role as a potential cause of immobility has been largely overlooked. In this paper, I first propose a theoretical model that seeks to explain decisions regarding mobility and immobility based on the instrumental returns generated by an individual's linguistic capital within a given opportunity structure. Secondly, I apply this model utilizing data from university and vocational training graduates in Spain. Leveraging its particularity as a case study, which encompasses five regions where a minority's co-official language is an integral part of ethnic identification and shares a similar institutional environment that encourages its use, I find that bilingualism is primarily linked to internal immobility. Simultaneously, it affects the direction of internal migration, since bilinguals are more inclined to relocate to areas with similar language conditions. Bilingualism also presents indirect effects. The results indicate that bilingualism influences international migration by facilitating the acquisition of a foreign language, which becomes increasingly attainable as the cost of language acquisition decreases, though the effect remains relatively small.

ENTREPREUNERSHIP TRAINING TO ENHANCE THE ENTERPRENEURIAL KNOWLEDGE AN SKILL OF THE DEAF COMMUNITY

Disabilities have equal rights as Indonesian citizens, including employment and entrepreneurship rights. The implementation of policies regarding the obligation of institutions to employ people with disabilities is still far from expected. Limited job information and access to education and job training programs are challenges in realizing economic independence for disabled persons. Therefore, it is very important to conduct community service activities aimed at increasing the entrepreneurial knowledge and skills of the Deaf Community through entrepreneurship training in order to reach economic independence. Nine Deaf Friends and four Sign Language Interpreters were involved in this study. The training was carried out by online method for three sessions, once a week. The questionnaires were distributed to assess the participants' level of knowledge before and after training. Each participant was required to develop and present a business plan in order to improve their entrepreneurial abilities. Two expert judges evaluated and provided constructive feedback to all participants. The knowledge of participants before the training was 65.9 + 6.2, and increased by 12.4% to 74.1 + 10.8 after training. Participants were able to develop business proposals by the end of the program, with an average score of 7.6 + 0.7. Entrepreneurship training is able to enhance the entrepreneurial knowledge and skills of the Deaf Friends. This entrepreneurship training is a provision to assist the deaf community in creating and developing businesses that will lead to economic independence in the future.

A vocational education and training subject teacher for fostering students' entrepreneurial skills—The development of a conceptual model

AbstractIn the future, a significant portion of the workforce is expected to engage in self‐employment or pursue part‐time entrepreneurial endeavours, especially in vocational education and training (VET) fields where entrepreneurship serves as a predominant avenue of employment. The primary goal of this article is to investigate the interconnectedness of a teacher's autonomy, agency, and guiding behaviour and to understand their relevance to the teacher's pedagogical decisions and ability to effectively guide students toward entrepreneurship. To achieve this objective, semistructured interviews were conducted with eight VET subject teachers, employing predetermined concept definitions derived from prior research. Analysis of the interviews revealed a connection between these concepts, highlighting their influence on the pedagogical decisions made by VET teachers. However, minor variations were observed across diverse fields of VET. The study underscores the significance of autonomy, decision‐making capabilities and teacher agency in fostering students' entrepreneurial skills. It emphasises that autonomy alone is insufficient, and various factors either facilitate or hinder the promotion of entrepreneurship. This article contributes to entrepreneurship education research in two ways. First, it provides new information about the VET subject teacher as a promoter of students' entrepreneurial skills. Second, by presenting a theoretical model that helps to understand the factors influencing teachers' actions. The model, being novel, can be utilised to understand how VET teachers utilise autonomy and express agency in their work. Additionally, the research results are considered from an international perspective. The discourse revolves around the conceptual model, by exploring the reasons behind it, and considering subject teachers' professional identity as entrepreneurship teachers.

Designing an International Large-Scale Assessment of Professional Competencies and Employability Skills: Emerging Avenues and Challenges of OECD’s PISA-VET

AbstractGlobally, vocational education and training (VET) is considered important for ensuring the supply of skilled labour to the economy and economic competitiveness but also for helping the next generation with the transition to working life and integration into society. However, despite this importance, there are no international comparative studies on the effectiveness of the very different VET systems. In March 2024, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published the ‘Analytical and Assessment Framework’ for PISA-VET, an international study on professional competencies and employability skills in VET. In this paper, some of the lead experts that contributed to the framework provide an outline of the aims of the initiative, the target groups, the assessment approaches as well as strength and weaknesses to stimulate discussion in the scientific community. VISA-VET aims to deliver comprehensive data, inform decision making, facilitate peer learning between countries, and promote the image of VET, in general. Target populations are learners toward the end of their VET programmes in the occupational areas of automotive technicians, electricians, business and administration, health care, or tourism and hospitality. Assessment approaches to domain-specific professional skills are simulation-based questions, digital simulations, and live or recorded demonstrations. The professional skills assessments are expanded by the assessment of employability skills and comprehensive data collections on national contextual and system-level factors. This paper discusses the selection and breakdown of occupational areas, the various assessment approaches and possible supplementary studies. Its overall aim is to initiate a broader discussion in the scientific community about the design of and expected insights from PISA-VET.

Studi Penggunaan Media Virtual Pada Pendidikan Kejuruan di Indonesia

The use of virtual media in learning is one of the innovations in the use of technology in learning. This research uses content analysis of articles in vocational education journals that discuss the use of virtual media in learning. The results of this study show that the number of publications on the use of virtual media in vocational education was highest in 2019 during the pandemic. The most used research type is R&D where the field of mechanical engineering is the target of the most frequent use of virtual media. The platform most often used in the use of virtual media is PC/Laptop. The overall research shows that the use of virtual media in vocational education in Indonesia shows a positive impact. This study also provides recommendations in the form of integrating virtual media into the vocational education curriculum for a better learning experience.

Parents’ And Students’ Perceptions About Technical and Vocational Education and Training in Ghana

Parents’ And Students’ Perceptions About Technical and Vocational Education and Training in Ghana

Dropout intention: a valid predictor of actual dropout?

Evidence on the extent to which dropout intention can serve as a valid predictor of dropout decisions remains scarce. This study first presents the results of a systematic literature review of 14 studies examining the relationship between dropout intention and actual dropout in post-secondary education (vocational education and training [VET] or higher education). Second, we examine a longitudinal dataset of prospective chefs surveyed at the beginning (t1), the second half of the first year (t2), and the second year of the dual VET programme (t3). We examine the relationship between self-reported dropout intention and trainees’ actual dropout behaviour. Additionally, we analyse development profiles of trainees’ dropout intention using latent profile analysis. The review results provide strong support for a significant positive relationship between dropout intention and actual dropout (effect sizes vary between studies and contexts/types of dropout). In line, aspiring chefs’ dropout intention is significantly positively correlated with actual dropout (r = 0.201). Three development profiles were identified during VET: (1) stable, low dropout intention, (2) stable, medium dropout intention, and (3) increasing dropout intention. We conclude that dropout intention is positively related to actual dropout. As the extent to which dropout intention actually leads to dropout behaviour in VET also depends on external factors (e.g., labour market situation, alternative options), the predictive power of dropout intention may be limited. This is suggested by the weak correlation between dropout intention and actual dropout and the profile of trainees with increasing dropout intention who nevertheless persisted until year 2 of VET.

What Do We Know about Age Management Practices in Public and Private Institutions in Scandinavia?—A Public Health Perspective

In view of global population ageing and of policies that support longer working lives, especially in developed countries, it is important to achieve diversity in organisations through age management. Age management is the “management of human resources, [often] with an explicit focus on the requirements of an ageing workforce.” Through age management practices, organisations will be better able to change their human resource management policies and practices towards accommodating their ageing workforce. Little is known about age management practices in Scandinavian organisations, considering the region’s high prevalence of workers beyond the age of 50 across both private and public organisations. There are indications that Scandinavian business organisations are already practicing age management for all ages, including older workers. Their age management practices include the dimensions of job recruitment, training, lifelong learning, development, and promotion. However, there is a dearth of knowledge on how the health and well-being of workers is ensured in the context of age management practices in these organisations. Given the current and future importance of age management for all organisations globally, public health and other health science professionals need to collaborate with other disciplines, such as management and sustainability science, to better understand how they can contribute to an aged and healthier workforce as well as workplace health promotion. This paper aims to contribute to the discussion concerning age management in public and private institutions in Scandinavia through the public health lens.

Estimation of the Local Conditional Tail Average Treatment Effect

The conditional tail average treatment effect (CTATE) is defined as a difference between the conditional tail expectations of potential outcomes, which can capture heterogeneity and deliver aggregated local information on treatment effects over different quantile levels and is closely related to the notion of second-order stochastic dominance and the Lorenz curve. These properties render it a valuable tool for policy evaluation. In this article, we study estimation of the CTATE locally for a group of compliers (local CTATE or LCTATE) under the two-sided noncompliance framework. We consider a semiparametric treatment effect framework under endogeneity for the LCTATE estimation using a newly introduced class of consistent loss functions jointly for the CTE and quantile. We establish the asymptotic theory of our proposed LCTATE estimator and provide an efficient algorithm for its implementation. We then apply the method to evaluate the effects of participating in programs under the Job Training Partnership Act in the United States.

Issues and Challenges of Primary Education Toward Implementing Technical and Vocational Education Training to Meet the Fourth Industrial Revolution Demand: A Systematic Literature Review

The present wave of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) technology and trends is drastically affecting nearly every economic sector and preparing for profound changes in people’s lives. The benefits of the technology include higher safety, better decision-making, increased productivity, efficiency, and quality in processes, as well as increased competitiveness. Thus, every effort towards raising awareness of the 4IR should begin early in primary education. This study critically evaluated the literature on the issues and challenges of implementing Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) preliminary courses in primary education in Malaysia towards raising awareness of the future 4IR. Using two databases, namely Scopus and Web of Science, the review was conducted in accordance with the ROSES (Reporting Standards for Systematic Evidence Syntheses) publishing standard. The findings showed that the role of primary education in facilitating skills development for socio-economic and technological development for the students was significant. Based on the thematic analysis, two primary themes emerged: a lack of 21st-century skills and support, supplemented by six sub-themes. In addition, the issues and challenges of other countries’ primary education in meeting the 4IR demand are also discussed. The paper offered solutions for the issues that arose to fulfil the objective of TVET preparatory courses: to increase pupil awareness of the present 4IR in elementary education in Malaysia.

Occupational Shift from Agricultural to Non-Agricultural Sectors in Semi Urban Area

Despite considering agriculture as the primary economic sector, people in Nepal are rapidly moving away from this sector. Occupational shift from the traditional sector such as agriculture to the industrial sector and service sector is a global phenomenon because of modernity, urbanization, and search for comfortable life of people. People in Nepal also are abandoning agriculture as an occupation because of changing lifestyles, modernity, and national planning. As a result, the infantile industrial growth and insufficient employment generation in the service sector compelled thousands of youths to migrate daily to foreign lands for employment. Even within the country, youths migrating from rural to the urban area leaving their traditional agriculture occupation is a common phenomenon. This scenario triggered this researcher to understand the phenomenon of occupational shift and the dynamics of various elements playing a role behind it. To pursue the research purpose, a qualitative research design with the strategy of narrative inquiry was adopted to understand the experiences and perceptions of people who were on the verge of occupational shift. The four research participants; two from Kageshwori Manohara Municipality and two from Gokarneshwor municipality of Kathmandu valley were purposefully selected for the in-depth interview. In addition to listening and reflecting to their life stories about engagement to abandon agriculture occupation, their activities, emotions, and lifestyle were also narrated, observed, and analyzed. The qualitative analysis of participant’s narrations and observations of their daily life led to the major insights that various economic and socio-cultural dimensions of societal change were primarily associated with the occupational shift. People left agriculture as an occupation when they could not adopt modern technology. Therefore, they had work burden to follow the agriculture. Economic aspects like low and uncertain return from agriculture, comparatively higher benefit from non-farm occupations and access to foreign employment had encouraged people for the occupational shift. Likewise, the socio-cultural aspects such as urbanization, changing values of societies, peoples’ new lifestyle, and education system were also playing a vital role in the background to expedite occupational shift. The dynamics of these elements were viewed from the lenses of the modernization theory whereas analyses were made ii in the light of macro-micro interaction between structure and agency of the society. Despite the fading status of agriculture sector at present, the research concludes that potentiality of this sector is still high for the country to generate employment. The research indicates the importance to redefine the agricultural policy to attract youth in it thereby envisioning technical and vocational education. Likewise, the research also demonstrates the possibilities of increasing agricultural productivity and enhancing the social value of this occupation can revive the agriculture occupation again in Nepal by revisiting the education pattern of TVET.

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (Tvet) Program Experiences for Persons with Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury in Nepal: A Narrative Inquiry

This study explores the experiences of TVET programs for persons with traumatic SCI in Nepal. Recently, the National Planning Commission published the 15th plan that aims to encourage the country as a prosperous, independent, and socialist-oriented national economy through healthy, educated, decent citizens who enjoy equal opportunity (National Planning Commission, 2019). In terms of economic growth, it ensures inclusive and equitable access to quality technical education and vocational skill development. Persons with traumatic spinal cord injury are eligible for ensuring the aforementioned equitable access and high living standards. TVET emphasizes linking persons with traumatic spinal cord injury and the labor market to achieve economic success. The deepening stories by the research question that how do persons with traumatic spinal cord injury narrate their experience of TVET programs are included in the study. Through are view of disability and TVET related literature, I learned that the TVET program acted as a bridge between employment and disability. Besides, employment made affirmative impacts on economic independence for persons with traumatic spinal cord injury. Several types of research justified showing a significance of the program in diverse Asian countries such as Taiwan, Bangladesh. I could not find the study associated with TVET and spinal cord injury patients in Nepal. Many researchers investigated the effects of TVET on persons with physical disabilities, but the cases were blended with different types of disabilities. Thus, comprehensive findings could be partially applicable for persons with the injury. In this study, I used a narrative inquiry within the interpretative framework. Also, I conducted an in-depth interview to pay attention to the voice of persons with traumatic spinal cord injury. The interview helped me to understand the stories. Especially five participants who were experienced in TVET programs were purposefully selected for the study. I considered that my participants are the range of twenty-one to forty years of ii age. The participants were six months post-injured. A total of five participants were interviewed physically and through telephone communication. The stories and information were analyzed and interpreted based on the theory of the social model. The social model concentrated on social oppression to make unjust circumstances rather than physical impairment. The stories of the study show that persons with traumatic spinal cord injury are excluded from the main stream in TVET program. They have frequently been deprived of the opportunity of participating in the program due to physical limitations. To be specific, their stories interpreted some similarities that motivation: encourage to be independent, low accessibility: information, disability-friendly educational environment, lack of awareness of disability in society, limited training curricula, devasting economic consequences. Reintegration signifies not economic empowerment but emotional independence. As firstly said, despite persons with traumatic spinal cord injury has faced uncountable barriers in training, it is sure that supported them to reintegrate into the community. On the other hand, TVET provides an essential opportunity to back to the community, but circumstantial constraints restrict the chance. Most private TVET institutes are not prepared for disability-friendly education environments. For instance, the institution is located on the 2nd floor without a lift. People with wheelchairs have no access to the program. Like this, disability is not considered training conditions, insufficient space to move a wheelchair, steps have prevailed. Financial hardship was a critical problem for my participants. Moreover, they appealed to the attitude of TVET educators. When TVET stakeholders whom my participants met, they showed disrespectful attitudes about disability. Although participants were in difficulties, they succeeded in completing the vocational training. The training led them to innovate life through generating income. Now they could maintain livelihood, looking after children. By discovering participants' stories, I came to know the importance of hearing their experiences in the TVET program. Otherwise, fundamental interests and needs overlooked TVET programs are likely to be planned. It may decline the effectiveness iii of the program. My participants’ experiences refer that ensuring education rights in TVET programs is the first step to improve the quality of life of persons with traumatic spinal cord injury.

Comparison Between Disability, Physical Performance, and Other Biopsychosocial Factors in Full-Duty Career Firefighters Working With and Without Current Low Back Pain.

Low back pain (LBP) is highly prevalent and a top cause of disability-related early retirement in firefighters. Those with a lifetime history of LBP have various deficiencies that are associated with increased injury risk and absenteeism. However, the influence of working with current LBP on disability, physical performance, and other biopsychosocial factors has not been fully characterized in this population. The purpose of this study was to compare anthropometric measures, exercise habits, physical fitness/performance, disability/work ability, and other biopsychosocial factors of firefighters working with and without current LBP. A cross-sectional study was conducted using baseline assessments from 419 full-duty career firefighters without documented work restrictions (age: 37.6 ± 8.8 y; 5 F, 414 M) who were enrolled in a regional wellness initiative in Southern California, USA. Current LBP status was determined by a questionnaire and confirmed by an interview. Anthropometric measures, patient-reported outcomes, and physical fitness tests were used to assess body mass index; body fat %; waist circumference; strengthening, cardiovascular, and flexibility exercise frequency; back and core muscular endurance; functional movement quality, perceived back-related disability, lift and carry ability, and firefighter task ability; sleep quality; and perceptions of fear and fatigue and catastrophic injustice experience. Scores for participants with and without current LBP were compared using analysis of variance and chi-square analysis. The point prevalence of current LBP was 19.81% (83/419). For the entire cohort, those with current LBP had significantly worse scores than those without current LBP for all assessed variables, except core muscular endurance and functional movement quality. These trends held up when analyses were stratified by age and obesity categories, and approximately half of the comparisons retained statistical significance. A significantly greater percentage of participants with current LBP were working with some level of back-related disability and/or perceived physical demand characteristics of work level below the required very heavy job demands. Nearly one-fifth of full-duty career firefighters without documented work restrictions reported having current LBP, and these individuals had deficits in several modifiable biopsychosocial factors across five health domains. These findings can help guide future research and implementation efforts in the fire service designed to improve performance, resiliency, work readiness, recovery, and quality of life, as well as to reduce impairment, disability, and absenteeism and increase presenteeism.

Updating aircraft maintenance education for the modern era: a new approach to vocational higher education

Updating aircraft maintenance education for the modern era: a new approach to vocational higher education