This article reports a study illustrating the relationship between digitalization and professional development from an identity-centered perspective. Drawing on a unique data set of 101 empathy-based stories from 81 Finnish government workers, the findings show how workers might experience and respond to work-identity alignments and misalignments in a digitalized working life and how this might influence their professional development. We identify four typifications-the thriving developer, the loyal transformer, the stagnant self-doubter, and the career crafter- and illustrate how digitalization can either support or hinder professional development by inducing work-identity (mis)alignments and how workers may respond to these in different ways by engaging in identity work and job crafting. In particular, our findings emphasize the role professional identity and agency play in professional development and highlight the importance of recognizing how digitalization of work can threaten or support workers' professional identities to build a supportive working environment where the workers feel like they are valued and able to develop in a meaningful way.

Many educational systems are characterized by segregation between a general and vocational educational track. When adolescents must decide on their postcompulsory education at the end of lower secondary school, the different programs are typically embedded in one of these two main tracks. Prior career choice theories postulate that vocational interests, as structured by the six-dimensional RIASEC model of Holland (1997), play a crucial role in educational and vocational transition processes. However, regarding the question of general versus vocational education, previous studies have mainly focused on the effects of social background. Therefore, this paper examines the impact of vocational interests on the choice of Baccalaureate School (BAC, general track), Vocational Education and Training (VET, vocational track) or the Federal Vocational Baccalaureate (FVB), a hybrid qualification that links elements of both tracks. The sample consists of  = 609 students at the end of lower secondary school in Switzerland. The results of multinomial logistic regression analyses show that all six dimensions of Holland's interest model are significant predictors for the three postcompulsory tracks, even when controlling for school variables (e.g., grades) and variables of social background. While the and dimensions are positively interrelated with the choice of VET, the , and dimensions predict the choice of BAC. The dimension is the only one positively linked to the choice of FVB. The results are discussed with special attention to segregation between more practical and more theoretical types of interests.

Amongst the most significant labour market challenges is the integration of migrants and the opportunities for individual migrants to find employment that match their qualifications. The object of this study is to analyse the formal and informal obstacles migrant teachers face when entering the labour market. These obstacles include the formal validation of existing credentials, as well as the needs of local schools, and migrant teachers' own experiences of the new school system. We have conducted qualitative interviews with school principals, representatives at labour market organizations and authorities and migrant teachers. By analysing these different accounts we argue that the individual career adaptability of migrants also needs to be understood in relation to institutional and organizational constraints. Moreover, by adding a temporal understanding to the integration process, we find that migrants' own perception of the process and the time-scales of entering work should be accounted for more explicitly in the guidance process.

Understanding vocational learning and transfer is vital to European citizens. We need to understand how transfer works, which factors influence it, and how these factors affect employee behaviour. Research in online training specific to Southern Europe is needed to move the field forward. The Unified Model of Motivation for Training Transfer (MTT) was proposed to understand behaviour change after training. It conceives three phases: (1) forming transfer intentions, (2) actualizing implementation intentions for transfer, and (3) strengthening transfer commitment. We analysed initial transfer intention and transfer following online training in three Spanish organisations. We used an ex post facto prospective design with one group ( = 204). We applied the online version of the Initial Transfer Intention questionnaire (ITI) three days before the training, and the Transfer Questionnaire (TrQ) three to four months after the training. Training consisted of 22 online courses offered by the three participating organisations. A cluster analysis and post hoc analysis were performed. We identified three groups (k = 3), indicating that there were significant differences in the means between employees with low and high intention to transfer. Results showed a greater difference in the factor profile between participants with LowPT and HighPT. We identified common characteristics among people with low levels of transfer; this information can help understand what type of employee will transfer less and provide cues on how to prevent this from happening in future training activities. Limitations and recommendations for research and practice are discussed.

Self-regulated learning (SRL) provides the foundation for building sustainable knowledge and is therefore important for schools, classrooms, and lifelong learning in general. Especially in vocational education and training, the concept of SRL remains fundamental as it relates to preparing future employees. However, further research is needed on how vocational students situationally regulate their learning process and the extent to which this may be related to a dispositional change in their SRL. In this study, we analyzed longitudinal questionnaire data from 159 students who attended either SRL-conducive or regular vocational classes. We refer to Perry and colleagues' (2018) framework of an SRL-conducive learning environment, which focuses on (meta)cognitive, motivational, and emotional aspects of learning. Using multilevel analysis, we found differences in the development of (meta)cognitive components of learning, whereas no clear differences could be identified for motivational and emotional components. The results support the assumption that process analyses can be used to draw a more differentiated picture of SRL in vocational schools. Moreover, indirect approaches to promoting SRL should be designed to include all SRL-relevant aspects.

Medical specialists' lifelong learning is essential for improving patients' health. This study identifies affordances for learning general practitioners (GPs) engage in, and explores what influences engagement in those affordances. Eleven GPs were interviewed and the interview transcripts were analysed thematically. Stephen Billett's theoretical framework of workplace participatory practices was used as an analytical lens to explore the topic. Challenging patient cases were identified as the main trigger for engagement in learning. Local, national and international colleagues from the same and other specialties, were found to be an important affordance for learning, as was written material such as websites, journals and recommendations. Other inputs for learning were conferences and courses. Workplace aspects that were essential for GPs to engage in learning related to: place and time to talk, relevance to work, opportunity for different roles, organisation of work and workload, and working climate. Importantly, the study identifies a need for a holistic approach to lifelong learning, including spontaneous and structured opportunities for interaction over time with colleagues, establishment of incentives and arenas for exchange linked to peer learning, and acknowledgement of the workplace as an important place for learning and sufficient time with patients. This study contributes with a deepened understanding of how GPs navigate existing affordances for learning both within and outside their workplaces.

At some upper secondary schools in Sweden, newly arrived migrant youths can attend vocational courses while studying in the language introduction programme. The teaching practices in relation to language learning for newly arrived migrant students in this kind of school-based VET and how these practices are conditioned are investigated in the article. Eight VET-teachers were interviewed, and the narratives were analyzed using concepts from the theory of practice architectures. Three teaching practices in relation to language learning were identified within the broader project of teaching newly arrived students in VET: i) Swedish language first, ii) second language learning-in-action, and iii) joint VET and second language teaching. These practices were in turn connected to three different approaches to language learning in VET: language learning understood as a) segregated skills instruction, b) as happening 'naturally' while participating in VET-practice, c) integrated in VET but requiring explicit instruction and daily interaction with Swedish-speaking students. A conclusion drawn from the study is that newly arrived migrant students are provided unequal opportunities for development of vocational knowing and language competences in Swedish upper secondary schools depending on local conditions. The results also show how economic resources and support from school-leaders provides conditions for re-shaping teaching practices.

The present study examines the effects of social interactions' situational characteristics, emotions, and personality on self-perceived learning from social interactions at work based on diary and survey data. The sample comprises 43 German vocational education and training (VET) trainees in various apprenticeship programs. During the diary period of ten working days, the participants were instructed to record five typical social interactions at work every day. Quantitative data of 1,328 social interactions were analyzed by means of multilevel analysis. Regarding social interactions' characteristics, the analysis revealed the baseline level of instrumentality, an interruption of the social interaction, its instrumentality and questions asked by the trainee during the interaction as positive predictors of self-perceived learning. A trainee's higher speech proportion, however, was a negative predictor. Regarding state emotions, the emotional experiences of bored and motivated were identified as significant positive predictors of learning from social interactions at work. Emotions' baseline level as well as personality traits had no significant influence. The results indicate that social interactions' situational characteristics have the biggest influence on self-perceived learning from social interactions.

Considering that teleworking and online training are on the rise following the pandemic, studying how school-life balance affects the development of VET competences in online learning during COVID-19 can provide relevant information to enhance educational equity in the future. A longitudinal study was conducted employing an on-line questionnaire to meet the following aims: to explore the development of cross-disciplinary competences in VET during COVID-19; to identify different students' profiles according to their school-life balance during the pandemic; and, to analyse whether the school-life balance was affecting competency development and propose improvements to training as a result. Results show that cross-disciplinary competences did not undergo important changes between the pre-pandemic scenario and during it, except for a decrease in metacognitive self-regulation. Similarly, most students reported having spent the same time studying before and during the pandemic. However, three main profiles of students are revealed, highlighting certain school-life imbalances. While all agree that remote teaching was critical in coping with the situation, differences were found by age and gender, with some participants experiencing more challenging situations. These results provide a fertile context for VET designers and teachers to generate new learning scenarios that meet all students' potential needs.

Studies and policy reports worldwide argue that a modern employee must possess domain-general competencies to become employed. However, competency studies within upper-secondary initial vocational education and training are scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to scrutinise this topic and examined how the experienced learning environment contributes to student learning of competencies. Study participants were students in automotive engineering, mechanical and metal engineering, electrical and automation engineering and building service technology. The data were collected with an online questionnaire and analysed statistically using structural equation modelling. The research findings indicate firstly that eight competency domains could be recognised: work organisation, cooperation ability, professional attitude, problem solving, willingness to learn, active listening, empathy and assertiveness. Secondly, students' experienced learning environment was characterised by social support and recognition provided by educators, equal treatment between students and a positive climate for learning. Thirdly, the quality of the experienced learning environment contributed to learning of competencies. The research findings enhance the scientific and societal discussion about vocational graduate competencies and to what extent the experienced learning environment contributes to the learning of competencies.

New vocational education and training (VET) teachers in Quebec (Canada), as in other countries (e.g., France, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States), face specific challenges and experience an atypical process of entry into the teaching profession. In addition to the known professional induction challenges, which requires numerous adjustments in terms of organizational integration and socialization as well as on a personal level, new VET teachers also experience a major professional and identity transition: they shift from experts in their field to novices in the teaching field. Moreover, as they are not generally trained in pedagogy, new teachers must enroll in a mandatory teaching bachelor's program once they are fully in charge of a class and its educational responsibilities. This complex process calls for a closer look at ways to facilitate their induction experience. Specifically, because it is closely related to motivation, engagement, and performance, this study focuses on their perceived self-efficacy as teachers. This study focused on 21 new VET teachers in the francophone province of Quebec, Canada, and aim to identify different strategies through which they succeeded in developing and maintaining their self-efficacy: strategies related to 1) the work of teaching, 2) mobilization of resources, 3) professional development, and 4) attitudes and well-being at work. These strategies allow us to gain a deeper understanding of previously unexplored aspects of the reality of these teachers, and to propose avenues for the development of interventions targeting their needs.

Balancing part-time work and studies has become commonplace for university students in Canada and other countries where the costs of education have risen over time. While there is a substantial literature on the impacts of term-time work on studies, little has been written about campus employment programs, which are becoming more commonplace in North American universities. This paper addresses this gap by considering students' experiences in such a program at a western Canadian university. Focusing primarily on qualitative data from a longitudinal study, we examine the various reasons for the attractiveness of this program, which go beyond the promise of professional, career-related work experience. Our analysis draws on the academic literature on work-study roles, which examines whether term-time work has a more positive or negative effect on student outcomes as well as sociocultural literature that is more attentive to different contextual features of the work-study relationship. We find that university-sponsored jobs are highly valued by students for their workplace relationships, regulation, and flexibility. Positive relationships at work are facilitated by supervisors' recognition of students' academic priorities and opportunities to develop peer-support networks on campus. Other important features for students include the convenience of working where one studies, and the ability to build work schedules around academic schedules. However, the limited access to 'good' campus jobs raises concerns about equity.

Initial vocational training (VT) in high school consists of short-term programs leading to employment in a skilled trade. To better align training with employment opportunities and to encourage students to stay in the programs until they graduate, most programs include traineeship. Since traineeships involve acquiring skills directly on the job, they require greater involvement of supervisors to guide the trainees. Given the importance of on-the-job guidance in achieving traineeship objectives, this study examines the potential influence of three dimensions of guidance provided by traineeship supervisors -planning, support, and training- on students' job perception (i.e., occupational image) and traineeship satisfaction. Overall, the results provide mixed results, partially supporting the mediation hypothesis suggested by the results of previous studies. Indeed, the results reveal that the quality of the training offered by the supervisor affects subsequent students' satisfaction with traineeship experience. Training has an indirect effect on satisfaction via the occupational image held by students. However, the expected indirect links between the other two dimensions of supervisor guidance -degree of planning and support perceived by the student- and the students' image of their chosen occupation could not be confirmed. The results support the importance of providing quality on-the-job training to students during their studies.