Vocational Education Commons^™

Illinois Model Programs Of Study Guide: Agriculture, Food, And Natural Resources, Education Systems Center

Reports, Analyses, and other Publications

First published in August 2021. Significantly revised in September 2024 to incorporate updated labor market information. An update in April 2025 included minor corrections. In August 2025, two new sections were added: key terminology and the relationship between concepts.

Illinois Model Programs Of Study Guide: Finance And Business Services, Education Systems Center

Reports, Analyses, and other Publications

First published in August 2021. Significantly revised in September 2024 to incorporate updated labor market information. An update in April 2025 included minor corrections. In August 2025, two new sections were added: key terminology and the relationship between concepts.

Illinois Model Programs Of Study Guide: Human And Public Services, Education Systems Center

Reports, Analyses, and other Publications

First published in October 2022. Significantly revised in April 2025 to incorporate updated labor market information. Key terminology and relationship between concepts sections added in August 2025.

Illinois Model Programs Of Study Guide: Education, Education Systems Center

Reports, Analyses, and other Publications

First published in October 2020. Significantly revised in October 2022 to reflect credentialing changes, and in September 2024 to incorporate updated labor market information. An update in April 2025 included minor corrections. In August 2025, two new sections were added: key terminology and the relationship between concepts.

Illinois Model Programs Of Study Guide: Architecture, Construction, And Energy, Education Systems Center

Reports, Analyses, and other Publications

First published in August 2021. Significantly revised in September 2024 to incorporate updated labor market information. An update in April 2025 included minor corrections. In August 2025, significant revisions were made to incorporate clean energy career pathways and two new sections were added: key terminology and the relationship between concepts.

Illinois Model Programs Of Study Guide: Arts And Communications, Education Systems Center

Reports, Analyses, and other Publications

First published in August 2021. Significantly revised in September 2024 to incorporate updated labor market information. An update in April 2025 included minor corrections. In August 2025, two new sections were added: key terminology and the relationship between concepts.

Illinois Model Programs Of Study Guide: Culinary And Hospitality, Education Systems Center

Reports, Analyses, and other Publications

First published in October 2022. Significantly revised in April 2025 to incorporate updated labor market information. In August 2025, two new sections were added: key terminology and the relationship between concepts.

Illinois Model Programs Of Study Guide: Manufacturing And Engineering, Education Systems Center

Reports, Analyses, and other Publications

First published in October 2020. Significantly revised in September 2024 to incorporate updated labor market information. An update in April 2025 included minor corrections. In August 2025, significant revisions were made to incorporate clean energy career pathways and two new sections were added: key terminology and the relationship between concepts.

Helping Bipoc, Women, And First-Generation Students Maximize The Value Of Unpaid Internships, Ted Thornhill, Nicole Torres, Christina Van Wingerden

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Internships and practicums are a required component of nearly all degree programs in human services and its subfields—and most are unpaid. These unpaid positions often have a disproportionate impact for BIPOC and first-generation students, especially women—many of whom are economically disadvantaged and must work to support themselves and sometimes their families. Increased student activism, non-profit campaigns, and journalistic accounts show student frustration over their unpaid labor. Despite the righteousness of these students’ cause, the reality is that the implementation of an equitable, robust, and sustainable nationwide system of paid internships, in the near-term, is politically impracticable. Given that most human …

Parliamentary Procedure Interactive Notebook: Newly Revised, P. Troy White, Amie Carter

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

An interactive notebook for teaching fundamentals of parliamentary procedure. Over 120 pages of content to help teach correct principles of this critical organizational management skill. P. Troy White is a Professional Registered Parliamentarian and a Certified Parliamentarian, ensuring that the content included follows the 12th Edition of Robert's Rules of Order.

Job Satisfaction And Vocational Services In Persons With Acquired Brain Injury, Claudia Eliza Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations

The incidence of acquired brain injuries continues to rise world-wide resulting in increased disability status and national costs related to these injuries (Ahonle et al., 2020; BIAA, 2024; CDC, 2003; CDC, 2015; CDC, 2023; Grigorovich, et al., 2017; Tyerman et al., 2017). Long-term health effects associated with acquired brain injuries have social and environmental impacts that influence the individual with the injury beyond acute treatment and rehabilitation (Ahonle et al., 2020; CDC, 2023; Frieden et al., 2015; Grigorovich, et al., 2017; Tyerman et al., 2017). This, in turn, affects employment as many individuals with brain injuries are unable to return …

A Convergent Mixed Methods Study Of The Social Studies Academy In South Carolina Middle Schools, Audie Cherry

All Dissertations

There is a global labor shortage in the agricultural industry and middle school is a critical time to get students serious about career decision making. The Studies of Occupations, Culture, and Innovations toward Agricultural Literacy (SOCIAL) Studies Academy is a high impact professional development program in South Carolina that provides experiences and for middle school social studies teachers (N = 12) to become more suited to teach their standards associated with the agricultural sciences with hopes of encouraging more students to pursue agricultural careers. This study was a mixed-methods convergent parallel design that examined 1) Academy Fellows (n = 4) …

Career Counseling With Foster Adolescents Transitioning To Adulthood: A Phenomenological Study Using A Psychoeducation Group Counseling Approach, Carly Paro-Tompkins, Elda Veloso Ph.D., Galaxina G. Wright, Jennifer Reeves, Samantha Both

The Qualitative Report

Young adults who age out of the foster care system face a unique set of challenges including increased risk of homelessness, substance use, mental health problems, and difficulty with employment. The current phenomenological study aims to understand participants’ experiences of Project P.A.T.H., a group psychoeducational group intervention aimed at improving self-efficacy, employment hope, and job search knowledge in individuals who were unemployed or underemployed and actively seeking employment. Participants were recruited through the FLITE Center, a nonprofit organization providing services supporting individuals transitioning out of the foster system. A total of 23 participants aged 18-26 participated in this study. The …

Strengthening The Talent Pipeline Through Stamp: Regional Trends In Manufacturing Pathway Participation, Rouzbeh Rahai

Reports, Analyses, and other Publications

No abstract provided.

Qualitative Tools To Enhance Data Analysis From Diverse Sources Of International Education Policy In Order To Create A More Perfect Evaluation Toolset, Robert J. Schulenburg

Capstone Collection

Abstract

This project proposes a new protocol for implementing meta-synthesis as a research tool. Meta-synthesis allows researchers to combine data sets from multiple sources that appear unconnected; it allows data sets to be extracted from multiple domains and knowledge banks that present as being unable to be combined or cross-transferable. This project presents a protocol designed to guide meta-synthesis which was used to extract critical relevant data from the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to inclusive education and inclusive work and rehabilitation policies and practices. The project shows with deliverables how, with this data in hand, newly aggregated extracted data …

Maslow Meets Healthcare: Optimizing Cna Training And Well-Being Through Hierarchical Needs During Covid-19, Jose D. Martinez Herrera

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

This study investigates the relationship between motivation, as defined by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and the performance of Certified Nurse Aides (CNAs) on the Illinois Nurse Aide Competency Evaluation Exam (INACE), with a focus on the impact of gender and motivation during the COVID-19 pandemic. CNAs must meet stringent certification standards, but recent declines in enrollment and increased demands on healthcare workers, exacerbated by the pandemic, necessitate a deeper exploration of factors influencing their success. This research employs a quantitative, non-experimental correlational design, analyzing data from 411 CNA students sampled from community colleges in Illinois. The study examines motivation across …

Towards A More Effective Individual Learning Account Program In Indonesia: Policy Insights From South Korea’S Tomorrow Learning Card, Reza Fajarsyah, Raphel Okfernando, M. Alfie Ridwan, Maeshita Fariska Ayuningtyas

Jurnal Vokasi Indonesia

Indonesia has implemented the Individual Learning Account system under the name Kartu Prakerja, or Pre-Employment Card, to support workforce development. This study examines its effectiveness by comparing it with South Korea’s Naeil Baeum Card (Tomorrow Learning Card). Despite its role in improving skills, Indonesia’s Individual Learning Account system faces challenges in funding sustainability, eligibility control, participant engagement, and training relevance. Additionally, financial support is provided at a fixed amount, regardless of training type. Using comparative policy and fishbone analysis, this study identifies key differences and best practices from South Korea. The findings highlight that South Korea’s co-funding model, employer …

Digital Infrastructure For The Regenerative Movement: A Case Study Of The Mycelium Learning Network, Abigail Karparis

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

The regenerative movement is gaining momentum worldwide, driven by communities working to restore ecological and social systems through place-based, culturally rooted action. Yet many of the groups leading this work, especially in the Global South or in hyper-local contexts, remain digitally invisible due to structural barriers, including limited access to appropriate technology, funding constraints, and misalignment between available tools and local values. Conventional digital infrastructures often exclude or marginalize these efforts, leaving regenerative practitioners disconnected from each other and from potential sources of support.

This article explores these challenges and presents a case study response: the co-creation of accessible, relational …

Manny The Barber: Transitioning The Neurodivergent From High School To Workplace, Julia Barlas

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This capstone project is a documentary short film. The narrative focuses on Manny, a young man on the autism spectrum, who dreams about working in a barber shop. He lives in New York City and attends a specialized public high school. The film empathizes with Manny and with his community at large, illustrating the need for further job training and hiring initiatives acknowledging the potential and value of the neurodivergent. The observational mode of this documentary with some participatory elements serves to present the neurodivergent behavioral nuisances, patterns of speech, and interactions with the surroundings. Pieces of interviews with teachers …

Workforcetowards The Establishment Of A Workforce Development College In Liberia, Leon L. Banks Mr.

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

The call for establishing a workforce development college in Liberia is a growing necessity that cannot be ignored or overlooked. The call is growing louder. This article seeks to contribute to the discourse by proposing concrete justification for achieving such a worthy endeavor. A workforce education deficiency highlights a long-standing gap in the workforce sector that needs to be addressed sustainably. Workforce education provides several advantages for enhancing essential workforce skills and competencies. It lays the basis for collaboration among stakeholders. Despite its advantages, the process of establishing a workforce development college is marked by challenges. Some of these include …

‘I Could Replicate The Situation Exactly The Same As I Do In Class’: Apprentice Lecturers Use Of A Learning Management System At An Irish University During And After Covid-19, Eleanor Attridge, Tom O'Mahony

Articles

While technology is playing a more critical role in learning, apprentice lecturers’ use of technology to support learning is under-researched. This qualitative study explores apprentice lecturers’ use and experience of a Learning Management System during and after COVID-19. Thematic analysis was used to make sense of the rich data, gathered using semi-structured interviews, from ten apprentice lecturers. The analysis revealed that technology use largely mirrored participants’ teacher-centric face-to-face methods. This approach did not sustain apprentice online engagement. Applying the theoretical framework, TPACK revealed that limited pedagogical expertise and, to a lesser extent, limited technological proficiency shaped participants’ approaches. Systemic constraints …

The Impact Of Professional Development On Stem Workforce Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment, And Self-Efficacy, John C. Chick, Jeffrey Vance

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

This mixed-methods study aimed to measure the impact workforce education programs have on STEM professionals’ job satisfaction and organizational commitment, specifically through the level of participation in the continuing education program and employees’ perceived effectiveness of said continuing education program. The findings suggested that participation in PD was significantly negatively associated with both job satisfaction and organizational commitment, indicating that as level of participation in PD increases, typically, both job satisfaction and organizational commitment levels tend to decrease. The results also showed that perceived effectiveness of organizational continuing education practices was significantly positively associated with both organizational commitment and job …

Becoming A Beloved Community: A Restorative Reckoning For A Radical Conversion To Transform Discourse In Higher Education, Latasha Tomay Varlack-Butler

Dissertations

This dissertation critically examines the misappropriation of Restorative Justice Discourse (RJD) within three predominantly white institutions (PWIs), analyzing 59 institutional documents through Critical Discourse Analysis, Relational Critical Discourse Analysis, and Rhetorical Criticism (Fairclough, 1995; Vaandering, 2021; van Dijk, 2008). Tribal Colleges and Universities and South African institutions have emerged as exemplars of authentic RJD, countering co-optation within PWIs. The findings demonstrate that RJD as applied in PWIs is framed in ways that attenuate its transformative potential, perpetuating color-evasiveness (Bonilla-Silva, 2017) and obscuring the intersectional experiences of Black, Indigenous, and disabled communities (Crenshaw, 1991; Million, 2009).

Grounded in decolonial praxis (Smith, …

A Correlational Study Of The Relationships Between The Big Five Aspects Of Personality And Career Interest: Practical Implications For Teachers In Guidance Counseling Roles, Mary J. Haberman

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Classroom teachers are often required to teach advisory courses that include career counseling and social emotional learning components. The author used a combination of personality and career assessments to guide students into careers that were a good fit, not only for their interests but their temperaments as well. This holistic approach to advising allowed the author to address a wide variety of personal issues (e.g., unmet needs) that students were having and help them to discover their own motivations for approaching these issues. While the study is focused on collecting information from working adults, the results of this study could …

Bhuga Education: Toward A Financially Sustainable Model Of Catholic-Sponsored Secondary Education For The Poor In Nigeria, Christian Uchechukwu Ekesiobi

Master's Projects and Capstones

This field project aimed to create a Catholic-sponsored, financially sustainable secondary school model to serve the educational needs of the poor in Nigeria. Grounded in the tripartite framework of the Catholic principle of the Preferential Option for the Poor, Dewey’s experience-based learning theory, and the Resource Generation Model, the project sought to address the prevalent problem of inaccessibility to quality education due to financial constraints. Employing a qualitative research approach anchored in document and comparative case analysis of the Cristo Rey and Fe y Alegria educational models, as well as Nigeria’s education landscape, the project created the BHUGA Education model. …

Exploring Contributions Of Partnerships Between Employers And Disability Organizations On Recruitment, Hiring, Training, Retention, And Accommodation Of Individuals With Disabilities In Mississippi, Peter Oluwadare Kalejaiye

Dissertations

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 provides equal employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities (IWDs) by prohibiting discrimination in employment. However, one out of four IWDs face discrimination in employment in the United States (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023). Additionally, despite establishing the Office of Disability Employment Policy and enacting the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to help integrate IWDs into the workforce, IWDs face barriers to equal and equitable employment (NASEM, 2017). Previous studies recommend partnerships between employers and disability organizations (DOs) to provide employment opportunities and benefits for IWDs through recruitment, hiring, training, retention, and …

The Digital Incorporated Worker Narrative: A Mixed Methods Study Of Digital Capital, Work Selection, And Outcomes In The Fourth Industrial Revolution, Tracie King

Dissertations

Digital technology permeates society and industry, making digital-ready workers necessary for firms of all sizes as a firm seeks competitiveness in the market (Bergson-Shilcock et al., 2023; de Ruyter et al., 2018; Gorski et al., 2022; Karaboğa, 2023; Kim et al., 2017; Qureshi Zia, 2019). Firms seeking digital-ready workers face a complex digital divide that creates a worker shortage (Bergson-Shilcock et al., 2023; Karaboğa, 2023; Qureshi Zia, 2019). This study aims to describe workers' work selection, work experience, and outcomes in a complex digital society.

Most digital divide research focuses on the individuals excluded from owning, accessing, and having skills …

Aligning Education And Industry: Analyzing Public School Curriculums' Influence On Skilled Trade Preparedness In Texas, Lee Bryan Whitten Iii

Theses & Dissertations

Existing literature on education and industry pipeline underscores the rising call for addressing the alignment of the two sectors to achieve relevant career pathways for students. These efforts were demonstrated when Congress enacted the Perkins Act in 1984, emphasizing career and education alignment by strengthening CTE programs in public schools. This study quantitatively determined the students’ skilled trade preparedness by analyzing the relationship between the student's College and Career Readiness Standard (CCRS) skills and those of students who pursued CTE courses and their counterparts. Three student categories composed of STEM, STEM-related, and non-CTE concentrates who graduated in May 2023 from …

A Qualitative Exploration Of Workplace Experiences To Inform Transition Services For Neurodivergent Youth, Rachel M. Torres

Education (PhD) Dissertations

Individuals with disabilities, including neurodivergent individuals, are employed are significantly lower rates than individuals without disabilities (Bureau of Labor Statistics [BLS], 2023). Although secondary schools are responsible for engaging in transition planning for students with disabilities (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 2004), research indicates these plans are often lacking in efficacy (Greene, 2015) and in their alignment with students’ interests and needs (Hughes et al., 2023). Simultaneously, modern work and the skills students need succeed in today’s workforce are changing (Griffiths et al., 2020). The goal of the present study is to improve transition planning and interventions by better understanding …

Breast Cancer Survivors’ Readiness-To-Work Perceptions: A Pilot Study, Joy Darlene Cain

Theses and Dissertations

This pilot study explored the perceptions of women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and struggles they experienced when returning to work or maintaining employment. It sought to understand the impact of cancer treatment on work demands and how or if that impacted the survivor’s perception of her employment status. This study found significant differences in the RTW perceptions for women with breast cancer in the areas of marital status, physical effort, work strategies, and work-related help. The most significant difference were the differences between women with partners and women without partners. Surprisingly, women without partners, while they do …