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This study explored partnerships between community colleges and businesses, focusing on the role of these partnerships in workforce development to address skill gaps in various sectors. It addressed the questions \"Why do industry practitioners choose community colleges for talent development solutions?\" and \"How do businesses perceive community colleges in their staffing and talent pipeline development efforts?\" Utilizing an exploratory case study approach, the research gathered insights into talent challenges in various sectors from 12 senior private sector executives who had at least 10 years of experience. Data were collected through interviews, questionnaires, and artifacts, such as strategy documents and memoranda, and thematic analysis techniques were used to code and categorize themes. The findings identified six themes in robust community college-industry partnerships, and the study examined the development of staffing strategies for industry-facing roles at community colleges to ensure those strategies are aligned with industry expectations.

PurposeThis case study is based on the Women in Agri-Tech programme, a teacher professional development programme that aimed to build teachers’ capabilities to use Agri-Tech in their agriculture/STEM classes to increase student awareness of agriculture technology and its associated career paths. Teachers and agriculture industry partners co-created Agri-Tech modules, which were implemented and evaluated from teachers’ and students’ perspectives. This paper demonstrates how work-related learning that emphasises technology can increase the visibility of career pathways and how multi-stakeholder benefits can evolve from teacher–industry partnerships.Design/methodology/approachAn action research design using quantitative and qualitative methods was used to construct this case study. Data collection methods included surveys, interviews, peer evaluation and teacher reflections.FindingsTeacher professional development that incorporates teacher-industry partnerships can increase teachers’ self-efficacy and build confidence to support authentic work-related learning in their classes. Integrating technology into agriculture/STEM classes can increase the visibility of agriculture career paths for students, which is critical given the serious skills shortage in this sector.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is limited in that the Women in Agri-Tech professional development programme was one standalone programme tailored specifically for women agriculture/STEM teachers through a competitive process. However, the beneficial implications of such programmes that support teacher–industry engagement have far-reaching benefits. Teacher professional development programmes that provide opportunities to partner with industry can support improvements in integrating career-aligned learning into the curriculum and can specifically address industry skills and knowledge gaps by addressing school-based learning requirements for the future workforce.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the literature on education–industry partnerships and considers how teachers can contribute to an early intervention sector workforce development strategy for future industry sustainability.

Careers in information systems and technology are top-rated and growing, yet universities are challenged to recruit students into information technology (IT) majors and organizations struggle to find talent with IT and digital skills. Experiential mentorship programs offer an opportunity for both academia and industry to attract students into university programs and ultimately into IT positions when they graduate. Therefore, to address the goal of developing digitally proficient, meaning technically and analytically strong, students and talent, this teaching tip presents a digital-ready mentorship program designed to connect technology students with industry as a part of their undergraduate education. This program has been in place since fall 2019 and has facilitated a total of 50 students in five cohorts. As a part of this work, we present the digital- ready mentorship program, teaching approach, lessons learned, and evidence from the project outcomes and learning experience. We hope sharing this program will inspire other universities to develop similar programs with industry partners and ultimately address the IT labor shortage.

PurposeThe study conceptualises universities as “cities of flows” to examine the East-West University Partnership (EWUP) in China, which is a pioneering initiative of cross-regional university collaboration linking over 220 institutions across China since 2001. The study explores the strategic enhancement of connective and collaborative capacity of universities to facilitate diverse flows of talent, knowledge and other resources within the broader context of China's sustainable development in higher education.Design/methodology/approachThe study employs a qualitative single-case study design to investigate the EWUP within its real-life context using participant observation and documentary research. As an analogical inquiry, the study merges the insider and outsider perspectives of the researchers to identify patterns between theoretical constructs and empirical evidence.FindingsThe EWUP as a policy entrepreneurship has significantly contributes to coordinated, inclusive and sustainable development. Its spatial dynamics consists of structural, temporal and collaborative dynamics. They are characterised by centrality, connectivity and adaptability which are generated through the interplay among the nodes, linkages and fields of influence within the EWUP network. These dynamics showcase EWUP as a novel approach to managing long-term university partnerships between more and less developed regions.Originality/valueThe study reimagines universities and higher education systems through vivid analogies of cities and transportation networks and elucidates connectivity as a pivotal dimension of sustainability. It advocates for reexamining spatial theories in higher education, deepens insights into the dynamics of cross-regional university partnerships in coordinating educational and territorial development, and enriches discussions on Higher Education for Sustainable Development (HESD).

Out-of-school programs can offer personalized and meaningful learning experiences that deepen students’ knowledge and cater to their passions and interests, but it has been a painful reality that many such programs have been available only to students and families with privilege and resources. Karen Hammerness, Anna MacPherson, Preeti Gupta, Tramia Jackson, and Rachel Chaffee describe how the Science Research Mentoring Consortium in New York City gives students from underserved communities opportunities to engage in STEM activities alongside researchers at sites throughout the city. Students with a strong interest in and aptitude for science take classes after school or on weekends and conduct their own research with the support of mentors. The authors share the principles that undergird the program and that can be applied to similar mentoring partnership programs in other disciplines.

Unitised integration is a management model used to address the fragmentation of multiple management entities in complex environments. Small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) safety alliances play an important role in centralised management and cost reduction in the safety management of SMEs, which are large in number, widely distributed, and small in volume. On the basis of the investigation and analysis of the current situation of SMEs’ own safety management and external supervision, as well as the market situation of safety service institutions, this paper explores the fragmentation problem of SMEs’ safety management. An idealised framework for the unitised integration of safety management in SMEs is proposed theoretically, and the model is tested and its limitations are discussed through a field investigation of the operational mechanism and problems of the SME Safety Alliance in Pukou District, Nanjing City, China, taking the SME safety alliance as a case study, with a view to proposing policy recommendations for the optimisation and promotion of the model. The unitised integration of safety management can help promote the adaptation of safety service supply and demand, thereby reducing the cost of safety management for SMEs, promoting the effective implementation of the main responsibility for safety, alleviating the pressure of production safety supervision, and ultimately promoting the further improvement of safety supervision and management systems for SMEs.

Wang examines the connection between innovation, education, and regional economic growth. Over the years, it's become clear that while technology has driven significant change, it alone isn't enough to ensure sustained regional economic growth. Success depends on a combination of dynamic research capacity, a diverse talent pool, innovation hubs, government support, and strong venture capital. University research has been central, with technology transfer offices helping commercialize academic inventions. However, commercialization is complex and requires long-term investment and collaboration between universities, industries, and governments. Federal initiatives like the NSF's Engineering Research Centers and the ARPA-E have played key roles in fostering innovation through long-term partnerships. State and local governments have also been essential in creating place-based innovation ecosystems, with examples like Silicon Valley and North Carolina's Research Triangle Park demonstrating the value of collaboration between universities, businesses, and local leaders. These efforts continue today with programs like the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, which aim to expand innovation hubs and strengthen regional economies.

In today's competitive labor market, employer branding (EB) plays a strategic role not only in attracting and retaining talent but also in promoting inclusive values. However, inclusion often remains at a symbolic level, especially concerning individuals with intellectual disabilities. This study investigates how EB functions as a form of strategic communication that can foster genuine workplace inclusion. It focuses on the integration of people with Down Syndrome (DS) in Portugal as a specific case study to examine broader mechanisms and barriers of inclusive branding. The research addresses three questions: (1) What EB strategies are most commonly implemented to support inclusion? (2) Which are considered most effective? (3) What are the main obstacles to implementing inclusive EB? A qualitative approach was adopted, based on semi-structured interviews with representatives from companies and NGOs. Thematic analysis was used to explore perceptions, practices, and challenges. Findings highlight that continuous tutor support, team training, and partnerships with NGOs are the most effective EB strategies. However, cultural resistance, overprotection by families, and lack of post-school support persist as barriers. This study offers an original contribution by positioning inclusion as central to strategic communication in EB. It advocates for structural transformation and cross-sectoral collaboration to align employer branding with inclusive practices.

Purpose This paper aims to examine the role of school stakeholders (e.g. advisory board members, school administrators, parents, teachers and school board members) at a 99% black academy in promoting the achievement and broadening participation of high school black students in engineering career pathways. Design/methodology/approach The authors followed a qualitative case study design to explore the experiences of school stakeholders (e.g. students, district and school personnel and community partners) associated with the implementation of the career academy (Stake, 2006; Yin, 1994). Findings The authors found that the school relied heavily on the support of the community in the form of an advisory board – including university faculty and industry leaders – to actively develop culturally responsive strategies (e.g. American College Test preparation, work-based learning opportunities) to ensure the success of black students interested in pursuing career pathways in engineering. Thus, school stakeholders in the academy of engineering served as authentic leaders who inspired academy students by serving as role models and setting examples through what they do as engineering professionals. It was quite evident that the joy and fulfillment that these authentic leaders gained from using their talents directly or indirectly inspired students in the academy to seek out and cultivate the talents they are good at and passionate about as well (Debebe, 2017). Moreover, the career academy provided environmental or sociocultural conditions that promoted the development of learners’ gifts and talents (Plucker and Barab, 2005). Within that context, the goals of career academy school stakeholders were to support students in the discovery of what they are good at doing and to structure their educational experiences to cultivate their gifts into talents. Research limitations/implications It is also important to acknowledge that this study is not generalizable to the one million career academy students across the nation. Yet, the authors believe researchers should continue to examine the career academy advisory board as a source of capital for engaging and preparing diverse learners for success post-high school. Further research is needed to investigate how advisory boards support students’ in school and postsecondary outcomes, particularly for diverse students. Practical implications The authors highlight promising practices for schools to implement in establishing a diverse talent pipeline. Social implications On a theoretical level, the authors found important insights into the possibility of black students benefiting from a culturally responsive advisory board that provided social and cultural capital (e.g. aspirational, navigational and social) resources for their success. Originality/value While prior researchers have studied the positive impact of teachers in career academies as a contributor to social capital for students (Lanford and Maruco, 2019) and what diverse students bring to the classroom as a form of capital Debebe(Yosso, 2005), research has not identified the role of the advisory board (in its efforts to connect the broader community) as a vehicle for equipping ethnically and racially diverse students who come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds with social capital. Within that sense, the authors believe the advisory board at Stanton Academy relied on what the authors term local community capital to provide resources and supports for black students’ successful transition from high school into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-related college and career pathways.

In Poland, talent development is organized mainly outside or alongside the educational system. A large number of privately funded informatics contests and extra-curricular talent development programs for highly motivated students are available. However, traditional competitions also exist including national informatics Olympiads and competitions mainly supported by the Ministry of Education. In particular, we stimulate interest in informatics by organizing the annual nationwide InfoSukces contest. This contest was organized for the first time in 2015 when informatics education in Poland was experiencing difficulties recruiting new students, who were in growing demand on the labor market. The aim of the contest is now to make students aware that the jobs of the future require problem-solving, digital skills, and creative thinking, all of which can be taught through informatics. The contest also provides a platform for a unique series of activities, the goal of which is to support partnerships and knowledge flow between schools and universities. This article provides a case study of the final stage of the InfoSukces contest, which involves the participants developing a “work of art” in the Scratch programming environment. It also presents the holistic method for quantitative evaluation of the students’ creative visual-based programming projects.