Search Results (11)

This study examines how academia–industry partnerships can be enhanced to promote sustainable building practices in sub-Saharan Africa, a region facing rapid urbanization, climate risks, and resource constraints. The research addresses the gap in existing frameworks that often overlook local context, material lifecycle, and the role of early adopters in sustainable construction. A conceptual framework was developed featuring the following seven core components: adaptation, technology, material lifecycle, early adoption, transformation, policy, and sustainability. The methodology involves a detailed literature review, a comparative analysis of existing global and regional frameworks, and case studies from countries such as Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Rwanda, and Ethiopia. Findings revealed that context-specific adaptation strategies, access to digital tools, use of local materials, and strong policy support drive successful partnerships. Past projects like Kenya’s KOSAP, South Africa’s Green Star system, Makoko Floating School in Nigeria, and Burkina Faso’s use of earth bricks validated the framework’s relevance and flexibility. The study concludes that academia and industry can effectively collaborate when supported by structured processes, training, and policy alignment. These findings contribute to the fields of architecture and urbanism by offering a practical, scalable, and inclusive framework suited to Sub-Saharan realities. The study recommended further research into digital integration, cross-border cooperation, and culturally responsive design to build upon these results and support long-term sustainable development in the region. Full article

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are crucial for economic development and play a significant role in achieving sustainable development goals. Despite this, there is a shortage of skilled STEM professionals and a declining interest in STEM education and careers. The Saudi Vision 2030 goal of economic diversification and sustainable development aims to transform Saudi Arabia into a knowledge-based economy driven by innovation and sustainability. This study investigates factors influencing adolescents’ attitudes toward STEM careers in Saudi Arabia, with comparative insights from Bahrain and Singapore. Structural equation models (SEM) were constructed for each country to analyze the influence of scientific self-concept, school belonging, and teacher effectiveness on students’ choices of science careers. Mediation analysis examined the interest and value of science as mediators in these relationships. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to validate model constructs before building SEM models. Data from TIMSS 2019 for eighth-grade students was used to develop model constructs based on relevant items from the student questionnaire. Findings reveal that students’ interest in and value of science significantly influence career decisions, with self-concept and teacher engagement playing crucial roles. Teacher effectiveness had the strongest impact on science interest in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, while self-concept was most influential in Singapore. These results highlight the importance of fostering teacher engagement and self-concept to encourage students’ career paths in science. To support this, Saudi Arabia should enhance teacher training programs by integrating mentorship, active learning strategies, and technology driven instruction to improve student engagement. Adopting Singapore’s blended learning model can foster self-confidence and independence in STEM education, while hands-on learning and career exposure programs can strengthen students’ self-concept and long-term commitment to STEM fields. Additionally, expanding extracurricular STEM initiatives and industry partnerships will help connect classroom learning to real-world applications. By aligning STEM education reforms with these insights, Saudi Arabia can cultivate a skilled workforce that supports its economic transformation under Vision 2030. Full article

This paper aims to explore the structure of agricultural industry school partnerships (ISPs) by applying Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory to partnerships delivered in Gippsland, Australia. Agricultural ISPs are one potential setting for industry-relevant learning and career education to occur. This may assist in alleviating agricultural workforce shortages and addressing educational issues related to student career outcomes. A mixed methods case study methodology was employed, with data analyzed through frequency counts and Braun and Clarke’s method of thematic analysis. Surveys (n = 111) and semi-structured interviews (n = 57 pre-participation, n = 68 post-participation) were used with educators (n = 56) and industry participants (n = 62) from ISPs delivered through CQUniversity Australia’s Raising Aspirations in Careers and Education—Gippsland project from 2021–2023. This research finds that the agricultural ISPs studied function as interdependent ecological systems. The facilitator played a crucial role in delivering the ISPs, including connecting educators and industry partners. The study is limited by the number of agricultural ISPs explored and by only collecting data from two stakeholders within the system. However, these findings contribute to a greater understanding of the complex structure of agricultural ISPs, which can help those creating ISPs to consider and understand all stakeholders’ needs. Exploring ISPs as ecological systems also provides a lens to approach research improving similar educational practices. Further research could deepen our understanding of these systems. Full article

Educational leaders in the 21st century are under increasing pressure since they need to consistently upskill and reskill themselves so that they can adapt to rapid changes and be prepared to improve the quality of future education, as well as meet the demands of diverse stakeholders. Previous studies in the Malaysian context mostly focused on leadership training for newly appointed school principals, but there has not been much emphasis on continuous professional development for school leaders. This article provides an in-depth analysis of the appointment, preparation, and support system for Malaysian principals. In this study, a qualitative methodology has been applied, which involves document analysis based on policy documents, media, and previously published journal articles. The findings suggest that internal and external supports are currently being provided to principals. However, it proposes a wider framework of support for principals comprising internal and external support, including smart partnerships with diverse stakeholders such as industries, non-profit organizations, and international counterparts. The results provide insights to policymakers on the importance of consistently supporting school leaders to upskill with multifaceted skills to perform multiple functions, such as technological, economic, social, cultural, political, and learning leadership. Full article

Meeting the future workforce demands of the construction industry is defined as one of the main paths for sustainable engineering education. Quantity surveyors play a crucial role in driving the digital transformation of the construction industry. There is a pressing need to cultivate a significant number of engineering graduates who meet market demands to bolster the workforce of quantity surveyors for accomplishing this core mission. In this context, this study examined the main gaps existing between engineering graduates and quantity surveyors in terms of personal competencies needed to successfully value projects. Through the participation of 262 individuals (165 quantity surveyors and 97 engineering graduates), using a literature review, personal interviews, and a questionnaire survey, it was possible to assess five competencies (sustainable competency, budget competency, site management competency, engineering ethics, and settlement competency), and determine significant differences between both groups. All personal competencies’ mean scores are higher for quantity surveyors than for engineering graduates. Four competencies are found to differ significantly between quantity surveyors and engineering graduates: sustainable competency, budget competency, site management competency, and settlement competency. As the conclusion derived from this study, it is recommended to introduce market-oriented mechanisms and establish a dynamic engineering talent model driven by market demand through collaborative development involving school–enterprise partnerships and the integration of expertise and creativity, aiming to foster the development of social practice competency. Particular emphasis should be placed on strengthening budget competency, site management competency, and settlement competency. The findings guide the education, training, and practice of quantity surveying to deal with emerging challenges in the dynamic market demand in China and beyond. Full article

The Australian Government has prioritized science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in recent years to ensure that the country has an adequate future workforce. The agriculture industry is a major employer with a diverse range of occupations heavily focused on STEM. Many students do not realize the career opportunities in the sector, which is currently facing severe workforce shortages. Industry school partnerships (ISPs) have been identified as one creative model to improve students’ knowledge of an industry and aspirations for associated careers. Whilst ISPs have been implemented in the STEM context, limited research understands how industry organizations are involved in, influence, and interconnect with ISPs. Australia’s Rural Research and Development Corporations (RRDCs) are legislated agricultural industry bodies and were selected to investigate due to the value ISPs could provide to this STEM-focused industry with workforce shortages. This qualitative case study analyzed data from the most current RRDC strategic and annual operating plans as of 27 July 2023 and semi-structured interviews with an employee(s) in a position relevant to student education of all 15 RRDCs in 2022. The key findings were that ISPs were considered part of the solution to address industry sustainability, though RRDCs were commonly only informally involved. Collaboration between industry partners, facilitators, and teachers at strategic and management levels and across commodities was essential. RRDCs were found to be strongly connected to ISP ecosystems through their role in research and development. We argue that RRDCs are positioned as essential stakeholders with the scope to improve agricultural ISP ecosystems as part of their role in driving agricultural innovation. These findings support the application of ecological systems theory to agricultural ISPs and help us to understand these structures. This paper aims to help those creating ISPs to consider and understand all stakeholders, including industry bodies, to deliver quality future partnerships that benefit both STEM sectors and primary and secondary student education. Full article

Raising girls’ aspirations for STEM careers is one way to address Sustainability Development Goal 4 (SDG4)—quality education—which seeks to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. Various strategies have been suggested in STEM education research literature to achieve this. One such initiative begins with exposing girls to STEM industries during their formative school years. While a range of industry-school partnerships exist, examples of successful models that might inform practice are scarce. This article describes an investigation into how industry professionals, university educators, teachers, and students successfully implemented a STEM education experience (Girls as Leaders in STEM (GALS)). Formative and summative evaluation processes were used to generate data through a co-design research approach to describe and measure changes in student practices, attitudes, and engagement in relation to STEM and leadership as a result of connecting to industry problems. This research focused on the analysis of teacher and student interview data generated upon the completion of the program, which provided feedback on the different aspects of the process and, in particular, the role of industry in relation to the girls’ attitudes. This research highlights the benefits of industry involvement with girls in terms of their engagement with STEM, the authenticity of STEM learning, and the novelty of the learning experience. These benefits are discussed with respect to how they can raise girls’ STEM aspirations and ensure equitable educational opportunities—aligning with SDG4. Full article

The importance of partnerships is critical in educational arenas, but information on how partnerships form with the involvement of corporations, districts, and universities working in harmony is limited in the current literature. The teacher preparation program described in this paper is a “built-to-last” partnership model with over 650 teachers prepared to be teacher-leaders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. The authors provide a history of the program’s development, the sustainability of the program over time, the content of the various components of the partnership, and the evolution of the program, including its current status. Full article

To address the issue of obesity, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a set of comprehensive programmes aimed at changing the obesogenic environments to provide opportunities for healthy food options and increased physical activity in the school, home, and at the population level. The objectives of this study were to examine the nature and range of policies related to overweight and obesity prevention in Africa, and to assess how they align with international guidelines. An existing methodological framework was adapted for this scoping review. A search of publicly available national documents on overweight/obesity, general health, and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) was undertaken from relevant websites, including WHO, ministries, and Google Scholar. Additional requests were sent to key contacts at relevant ministries about existing policy documents. The documents were reviewed, and the policies were categorised, using the Analysis Grid for Environments Linked to Obesity (ANGELO) framework. The framework categorises the environmental drivers of obesity into four domains (physical, economic, legislative, and socio-cultural) and two scales: macro (national, regional, sectors, food industries, media, etc.) and micro (household, institutional, and community). This review included documents from 41 African countries. The policy initiatives to prevent overweight/obesity target the school, family and community settings, and macro environments, and broadly align with global recommendations. The NCD documents were in the majority, with only two on obesity. The majority of the documents detailed strategies and key interventions on unhealthy diets and physical inactivity. The physical, legislative, and sociocultural domains were largely featured, with less emphasis on the economic domain. Additionally, nutrition- and diet-related policies were in the majority. Overlaps and interactions of policies were observed in the application of the ANGELO framework. This study has provided information on national policies and programmes in Africa and can be useful as a first point of call for policymakers. The overlapping and interaction in the initiatives demonstrate the importance of multi-sectoral partnerships in providing supportive environments for healthy behaviours. Full article

Improper disposal of waste cooking oil into sewer systems is harmful to the environment. Through the selective collection, this highly polluting residue can be handled in a less harmful way. The present study presents an action plan for a public school in the Region of Médio Paraíba Fluminense of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to serve as a voluntary delivery point in a reverse logistics chain for waste cooking oil. A case study method with semi-structured interviews was carried out with agents who are part of the chain, including the government, commercial residue generators, collectors, the biodiesel production industry, the community, and teachers and students of the public school. Even though the reverse supply chain for waste cooking oil in the region lacks structure, this study showed that the actors were interested in correctly disposing of waste cooking oil through partnerships and agreements. In addition to the environmental benefits, environmental education actions in public schools, such as the one in this study, can help raise student awareness of issues relative to citizenship and social responsibility and promote employment and income opportunities for recyclable material collector cooperatives and industries that use waste cooking oil as raw material. Full article

Sitem-insel – the Swiss Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine in Bern – was created to establish, operate and develop a National Center of Excellence for Translational Medicine. sitem-insel is organized as a non-profit oriented public private partnership. Translational medicine is a new, process-oriented discipline that aims to translate new findings and products emerging from private-sector development and basic research into clinical application. The discipline seeks to professionalize the essential interaction between scientists conducting basic research in the private sector and universities, clinicians, regulatory bodies and investors. The mission of sitem-insel is to create and foster an enhanced environment for translational medicine in Switzerland. The sitem-insel strategy rests on three pillars: (1) The sitem-insel School offers university-level continuing professional development courses taught by university and private-sector lecturers. (2) The sitem-insel Enabling Facilities provide infrastructure to foster cooperation between industrial partners, basic scientists and clinicians on the campus of the University Hospital of Bern (Inselspital) with the ultimate goal to bring novel diagnostic and therapeutic products towards clinical application. (3) The sitem-insel Promoting Services aim to optimize the administrative-regulatory effort along the route from laboratory bench to commercial products. Full article