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Over the past two decades, there has been an increased focus on designing STEM learning experiences for primary and second-level students. We posit that for teachers to design rich learning experiences for their students, they must first have the opportunity to develop their own STEM knowledge and competences, either during their pre-service teacher education or as part of their professional learning as in-service teachers. This systematic review of literature examines programmes which offer either pre-service or in-service teachers immersive learning experiences through placements in STEM roles in business or industry. A total of nine papers were identified in this review, featuring three unique programmes--one in the UK for pre-service teachers, and two in the USA involving in-service teachers. The findings indicate a variation in motivation and structures across the three programmes. The influence on teachers' personal and professional development, and their intentions to change their classroom practices or behaviours to incorporate more 'real-world' contexts into their STEM learning activities, inspired by their experiences in industry, is discussed. This study presents recommendations for the design and implementation of immersive learning placements in industry to support STEM teacher professional learning, as well as suggestions for further studies to examine the influence on their classroom practice.

Employment subsidies are important active labour market policy (ALMP) tools, suited to a variety of labour market challenges. This paper engages with recent ALMP categorisation debates by appraising Cronert's (2019) recent typology of employment subsidies. It uses empirical material to assess the typology's explanatory power and produce insights to inform further typological development. The illustrative case of the British ' Wage Incentive' (2012-2014) is used to assess the typology's analytical purchase. Cronert's typology helpfully identifies key distinctions in the distributional profiles of employment subsidies, but further understanding of the category is impeded by the practice of defining them as demand-side interventions. The paper argues for a reappraisal of their supply-side characteristics, maintaining that the (potential) worker should be included in the analysis, and that employment subsidies' relationship with training and job creation should be acknowledged. It proposes a redefinition of employment subsidies reflecting their real-world use, and suggests a framework for further exploring varieties of employment subsidy design from the perspective of beneficiaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Degree apprenticeships (DA) help employees gain new knowledge and skills by allowing them to study towards a university degree while working full time. For these programmes to be effective, the learning design should be adapted to the needs of these students, who are goal oriented (i.e. they want to gain only knowledge that can be applied within their workplace), have limited time for studying, and usually have not attended formal education for some time. As these programmes are relatively new, there is limited research on how these students can be supported to achieve the programmes' learning goals by using information and communication technologies. Objectives: This paper aims to understand whether a learning design that combines game‐based learning with online flipped classrooms can engage DA students in their learning and help them develop their reflective skills. Methods: Two focus groups were conducted with DA students that study at a UK Business School towards gaining the Chartered Manager status. The focus groups recordings have been analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results and Conclusions: The three main themes, "change can be helpful and challenging at the same time", "the ideal game", and "the effect of others", show that DA students find game‐based learning and online flipped classrooms useful, with the right support. Simulation games can be more fulfilling to DA students than quiz games, even if they take more of their out‐of‐class time. In addition, instructors are advised to work more closely with diverse teams to enable students share their work experiences and learn from each other. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic?: Online flipped classrooms offer flexibility in learning, but instructors need to find solutions to challenges, like students' limited e‐learning readiness and lack of motivation.Game‐based learning has been found to facilitate learning in general, but there is a need to identify the specific circumstances (i.e. settings, gaming elements) under which it is effective.Degree apprenticeship students need more support with their learning compared to traditional university students, as they face additional challenges in terms of family life‐work balance and connecting their learning to their working experience. What this paper adds?: Game‐based learning can be useful to degree apprenticeship students providing that focuses on the application of knowledge and provides feedback.Despite facing challenges related to maintaining work‐study‐life balance, degree apprenticeship students are willing to complete the flipped classroom's out‐of‐class activities, if they see a clear benefit from doing so.Online group activities can be challenging for degree apprenticeship students, if they are not able to form teams with other learners that work for the same organisation. The implications of study findings for practitioners: Avoid quiz‐like games and select the ones that use real‐life scenarios for degree apprenticeship students to help them link their learning to their practice.Formative feedback should be provided by both the instructor and the game to motivate degree apprenticeship students to spend the additional time to complete the out‐of‐class activities.Students should be reminded frequently of the purpose of any new learning elements (e.g. learning analytics) as they may not have the time to explore them on their own.When forming student teams based on students' workplace is not possible, spend more time in each breakout room to facilitate the online group discussion and help students bring their different working experiences together. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the association of COVID-19 confirmed cases and deaths with mental health, unemployment and financial markets-related search terms for the USA, the UK, India and worldwide using Google Trends. Design/methodology/approach: The authors use Spearman's rank correlation coefficients to assess the relationship between relative search volumes (RSVs) and mental health, unemployment and financial markets-related search terms, with the total confirmed COVID-19 cases as well as deaths in the USA, UK, India and worldwide. The sample period starts from the day 100 cases were reported for the first time, which is 7 March 2020, 13 March 2020, 23 March 2020 and 28 January 2020 for the US, the UK, India and worldwide, respectively, and ends on 25 June 2020. Findings: The results indicate a significant increase in anxiety, depression and stress leading to sleeping disorders or insomnia, further deteriorating mental health. The RSVs of employment are negatively significant, implying that people are hesitant to search for new jobs due to being susceptible to exposure, imposed lockdown and social distancing measures and changing employment patterns. The RSVs for financial terms exhibit the varying associations of COVID-19 cases and deaths with the stock market, loans, rent, etc. Research limitations/implications: This study has implications for the policymakers, health experts and the government. The state governments must provide proper medical facilities and holistic care to the affected population. It may be noted that the findings of this study only lead us to conclude about the relationship between COVID-19 cases and deaths and Google Trends searches, and do not as such indicate the effect on actual behaviour. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first attempt to investigate the relationship between the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the USA, UK and India and at the global level and RSVs for mental health-related, job-related and financial keywords. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inclusive Design (ID) has not been widely seen as a mainstream tool for innovation, or as a strategy for business and the public sector. Methods, case studies and frameworks exist, but were not widely accessible outside of academic publication. The authors of this paper, from Norway and the UK, recognised a need for a definitive publication on ID to present the concept, benefits and tools. Their collective forty years of experience lead to the publishing of 'Innovating with People—The Business of Inclusive Design' in 2010. A second edition followed in 2019, 'Innovating with People—Inclusive Design and Architecture'. These brought together experts and practitioners to create a practical guide from primary and secondary research, drawing on personal experience and insights. The content and processes inside the publications are discussed, describing the outputs and assessing effectiveness. The paper outlines content, structure, and the intention behind the work of the authors, drawing on their complementary experience from Business and Design. The paper describes a multi‐author, multi‐contributor and multi‐disciplinary book about ID outlining eight ID activities for Design and nine for Architecture. The book has been distributed to more than 45 countries and is used by academia, consultancy, government and industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been much speculation about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism sector. Common narratives have variously depicted an unprecedented crisis, a time of opportunity for innovation and transformation and a chance to build a 'new normal'. The aim of this paper is to investigate how owners and operators of micro- and small enterprises in tourism and hospitality in the United Kingdom made sense of the pandemic and its effects on their businesses. Situated in long-term research engagements with the businesses, three interlocking interpretative repertoires emerged from the analysis of 16 semi-structured interviews conducted between March and May 2021. Participants did not share a progress-driven approach to business change, there was no evidence of a radical 'new normal' emerging and COVID was not perceived as a crisis. While these findings appear counter-intuitive, their principal contribution is as a valid counterpoint to policy and academic discourse about COVID as crisis and opportunity. Furthermore, they highlight the importance of developing more nuanced accounts of the tourism business during and relating to the pandemic. Terms like 'crisis' and 'opportunity' used by policy-makers, practitioners and academics only partially reflect the deliberative efforts and practical perspectives of owners and operators of tourism enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]