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This study examines the influence of women's representation in top management positions and availability of skilled human capital on firm performance in Bangladesh, a critical aspect that remains underexplored in the existing literature. We leverage a fresh and comprehensive dataset of 824 firms released by the World Bank Enterprise Survey in 2023 and employ both traditional ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and machine learning algorithms to analyze the relationship. While the presence of female leadership alone may not substantially boost firm performance, our findings underscore a notable positive influence of women in leadership roles, contingent upon the presence of a skilled workforce. Notably, factors such as labor and electricity costs, access to financial resources, and international quality certification consistently show positive associations with firm performance. Our findings offer valuable guidance to policymakers and corporate decision-makers, highlighting the importance of supporting women in leadership roles while simultaneously investing in a skilled labor force to unlock firm productivity and success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the influence of women’s representation in top management positions and availability of skilled human capital on firm performance in Bangladesh, a critical aspect that remains underexplored in the existing literature. We leverage a fresh and comprehensive dataset of 824 firms released by the World Bank Enterprise Survey in 2023 and employ both traditional ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and machine learning algorithms to analyze the relationship. While the presence of female leadership alone may not substantially boost firm performance, our findings underscore a notable positive influence of women in leadership roles, contingent upon the presence of a skilled workforce. Notably, factors such as labor and electricity costs, access to financial resources, and international quality certification consistently show positive associations with firm performance. Our findings offer valuable guidance to policymakers and corporate decision-makers, highlighting the importance of supporting women in leadership roles while simultaneously investing in a skilled labor force to unlock firm productivity and success.

With an extensive presence in the world of Industrial Symbiosis literature, the Kwinana industrial area in Perth, Western Australia is a powerhouse of integrated heavy industrial activity. From when its first entrant arrived in 1955, development has been strong, and now it presents a complex industrial cluster with a wide range of industrial enterprises present, ranging from several major industrial multi-product manufacturers to those filling niche markets. Formal reporting of its economic contribution has occurred periodically over 40 yr, with one of the features of this being a series of four earlier iterations, and in this paper, the fifth, of a schematic diagram that identifies the enterprises engaged in symbiotic relationships and the nature of the associated materials exchanged. While the earlier reports concentrated solely on the traditional materials exchanges, the present study (data collected in 2021) went beyond these to gather additional data on what the authors are proposing as additional dimensions of the traditional Industrial Symbiosis framework. Aspects of Kwinana's skilled workforce, its support industry base, and its overlying governance framework were studied to provide insights into what role they play in explaining why some industrial clusters appear to provide a supportive business environment, and why other clusters struggle to gain momentum. The new study identified that the novel posited dimensions of Industrial Symbiosis are interlinked at the precinct level, and that at the macro (societal) level, they combine to contribute to the effectiveness of the Circular Economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid technological development and globalization in all areas of society today create new challenges to the quality of specialists' work, which, in turn, toughens the requirements for the professional education of workers in all economic sectors. In the context of strengthening integration processes, the issue of theoretical and methodological justification of the development directions of the specialists' professional training process acquires high priority. This article aims to analyze the scientists' opinion concerning the status and existing tendencies in vocational training, as well as to reveal the main development factors, problems, and priority directions of vocational training development methodology optimization in modern conditions. According to the research results, we outlined the normative base regulating the sphere of vocational education; highlighted the importance of the theoretical and methodological basis of personnel training within the context of professional training. Furthermore, as the result of the online questionnaire survey, we determined the opinion of teachers of vocational education institutions concerning the most critical factors, problems, and perspective directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decline of the Zimbabwean economy characterised by the high inflation rate has rendered it difficult for Zimbabwean manufacturing to retain talented employees. The quantitative research methodology was adopted in this paper. The sample size of the study comprised 100 respondents who were randomly selected from the manufacturing companies in Zimbabwe. The sample size of the study was made out of 10 managing directors, 10 managers, 10 supervisors, and 70 employees drawn from the 50 manufacturing companies that were randomly selected. It was established that the companies are failing to retain talented employees, and a lot of the employees are leaving the organisations. Retrenchments and restructurings have become the order of the day. The study recommended that employees needed to implement employee retention strategies to remain viable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of HMD: Praxis der Wirtschaftsinformatik is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Youth and Sports Skills Training Institution (ILKBS) is aligned with the government's agenda to prepare skills and professional workforce to achieve the status of a developed country. The aim of this paper is to discuss the new approach by Ministry of Youth and Sports Malaysia (MOYS) in introducing a new intensive training known as "bootcamp program" to enhance employability and promote ILKBS graduates as world class skill talents. Bootcamp program is an extensive and tailormade program designed according to the requirement and needs of the industries for the local youth. The concept of bootcamp and the achievement throughout the ILKBS Transformation Program will be discussed at large. Engagement and collaboration from industry is one of the major factors why it should be expanded to the other Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) agencies. 1,141 of youth and 17 industries have participated in the bootcamp program from 2015 until 2018 with the employability rate of 93%. Towards Revolution Industry 4.0, this study explored and discussed the new approach to be branding by MOYS as one of the successful initiatives to provide training and job opportunities for the youth. Further studies are recommended to include more tangible and measurable indicator to provide skilled workforce with progressive life-long learning workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skilled labour shortage is the shortfall of workforce in specific trades or shortage of workforce with requisite skills. The paper seeks to identify areas where there are skilled labour shortages in the building construction industry within the Central Region. A survey research approach was employed to get the study population that consisted of project managers, site engineers, site foremen and engineers working with contactors. Questionnaires were designed based on the research specific objectives and used as the main instrument for data collection. Findings from the study revealed that the shortage of skilled manpower was from painters and decorators, electricians and tile workers. Further findings showed that skilled labour shortage was caused by socio–economic conditions, external forces, job attractiveness, job characteristics, job satisfaction, industry limitations and personal factors. Employees should be encouraged to develop their trade competences and change their attitude to work, while employers should build their manpower base through training.

This article discusses how a remote and rural Scottish health board has adapted, and continues to adapt, to delivering multidisciplinary diabetes foot services. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the challenges that were already experienced on a daily basis and has encouraged the podiatry team and the multidisciplinary diabetes foot team to innovate and advance the service delivery options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vocational training system for skilled workforce has been highlighted as one ofthe key driving forces of South Korea's economic development. South Korea is well known for adopting a government-led vocational training strategy to make sure the supply of a skilled workforce according to the 1st--7th five-year economic developmentplans. This paper examines the main features and developmental changes of this strategy from the 1960s to the 1990s and suggests a set of important lessons for the design and implementation of vocational training policies. Vocational training policy also was led by the government and complemented by private sector. By providing training program through the establishment of public training institutes, the government managed the supply of skills. While the government has consistently expanded and controlled the vocational training system for meeting the needs of industry, the principle system was the compulsory in-plant training system, in which itwas obligatory for large companies to provide training program for their workforce or alternatively contribute the training promotion fund. The initial stages of this system in the 1970s were considered as successful in terms of raising numbers of trainees withinindustry. However the numbers later fell dramatically in the 1980s after the government reformed its policy. Many employers resisted against the burden of training obligation and levy. Although there were still unsolved limitations of the government-led vocational training system, South Korean vocational training system before the 1997 IMF economic crisis has contributed systematically to the transformation of industry and to economic development.

Context: Thailand is now facing skilled labour shortages, which has prevented the country from achieving significant economic progress. This paper examines Thailand’s vocational education policy discourses from 1992 to 2014 and how such policies were discussed to build the country’s skilled labour force. Approach:This study utilised a qualitative approach, using documentation analysis as a key research method. We also used data triangulation and thematic analysis to categorise the public discourses. In order to examine the vocational education policy discourses in Thailand, secondary data such as the five NESD plans (7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th) and other government policy statements were investigated and triangulated, along with data from newspaper articles, other public documents, reports from international organisations, and academic journal articles. Findings: Based on the findings of the study, we identified three key policy discourses regarding vocational education in Thailand during 1992-2014: (1) increasing the vocational skilled workforce, (2) the minor role of private vocational providers, and (3) collaboration between vocational providers and industry. Conclusion: We argue that there are five key policy themes in building a vocational skilled workforce: (1) the dedication of the government in increasing the quantity of vocational skilled workforce, (2) encouraging collaboration between vocational colleges and industries, (3) fostering a greater role for private vocational providers, (4) promoting a positive reputation for vocational education, and (5) maintaining the continuity of policy implementation.

The construction industry in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is faced with negative project performance, including low productivity, higher costs, delays in project completion, and defects during construction. One of the main reasons for these issues is the engagement of unskilled craft workers. Despite these labor issues, demand for construction projects in the UAE has been explosively increasing, in part due to Dubai winning the hosting of Expo 2020, which has given rise to an unprecedented demand for skilled construction craft workers. This study aimed to investigate the views and experiences of construction project managers regarding the reasons and challenges associated with the hiring of skilled craft workers in the construction labor market of the UAE. To fulfill the study purpose, the authors conducted structured open-ended interviews with UAE construction project managers. The results revealed several reasons for hiring craft workers despite a clear lack of qualifications and suggest some potential solutions.

Given the dearth of skilled professionals in South Africa, immigrants present opportunities for South African firms which have been in dire need of skilled workforce. South Africa continues to experience massive unemployment which currently sits at 26.7%. This begs the question: how do natives perceive skilled immigrants? Researches have barely looked at this question rather they have concentrated on reasons for scarce skills and the emergent political conundrums. This study brings some value especially against the backdrop of the increasing xenophobia and wanton attacks of African immigrants in South Africa. The hospitality industry is one that enjoys massive numbers of workforce - skilled and unskilled. So, this study examines the perception of employers of skilled immigrants and tries to understand whether they are valuable or not. This will help both practitioners and government to start examining other ways of curbing xenophobia within South African townships and possibly bring about new ways of looking at diversity within the workplace. The study is conducted using qualitative means. Data were collected through personalised interviews between the researchers and hospitality practitioners. Findings firstly reveal the significance of skilled workforce which often are available from immigrants. It must also be noted that African immigrants are happy to find work and are more likely to settle for lower wages. A major implication is that labour law applications may need some urgent review owing to what we suspect are its poor application in relation to African immigrants.

In the general framework concerning the theory and practice of economic growth, which has practically been a concern for all countries since the post war period, the role and importance of labour resources occupy an increasingly important place, we could even say the most important place. The special concern in this problem is determined, in our opinion, by at least two circumstances: firstly, labour recruitment is the main production force of society and, therefore, the main resource of its economic potential and dynamism. Capitalizing all existing labour resources in the national economy of a country and using them as rationally as possible ensures the increase of national income and the increase of the material and cultural living standards of the people in that country; secondly, but not in terms of importance, workforce, by its nature, feels the effects of contemporary technical-scientific progress in the most direct way, which contributes to the increase, or even change, of the place and role of labour resources in the process of economic growth. Instead of the more or less traditional division of economic growth factors, where the main emphasis was on the increase of physical capital, a new division appears in which an increasingly important role is played by human capital, human resources. What makes labour resources a key factor of economic development nowadays is not only the quantitative aspect, whose role generally tends to decrease compared to the previous period, but also the qualitative aspect, from the point of view of training and professional qualification. This paper attempts to analyse the dependence of the economic growth process on the level of training and the structure and professional mobility of the workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article deals with the analysis of labor force necessary for the manufacturing industry, made using relevant indicators - the employment, the evolution of the average number of employees in the component manufacturing activities, the public expenditures with education, the share of the population by educational attainment levels, the share of graduates by education levels and specialization profiles. The overall conclusion of the analysis is that there is a significant gap between the educational offer of the national education system and the demand for skilled workforce in the labor market specific to manufacturing sector [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Iş, Güç: The Journal of Industrial Relations & Human Resources is the property of Is, Guc: The Journal of Industrial Relations & Human Resources and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Çalışma ve Toplum is the property of Calisma ve Toplum and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The rate of economic growth and policy development within the waste and recycling sector is not only bringing about rapid evolution in the range of available waste treatment technologies but also adding to the complexity of the waste streams requiring treatment as opposed to disposal. As such, there is a need for a suitably skilled workforce in order to both maintain current services and further develop this critical sector. This paper provides a brief overview of the critical factors currently impacting workforce availability to the waste and recycling sectors within the UK and Queensland, Australia. The paper also discusses the role of industry accreditation of waste management professionals and its role in sourcing a suitable skilled workforce, highlighting the different approaches between the UK and Queensland, including the analysis of the trends in individual professional memberships between the two countries. The paper concludes with discussion around the UK model of the professional recognition of waste managers and if such an approach may be applicable to Queensland in order to increase the attractiveness of the industry to potential employees and provide an appropriately skilled workforce during a time of unprecedented labour demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The race to establish regional education hubs is a recent development in cross-border higher education. This article briefly examines the rationales and strategies used by three countries in the Middle East and three in South East Asia which are working towards positioning themselves as regional education hubs. The different approaches and purposes among the six countries highlight the need for a typology of education hubs. Three types are proposed: the student hub, the training and skilled workforce hub, and the knowledge/innovation hub. The final section of the paper takes a closer look at Malaysia's cross-border education initiatives and its actions to establish itself as a competitive education hub in a region where Singapore and Hong Kong have similar intentions. Whether Malaysia has the ability to make a quantum leap from being a student hub to becoming a knowledge/innovation hub remains to be seen and appears to be an optimistic outlook. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cagdas Egitim Dergisi is the property of Cagdas Egitim Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The construction industry in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is faced with negative project performance, including low productivity, higher costs, delays in project completion, and defects during construction. One of the main reasons for these issues is the engagement of unskilled craft workers. Despite these labor issues, demand for construction projects in the UAE has been explosively increasing, in part due to Dubai winning the hosting of Expo 2020, which has given rise to an unprecedented demand for skilled construction craft workers. This study aimed to investigate the views and experiences of construction project managers regarding the reasons and challenges associated with the hiring of skilled craft workers in the construction labor market of the UAE. To fulfill the study purpose, the authors conducted structured open-ended interviews with UAE construction project managers. The results revealed several reasons for hiring craft workers despite a clear lack of qualifications and suggest some potential solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of Industry 4.0, also referred to as the fourth industrial revolution, has entirely transformed how the industry or business functions and evolves. It can be attributed to its broadening focus on automation, decentralization, system integration, cyber-physical systems, etc. Its implementation promises numerous benefits in terms of higher productivity, greater volatility, better control and streamlining of processes, accelerated enterprise growth, sustainable development, etc. Despite the worldwide recognition and realization of Industry 4.0, its holistic adoption is constrained by the requirements of specific skills among the workforce. The personnel are expected to acquire adaptive thinking, cognitive and computational skills, predominantly in the area of information technology, data analytics, etc. Thus, the universities that laid the foundation for future talents or trends in society have to adapt and modernize the existing programs, facilities, and infrastructure. This reshaping of higher education in consonance with the vision of Industry 4.0 possesses its opportunities and challenges. There are, of course, a multitude of factors involved and they need a reasonable assessment to strategically plan this metamorphosis. Therefore, this work aims to explore and analyze the different factors that influence the progression and enactment of Industry 4.0 in universities for sustainable education. For this purpose, a systematic approach based on a questionnaire as well as a SWOT (strengths (S), weaknesses (W), opportunities (O), and threats (T)) integrated with the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is adopted. The questionnaires are administered to university employees and students (or stakeholders) to assess their viewpoint, as well as to estimate the priority values for individual factors to be included in SWOT. The AHP is implemented to quantify the different factors in terms of weights using a pairwise comparison matrix. Finally, the SWOT matrix is established depending on the questionnaire assessment and the AHP weights to figure out stakeholders' perspectives, in addition to the needed strategic scheme. The SWOT implementation of this research proposes an aggressive approach for universities, where they must make full use of their strengths to take advantage of the emerging opportunities in Industry 4.0. The results also indicate that there are fundamental requirements for universities in Industry 4.0, including effective financial planning, skilled staff, increased industrial partnerships, advanced infrastructure, revised curricula, and insightful workshops. This investigation undoubtedly underlines the importance of practical expertise and the implementation of digital technologies at the university level to empower novices with the requisite skills and a competitive advantage for Industry 4.0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]