Purpose The continuous advancement of digital technologies and the increasing complexity of industrial production require industrial engineers to possess both theoretical knowledge and practical skills relevant to real-world environments. Educational robots provide an effective and accessible means to bridge the gap between academia and industry. The main objective is to demonstrate how the use of educational robots improves understanding of automation, robotization and human-technology interaction, which are key aspects of Industry 4.0. Design/methodology/approach This research adopts a qualitative, exploratory approach to capture users' perspectives based on their experience with educational robotics, supported by inductive code quantification. The study introduces an educational robotics kit designed to simulate manufacturing and logistics processes in a laboratory setting. Through guided exercises and team-based problem-solving, students engage in practical tasks that mirror real industrial scenarios. Findings Practice-oriented learning enhances both technical and managerial competencies. Students analyze differences between manual and automated production, evaluate advantages and limitations of robotization and suggest process improvements. Collaborative activities also strengthen communication, teamwork, and decision-making skills. Integrating educational robots increases engagement and aligns education with industry needs. Originality/value The study presents an innovative teaching approach that links practical education with labor market requirements through the use of educational robotics.
Purpose This study examines university-linked competency certification as a competence signal in the higher education-to-work transition. It asks how students' interpretations of institutional signals are associated with registration intention and whether psychological wellbeing is associated with a selective indirect pathway in that decision. Design/methodology/approach The study used a quantitative explanatory design with cross-sectional survey data from 337 undergraduate students in Indonesia. Partial least squares structural equation modelling tested the direct and indirect associations of brand awareness, perceived value, trust and perceived usefulness, with psychological wellbeing specified as mediator. Findings Trust and perceived value were positively associated with intention to register, and psychological wellbeing was also linked to intention. Brand awareness and perceived usefulness did not show significant direct associations with intention. Only the indirect association from trust through psychological wellbeing reached statistical significance, whereas perceived value was associated with intention mainly through the direct path. Originality/value The article identifies certification registration as a distinct pre-employment transition point, separates the institutional signal from students' receiver-side evaluations, and shows that wellbeing is associated with a selective rather than universal indirect pathway in certification decisions.
Purpose This study develops a process-oriented understanding of how entrepreneurs enact entrepreneurial learning when engaging with coaching feedback in venture accelerators. Conceptually, we link the active use of feedback to research on coachability. The research question is formulated as follows: How do entrepreneurs enact coachability in ways that condition entrepreneurial learning in venture acceleration programs? Design/methodology/approach We adopt an inductive, informant-centric research design to explore the processual dynamics surrounding how entrepreneurs enact entrepreneurial learning in venture acceleration programs. Empirically, we employ a longitudinal study of a ten-month venture accelerator program in Sweden. The core of our analysis centres on interviews with business coaches and lead entrepreneurs who took part in coaching sessions during the program. Findings Our findings highlight coachability as a conditioning capacity enacted through learning processes and shaped by situational orientations. We identify four key themes that condition entrepreneurial learning from coaching feedback: ownership of learning, openness to change, preference for tangible outcomes, and a short term learning preference. In all, our findings suggest that coachability is not a stable trait but a dynamic learning capacity that unfolds under the temporal and emotional conditions characteristic of venture acceleration contexts. Originality/value Our findings provide a qualitative, process-focused framework of how coachability is enacted in ways that condition entrepreneurial learning. Rather than assuming complete learning cycles, our framework depicts entrepreneurial learning as shaped by situational orientations that may accelerate, distort, or truncate entrepreneurial learning.
Purpose This paper aims to examine China’s distinctive work-integrated learning (WIL) model through conceptual theory building, comparing it with Western and Asian counterparts to identify its unique institutional features. Design/methodology/approach The study develops an integrated macro-meso-micro analytical framework synthesising skill formation regime theory, institutional logics, and symbiosis theory. Drawing on government policy document and institutional case reviews, with Modern Industry Colleges (MIC) and Colleges of Future Technologies (CFT) as illustrative exemplars, the framework conceptualises the broader industry-education integration infrastructure that incubates and sustains WIL. Findings China’s WIL model – characterised by state-directed coordination, platform-based organizations (MIC and CFT), and policy-dominant institutional logic – constitutes a “national strategic” type, fundamentally diverging from Western employability-focused approaches. The institutionalisation of hybrid organizations that integrate multiple functions under joint governance structures represents a significant organisational innovation. Originality/value This paper provides a systematic comparative analysis of China’s WIL through a novel multi-level framework, contributing to the diversification of WIL scholarship beyond Western-centric perspectives and offering a new typological category for understanding state-orchestrated WIL models.
Purpose This study examines how Entrepreneurship Education Orchestration, defined as respondents' perceptions of the coherence, alignment, and continuity of university-linked entrepreneurship provision, is associated with Community-Based Enterprise Development through a direct relationship and three parallel indirect pathways involving ecosystem support, capability formation, and innovation capability. Design/methodology/approach A sequential mixed-method and multi-analytical design was employed in Indonesia. Survey data from 692 university-linked entrepreneurial actors were analysed using PLS-SEM, followed by fsQCA to identify sufficient configurations associated with high Community-Based Enterprise Development. Qualitative interviews with 25 informants provided contextual interpretation of the quantitative patterns. Findings Entrepreneurship Education Orchestration was positively associated with Community-Based Enterprise Development and all three parallel mechanisms. Ecosystem support, capability formation, and innovation capability were also positively associated with the outcome. fsQCA identified three sufficient configurations and no single necessary condition, indicating equifinality. Qualitative findings highlighted variation in support accessibility, practical fit, and continuity. Practical implications Educational managers should prioritise coherence, accessibility, and continuity across entrepreneurship-related learning and support while considering staff capacity, sustained follow-up, and the contextual needs of enterprise and community actors. Originality/value The study extends Resource Orchestration into entrepreneurship education by developing Entrepreneurship Education Orchestration as a construct distinct from ecosystem support, capability formation, and innovation capability. It advances a context-sensitive account of how coordinated university-linked entrepreneurship provision relates to community-linked enterprise development in an emerging economy.
