This research analyses the current self-reported level of proficiency of environmental skills, the required future level of proficiency, and the gaps between them. Given the increasingly urgent need for the tourism industry to take action to support environmental management practices, this research provides evidence of key environmental skill gaps. Mixed methods research is applied where the sample includes 1404 respondents to a questionnaire and 264 interviewees from senior management of organisations from five tourism sectors (accommodation establishments, food and beverage outlets, destination management organisations, tour operators and travel agents, visitor attractions) in eight European countries. Analysis of variance, t-tests, correlation and cluster analyses, and Pearson Chi-square tests were employed for data analysis. The findings revealed that the country of registration, the size and the tourism sector type influence significantly the current and future proficiency levels of environmental skills, and the gaps between them. Most respondents did not receive environmental skills training. Theoretical, managerial and policy implications are also discussed.
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Purpose: This paper aims to present the findings from a European study on the digital skills gaps in tourism and hospitality companies. Design/methodology/approach: Mixed methods research was adopted. The sample includes 1,668 respondents (1,404 survey respondents and 264 interviewees) in 5 tourism sectors (accommodation establishments, tour operators and travel agents, food and beverage, visitor attractions and destination management organisations) in 8 European countries (UK, Italy, Ireland, Spain, Hungary, Germany, the Netherlands and Bulgaria). Findings: The most important future digital skills include online marketing and communication skills, social media skills, MS Office skills, operating systems use skills and skills to monitor online reviews. The largest gaps between the current and the future skill levels were identified for artificial intelligence and robotics skills and augmented reality and virtual reality skills, but these skills, together with computer programming skills, were considered also as the least important digital skills. Three clusters were identified on the basis of their reported gaps between the current level and the future needs of digital skills. The country of registration, sector and size shape respondents’ answers regarding the current and future skills levels and the skills gap between them. Originality/value: The paper discusses the digital skills gap of tourism and hospitality employees and identifies the most important digital skills they would need in the future.
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The methodology of biomimicry design thinking is based on and builds upon the overarching patterns that all life abides by. “Cultivating cooperative relationships” within an ecosystem is one such pattern we as humans can learn from to nurture our own mutualistic and symbiotic relationships. While form and process translations from biology to design have proven accessible by students learning biomimicry, the realm of translating biological functions in a systematic approach has proven to be more difficult. This study examines how higher education students can approach the gap that many companies in transition are struggling with today; that of thinking within the closed loops of their own ecosystem, to do good without damaging the system itself. Design students should be able to assess and advise on product design choices within such systems after graduation. We know when tackling a design challenge, teams have difficulties sifting through the mass of information they encounter, and many obstacles are encountered by students and their professional clients when trying to implement systems thinking into their design process. While biomimicry offers guidelines and methodology, there is insufficient research on complex, systems-level problem solving that systems thinking biomimicry requires. This study looks at factors found in course exercises, through student surveys and interviews that helped (novice) professionals initiate systems thinking methods as part of their strategy. The steps found in this research show characteristics from student responses and matching educational steps which enabled them to develop their own approach to challenges in a systems thinking manner. Experiences from the 2022 cohort of the semester “Design with Nature” within the Industrial Design Engineering program at The Hague University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands have shown that the mixing and matching of connected biological design strategies to understand integrating functions and relationships within a human system is a promising first step. Stevens LL, Whitehead C, Singhal A. Cultivating Cooperative Relationships: Identifying Learning Gaps When Teaching Students Systems Thinking Biomimicry. Biomimetics. 2022; 7(4):184. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics7040184
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Introduction: Nursing education traditionally teaches skill acquisition in isolated practice drills and guided by step-by-step protocols. While these approaches may seem to provide a solid foundation, they do not adequately bridge the gap between a controlled learning environment and the reality of nursing practice. The constraints-led approach (CLA) is an applied theory, which explains that skill acquisition is a process of adjusting to the characteristics of a situation, instead of reproducing isolated, “ideal” movements out of context. Given that CLA has gained recognition as an effective learning method in various fields, it is worth investigating how CLA can be implemented for skill acquisition in nursing education. Methods: To gain insight into student experiences of several CLA-exercises, an explorative qualitative design was used. Ten longitudinal focus groups with nursing students (n = 11) were performed to gain deeper understanding of students’ experiences with an education course in which several “CLA-exercises” were integrated. In addition, the teachers (n = 3) involved were interviewed after the course was completed. Results: The students experienced the education course as enjoyable, challenging and reality-based. Also, the exercises motivated students to keep practicing. The students further appreciated the room for autonomy and self-organization. The teachers expressed enthusiasm for CLA-inspired education, noting the benefits of varied methods and the need for expert feedback and well-working practice materials. Conclusion: Both students and teachers felt confident that the students who completed this course were ready to apply the learned skills under supervision in clinical practice.
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Systematic literature review on digital transformation skills
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Chronic diseases represent a significant burden for the society and health systems; addressing this burden is a key goal of the European Union policy. Health and other professionals are expected to deliver behaviour change support to persons with chronic disease. A skill gap in behaviour change support has been identified, and there is room for improvement. Train4Health is a strategic partnership involving seven European Institutions in five countries, which seeks to improve behaviour change support competencies for the self-management of chronic disease. The project envisages a continuum in behaviour change support education, in which an interprofessional competency framework, relevant for those currently practising, guides the development of a learning outcomes-based curriculum and an educational package for future professionals (today’s undergraduate students).
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Introduction: Digital technologies , such as big AI and cloud computing are driving digital transformation (DT) in organizations. The World Economic Forum ( reports that over 75% of organizations plan to adopt these technologies within five years, leading to a skills disruption as employees lack the necessary skills for DT. HRM departments are responsible for preparing their workforce for DT through reand upskilling initiatives (Ivaldi et al., 2022; Vereycken et al., To adapt HRM’s strategic talent management for tailored re and upskilling, insight is needed in workforce DT skills mastery. The objective of this study is to develop a validated instrument for measuring workforce DT skills mastery, building upon the Digital Transformations Skills Framework ( (Bouwmans et al., 2022, 2024). The instrument is a self assessment tool, allowing individuals to evaluate their proficiency across various skill dimensions.
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This paper explores the contributions of research to the field of adults learning mathematics (ALM) in the last twenty years. The results of the review of the literature on ALM show that the most cited studies that have been published in the last twenty years tend to focus on the field of numeracy to understand health data (such as understanding how to dose a medicine in a medical treatment). However, we know little about key aspects of how adults learn mathematics, what obstacles they encounter, and how they overcome them. This paper identifies the main gaps that ALM research faces in the coming years.
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"The booklet presents curated real-world good practice examples that help translate our strategy into concrete actions, and in turn, into the design of education and training programmes that will contribute to skill, upskill, or reskill individuals into high demand professional software roles."
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This paper starts with the explanation of the research rationale of the professorship. Subsequently, an exploration of the research agenda is provided, focusing on the two core research themes of the professorship: transformational content strategy and transformational content design. Within this section, knowledge gaps will be identified and examples will be presented of research projects related to each theme. Finally, light will be shed on the research approach, offering a brief overview of the theoretical approach, research methodology, and expected impact.
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