Identification of the Components of a Public–Private Partnership Model for Employment Enhancement in a Skill-Based Education System: A Qualitative Study in the Iran Technical and Vocational Training Organization

Jalil  Shahriari; Shiva Madahian; Alireza  Peyvand; Sanjar  Salajegheh

doi:10.61838/f1es6g35

Authors

Jalil Shahriari PhD Student, Department of Management, Ke.C., Islamic Azad University, Kerman, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2667-2101
Shiva Madahian Department of Management, Ke.C., Islamic Azad University, Kerman, Iran https://orcid.org/0009-0000-4161-9879
Alireza Peyvand Department of Psychology, Ke.C., Islamic Azad University, Kerman, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6736-1957
Sanjar Salajegheh Department of Management, Ke.C., Islamic Azad University, Kerman, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2749-3522

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61838/f1es6g35

Keywords:

public–private partnership, skill-based education, employment enhancement, participatory governance, employability

Abstract

Purpose: The present study aimed to identify and explain the dimensions, components, and indicators affecting public–private partnership (PPP) in enhancing employment within a skill-based education system, with particular emphasis on the Iran Technical and Vocational Training Organization.

Methodology: This study adopted a qualitative approach using thematic analysis and the logic of grounded theory. The participants included experts, managers, academics, private-sector practitioners, industry representatives, and specialists in vocational and skills training, employment, and public–private partnerships, who were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through document analysis and semi-structured interviews, and the interview process continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. The resulting data were analyzed through three stages of open, axial, and selective coding.

Findings: The findings indicated that the skill-based education system faces structural and institutional, infrastructural and educational, legal and governance, economic and financial, labor-market and employment, and public–private partnership challenges. Within the paradigmatic model, “transformation of the vocational skills training system based on participatory governance and public–private partnership with a demand-driven approach” was identified as the central phenomenon. The principal strategies of the model included participatory governance, demand-driven training, delegation of executive functions, decentralization, trust-building, continuous skills needs assessment, and the design of customized training programs.

Conclusion: The results demonstrated that public–private partnership is not merely a financing instrument but rather an institutional and governance model for linking government, industry, the private sector, training centers, and the labor market. Implementation of this model can contribute to enhanced employability, entrepreneurship development, human resource empowerment, and a reduction in the gap between education and employment.

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