The integration of new technologies and digitalisation causing significant changes in the skills demanded, leading to skills shortages and skills gaps in digital context. Undoubtedly, the employees’ digital skills and knowledge need to be aligned with the ongoing technological changes. This study obtains inputs from the employers from professional services sector regarding the demand for digital skills and the existence of gaps in digital skill among the employees. The impact of digital skills and willingness to pay for the micro-credential on the employability was investigate. 308 responses from the employers reside in Klang Valley, Johor and Penang collected via online survey. The five areas of digital skills adopted from Digital Competence 2.0, and the pair-sample t-test in SPSS was used to identify the present of skill gaps. Besides, PLS-SEM was used to test the hypotheses with regard to impacts of digital skills and micro credential on employability. The findings indicate that problem-solving and safety skills were ranked as highly demanded digital skills in the future. The skill gaps were found in all areas of digital skills except information and data literacy. The employers agreed that digital skills did affect their decision in hiring the graduate employees and they are willing to pay for micro-credentials to address the skills gaps. Yet, willingness to pay for micro-credentials did not affect the employability directly and indirectly. This study provides insights into the demand of digital skills and the digital skills gaps. Implications of the study from theoretical and practical perspectives are discussed.

This work presents a review of Mexican Higher Education during the decade of education for sustainable development and how today it faces the commitments made for the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030. By portraying the agreements that support the UN’s Development Program in advising higher education institutions, the SDGs which can be served through universities and their by-products, the success stories of some universities are shown. This case study addresses the theoretical value of quality of life and harmony of the environment, remarking on how different universities in Mexico have approached this matter as a key part of their curricula, policy, and research. Showcasing a special emphasis given to the work carried out by the University of Sonora, specifically for their institutional practices for sustainability and the study of sustainability from the perspective of Environmental Psychology.

The objective of the study was to analyze green marketing in the promotion of environmentally responsible and sustainable practices in the development of resilient infrastructure in Peru. The methodology used was qualitative and interpretative, the documentary design based on the systematic review of scientific literature. The PRISMA model was applied for the selection of units of analysis, resulting in 36 articles out of an initial total of 950. Content analysis was used to examine the documents, following a detailed procedure that included the use of Grounded Theory to categorize and analyze the data. The results highlighted the importance of integrating green marketing and sustainable practices into resilient infrastructure planning and development. Key strategies were identified that include promoting environmental responsibility, adopting sustainable technologies in construction, and implementing policies that foster urban resilience and sustainability. The findings highlight the adoption of a comprehensive approach that combines green marketing with resilient infrastructure planning and development to address environmental challenges and promote sustainable development in Peru.

The need for forest products, agricultural expansion, and dependency on biomass for the household energy source has largely influenced Ethiopia’s forest resources. Consequently, the country lost its forest resources to less than 6% until the millennium. In this study, quantitative and qualitative historical data analysis was employed to understand the socioeconomic benefits of large dam construction to Ethiopia and downstream countries. Moreover, remotely sensed data was also used to analyze the trends of vegetation cover change in the Nile catchment since the commencement of the dam; focusing on areas where there are high settlement and urban areas. It was identified that Ethiopia has one of the lowest electricity consumption per capita in Africa; about 91% of the source of household energy supply depends on fuelwood today and more than 55.7% of the population does not have access to electricity. The normalized difference vegetation index result shows an increment of vegetation area in the Nile catchment and a reduction of no vegetation area from 2011–2021 by 37.1%; which is directly related to the protection of the dam catchment for its sustainability in the last decade. The hydroelectric dam construction has prospects of multi-benefit to Ethiopia and downstream countries either through the direct benefit of hydropower energy production, related socioeconomic values, and reducing risks of destructive flood from Ethiopian highlands. Generally, it explains the reason why to not say ‘No’ to the reservoir as it is an ever more vital tool for fulfilling growing energy demand and supporting ecological stability.

The digitalization of the construction industry is deemed a crucial element in Construction 4.0’s vision, attainable through the implementation of digital twinning. It is perceived as a virtual strategy to surmount the constraints linked with traditional construction projects, thereby augmenting their productivity and effectiveness. However, the neglect to investigate the causal relationship between implementation and construction project management performance has resulted from a lack of understanding and awareness regarding the consequences of digital twinning implementation, combined with a shortage of expertise among construction professionals. Consequently, this paper extensively explores the relationship between digital twinning implementation and construction project management performance. The Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT) is employed to investigate this relationship, utilizing a quantitative research approach through document analysis and questionnaire surveys. Additionally, partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS software is employed to deduce the relationship. The results underscore that digital twinning implementation significantly improves construction project management performance. Despite recognizing various challenges in digital twinning implementation, when regarded as moderating factors, these challenges do not significantly impact the established causal relationship. Therefore, this investigation aligns with the national push toward the digitalization of the construction sector, highlighting the positive impacts of digital twinning implementation on construction project management performance. Moreover, this study details the impacts of implementing digital twinning from the construction industry’s perspective, including positive and negative impacts. Afterwards, this paper addresses the existing research gap, providing a more precise understanding and awareness among construction industry participants, particularly in developing nations.

Cities play a key role in achieving the climate-neutral supply of heating and cooling. This paper compares the policy frameworks as well as practical implementation of smart heating and cooling in six cities: Munich, Dresden and Bad Nauheim in Germany; and Jinan, Chengdu and Haiyan in China, to explore strategies to enhance policy support, financial mechanisms, and consumer engagement, ultimately aiming to facilitate the transition to climate-neutral heating and cooling systems. The study is divided into three parts: (i) an examination of smart heating and cooling policy frameworks in Germany and China over the past few years; (ii) an analysis of heating and cooling strategies in the six case study cities within the context of smart energy systems; and (iii) an exploration of the practical solutions adopted by these cities as part of their smart energy transition initiatives. The findings reveal differences between the two countries in the strategies and regulations adopted by municipal governments as well as variations within each country. The policy frameworks and priorities set by city governments can greatly influence the development and implementation of smart heating and cooling systems. The study found that all six cities are actively engaged in pioneering innovative heating and cooling projects which utilise diverse energy sources such as geothermal, biomass, solar, waste heat and nuclear energy. Even the smaller cities were seen to be making considerable progress in the adoption of smart solutions.

The incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) into language education has created new opportunities for improving the instruction and acquisition of Chinese characters. Nevertheless, the cognitive difficulties linked to the acquisition of Chinese characters, such as their intricate visual features and lack of clear meaning, necessitate thoughtful deliberation when developing AI-supported learning interventions. The objective of this project is to explore the capacity of a collaborative method between humans and machines in teaching Chinese characters, utilising the advantages of both human expertise and AI technology. We specifically investigate the utilisation of ChatGPT, a substantial language model, for the creation of instructional materials and evaluation methods aimed at teaching Chinese characters to individuals who are not native speakers. The study utilises a mixed-methods approach, which involves both qualitative examination of lesson plans created by ChatGPT and quantitative evaluation of student learning outcomes. The results indicate that the suggested framework for human-machine collaboration can successfully tackle the cognitive difficulties associated with learning Chinese characters, resulting in enhanced learner involvement and performance. Nevertheless, the research also emphasises the constraints of AI-generated material and the significance of human involvement in guaranteeing the accuracy and dependability of educational interventions. This research adds to the expanding collection of literature on AI-assisted language learning and offers practical insights for educators and instructional designers who aim to use AI tools into Chinese language curriculum. The results emphasise the necessity of employing a multi-disciplinary strategy in AI-supported language learning, incorporating knowledge from cognitive psychology, educational technology, and second language acquisition.

In the era of rapid technological development, the integration of technology in education has become crucial (Hashim et al., 2022). The digital transformation of education requires universities to transform their traditional operational models, strategic directions, and teaching practices, re-examine their own value propositions, and promote high-quality innovative development in universities. Transformation and change bring challenges to organizational management, especially leadership. Can digital leadership positively influence the innovative behavior of university teachers? Can digital leadership improve organizational innovation performance by influencing innovation behavior? These questions urgently need to be answered through practical surveys of digital transformation in universities. From March 2024 to May 2022, we conducted a survey of 1142 participants from 12 universities in Kunming, southwestern China. Our research findings indicate that digital leadership has a positive impact on the innovation performance of university organizations; Innovation behavior plays a mediating role between digital leadership and organizational performance. These findings provide new insights into the potential mechanisms by which digital leadership influences organizational innovation in universities. The research findings emphasize that in the process of transforming traditional operational models, strategic directions, and teaching practices in higher education, in order to achieve high-quality innovative development, it is necessary to attach importance to digital leadership and continuously stimulate innovative behavior.