The growing importance of knowledge and skill development in today`s competitive job market is helping to create opportunities for recent graduates. Traditional approaches for training are getting emphasised on tangible principles like job readiness and technical proficiency. Hence, the emergence of Service-Dominant (S-D) Logic provides a new perspective through acknowledging training as a value co-creation process among the learner and providers. From this point of view, training effectively allows for the creation of overall perceived values during interaction and knowledge engagement. For the recent graduate, perceived values are significant as they affect their confidence and employability in a professional setting. When applying for graduate training, this indicates that the graduate collaborates with the training provider and can create value under a two-way process. Perceived value for graduate training is resolute by graduates' own experience and shaped by interaction, their role as the co-creator and gained specialised competencies of this value.

Role of co-creation in the training services

The process of co-creation took place by introducing and developing a new training model. This model improved and tested through focus on the workplace implementation and experience, fosters project planning, own responsibility, and includes practices and workers. Such collaboration and interaction develop workplace innovation and lead to “learn-learn-learn” situation for every stakeholder, like trainers or teachers, trainees and management or worked (Kohlgrüber et al. 2021). Co-creation process of developing a training module led to high enthusiasm and engagement of trainees, mainly because they found efficient solutions in the workplace in the training-related projects and tasks.

However, Co-Creation is not without challenges; it needs resource commitment, negotiation and significant time from the organisation, that limits its adaptation in the standardised training programs. The relationships between people, technology and knowledge, and for analysing specific directions to develop co-creation value based on the learning organisations. As per Bhatti et al. (2021), the impact of consumers on co-creation value in achieving their goals. For example, in healthcare and wellbeing services, outcomes are linked with consumer activities, leading to a role in value co-creation. It also helps in fostering a new point of view in the production process and adopting a change in behaviour and consciousness. The value co-creation practices in deductive dynamics are fostering generative dialogue, reciprocal and collaborative process and negotiation (Janamian et al. 2022). All of the stakeholders focus on pathological or curricular conceptualisation, implementation and decision-making.

Figure 1: Co-created outcome of value

(Source: Janamian et al. 2022)

Co-creation of value creates value for different end users and stakeholders by facilitating processes and interactive platforms. Co-creation allows organisations to form a way to organisation get reneged people eternally and internally and utilise a purposeful and proactive engagement through focuses on enrich experience for collectively co-design new services and products and also garner a strategic point of view for added value.  Janamian et al. (2022) shed light on the six steps of value co-creation with targeted populations of end users and stakeholders, through using an advisory committee, a forum and action-focused working groups. Co-creation of knowledge is an emerging field for increasing the relevance of contemporary society, as universities have to adapt to the changing reality and social trends (Pocol et al. 2022). Strengthening relations among institutions and organisations is important for the development of sustainable behaviour and entrepreneurship skills among the students, and it also strengthens companies' performance and their innovative capacity.

Service-Dominant Logic frameworks enhance the co-creation value of training programs

According to Cai and Kosaka, (2024), providing an example of “technical and vocational education and training” (TVET) is an important value co-creation system that axiomatic S-D logic value co-creation theory. The traditional learning relation among students and colleges in TVET redefines the complex collaborative relation between enterprise, students and colleges. These three parties collaborate with each other. The study focuses on capturing the value of co-creation theory in TVET by using the S-D logic lens in services science. This model has a structural definition of relations among stakeholders and a procedural workflow of the stakeholder behaviour. This model perceives enterprises and students as co-creators of the educational value. S-D logic concept emphasises value co-creation under the process of doing something with and for other people (Uppal et al. 2022). Hence, S-D logic fosters services as a denominator that is normal in every exchange process and for the provision of goods and services in the aforementioned exchange process.

Explicit uses of S-D logic to frame service highlight the importance of exploring integrative interfaces which support service innovation and customer engagement. Innovation is an outcome of resource-integrating activities which develop a new configuration of resources. In the S-D logic line, the key components of this perspective involve the service platforms, value co-creation and service ecosystems (Karahasanović and Culén, 2023). Through interactive implementation in the course and framework formulation, the study notes the benefits towards collaborations for diverse organisations. S-D logic operant resources play an important role as a fundamental source for competitive advantage. S-D logic was mainly developed for the field of marketing, but its applicability in other connection networks has been explored and validated (Kapoor et al. 2024). S-D logic concept in the educational framework applies both as a facilitator and services enchanting among actors and the creative value setting process by improvement in student knowledge, updating of educational infrastructure, and points of interest for research through peer co-creation of operational experiences.

Active role of trainees in resource integration in graduate training programs

Transition is urgent and important for advanced individuals to enable them to perform in specific roles to adapt to the changing scenario. Training also allows for a boost in the validation of improvement of organisational excellence, generating self-efficacy and boosting employee motivation (Barile et al. 2023). Moreover, trainee's role resonates with wider discourse on lifelong employability and self-directed learning. The modern graduate training programs are embedded with digital platforms, reflective practices and peer learning and allow participants to focus on their development. For example, “Continuing education and training” (CET) programmes is crucial for the private or public sector to have workforces capable of responding and adapting to required changes for the services or goods they produce (Leow et al. 2022). Growing participation and interest in CET allows for securing individual workplace viability and employability across working life.

Yfantidou et al. (2024), internship programs are beneficial for students for develop a wide range of skills, supplement of the theoretical learning and as the hands-on experience obtained from the educational institutions. Student internships are important to form well-trained graduates for future employment, offering needed exposure to the real world. The internship provides students with the opportunity to work for a short period of time in an original working environment. The study by Jonnalagadda et al. (2021), implemented a training program in the study focused on “Graduate teaching assistants” who work as training assistants for a newly launched online tools for graduate courses. It allows for fostering a training program through analysing the program aspect, which is useful.  This approach also helps the trainee in transforming training from a one-off intervention to a continuous process for identity formation and skill renewal by reinforcing the paradigm of co-creation.

Research Hypothesis:

• H1: Co-creation has a significant influence on the SDL and perceived value of training among recent graduates.
• H2: Training Programs positively influence the SDL and perceived value of training among recent graduates.
• H3: Resource integration in training has a positive impact on the SDL and perceived value for recent graduates.

The research method adopted for the research involves application of positivist research philosophy with an inductive research approach and an explanatory research design. Data collection is defined as the process of analysing, gathering and evaluating precise understandings of the research by using authenticated methods (Mazhar et al. 2021). These research methods are selected as suitable methodologies for conducting primary quantitative research. Primary data focuses on exploring fresh, unpublished information that researchers personally gathered study objective. As a sample, 300 graduates are chosen to conduct an online survey from different academic backgrounds. The sampling is adopted through purposive selection of populations that allow the research survey to gain from the voluntary participation of the research target population.

The study uses a survey questionnaire consisting of demographic and survey questions based on the independent and dependent variables of the study is a research instrument to gather the quantitative data. This indicates that the study adopts a set of structured closed-ended questions for collecting numerical data that are further measured and analysed statistically. Questionnaires are a research instrument that request information from participants for data collection (Sharma, 2022). This survey is conducted with graduates through providing them Google form via email. The data emerged from responses analysed by IBM SPSS software. SPSS tools are a comprehensive quantitative data analysis software package used to evaluate collected data. This involves statistical evaluation carried out by reliability statistics, frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, regression analysis and hypothesis testing through t-test.

Reliability Statistic

Table 1: Reliability Statistic

The tabular representation of the reliability statistic reported a Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.791 for 20 items, indicating a strong internal consistency. This illustrates that the survey instrument is highly reliable in measuring constructs related to S-D logic and perceived value in training among recent graduates. Since values above 0.70 are considered acceptable, the obtained coefficient indicates that the items collectively offer dependable and stable results for further analysis.

Factor Analysis for Validity

Table 2: KMO and Bartlett's Test

The KMO value (.789) illustrates adequate sampling adequacy, while Bartlett’s Test is significant (χ² = 1569.326, df = 190, p < .001), confirming correlations in items. These results justify factor analysis and offer evidence to support the construct validity of the study on S-D logic and perceived training value.

Frequency Analysis

Table 3: Demographic frequency analysis

The above tabular representation offers frequency analysis of demographics of the participants with include, including age, gender, academic background and higher level of education completed by respondents. The age distribution shows that the majority of respondents (40%) fall within the 25–30 years category, emphasising the dominance of early-career graduates in the sample. This is followed by 20.3% below 25 years, and 19.3% between 31–35 years, indicating representation from both mid-level and younger professionals. Respondents aged 36–40 years accounted for 16%, while only 4.3% were above 40, illustrating limited participation from older graduates. Gender distribution shows a fairly balanced sample, with 46.3% female and 53.7% male respondents. This almost-equal representation ensures that the findings capture perspectives across genders, analysing S-D logic and perceived training value more inclusively and comprehensively for the recent graduates.

The distribution of academic background indicates diverse representation among respondents. The largest group is from Science/Medical (28.3%), followed by Business/Management (21.3%) and Arts/Humanities (20%), reflecting strong participation from both professional and general disciplines. Social Sciences stand on 15% and Engineering/Technology with 14% contributed particularly, while 1.3% is from the other fields. This emphasises a mix academic domain, ensuring that the study captures different perspectives on perceived value and training. Education profile indicates that respondents held a Master’s degree which indicates 38.3%, followed by 33% in Bachelor’s degree. Those with Doctorate/PhD shows 14%, while 12.3% among them are completed a Diploma/Certificate. A 2.3% of the fraction are reported other qualifications. This distribution highlights that major participants possessed a higher educational background, making well-positioned to assess effectiveness of training and perceived value in alignment with S-D logic dynamic.

Descriptive Statistics

Table 2: Descriptive Statistics

The above table presents descriptive statistics of the key items of the survey, providing insights into perceptions of participants on training and its alignment with S-D logic. The mean values for all items ranged above 4.0 on a five-point scale, indicating a high agreement level among respondents. The lowest mean score was 4.08 for the item stating that the training enhanced skills and professional growth, while the highest mean score of 4.48 was recorded for collaborative discussions fostering mutual understanding. This suggests that participants value interaction and joint knowledge sharing strongly. The standard deviations, ranging between .82 and 1.16, demonstrate moderate variability, showing that while perceptions were consistently positive, individual differences in experiences existed. Overall, descriptive results indicate that training programs incorporating co-creation, structured modules, and resource integration contribute to perceived value. This supports research focus on S-D logic by emphasising value co-creation and resource integration as crucial dimensions of the effectiveness of training.

Correlation Analysis

Table 3: Correlation

The above table indicates the correlation analysis between the dependent variable, S-D logic and perceived value of training and the independent variables of co-creation, training programs, and resource integration. The results indicate a significant positive relationship across all items, with Pearson correlation coefficients ranging from .182 to .364. Although the strength of these correlations is moderate, their significance at the 0.01 and 0.05 levels confirms that the independent variables meaningfully affect the dependent construct.

Among the predictors, training sessions encouraging active participation recorded the strongest correlation (r = .364), highlighting that value co-creation through active engagement plays a central role in shaping graduates’ perceptions of training. Similarly, collaborative discussions (r = .299) and interactive elements (r = .307) also showed notable associations, reinforcing the importance of dialogue and shared responsibility in training environments. Resource integration variables, including coordination of diverse resources (r = .207) and integration of different resources (r = .229), demonstrated positive but slightly weaker correlations, indicating that while resources are essential, their effectiveness depends on their applied process within co-created experiences. Overall, findings show that co-creation and structured training activities exert a stronger influence on perceived value as compared to resource integration, aligning with S-D logic framework that emphasises collaborative value creation.

Regression Analysis

Table 4: Model Summary

Table 4 of the study reports an R value of .516 and an R² of .266, indicating that co-creation, training programs, and resource integration collectively explain 26.6% of the variance in perceived value of training. The adjusted R² of .228 indicates a moderately strong model fit. This illustrates that the selected independent variables influence S-D logic and perceived training value, though additional factors also contribute to overall outcomes.

Table 5: ANOVA

The above table shows that the ANOVA test produced an F-value of 6.870 with a significance level of p < 0.001, confirming that regression model is statistically significant. This indicates that co-creation, training programs, and resource integration collectively have a meaningful impact on S-D logic and perceived value of training. The results validate the suitability of the model in explaining variations in graduates’ perceptions of training effectiveness.

T-Test

Table 6: T-test

The above tabular illustration offers the one-sample t-test results to evaluate the significance of participants’ responses in relation to the constructs of S-D logic and perceived training value. All items produced highly significant t-values, far exceeding the critical threshold, with p < 0.001, confirming those respondents’ perceptions were not due to chance but represented consistent positive evaluations. The highest t-value (93.801) was observed for the statement on collaborative discussions fostering mutual understanding, highlighting that participants strongly endorsed interaction and joint knowledge sharing as crucial elements of training. In terms of resource integration, significant outcomes are evaluated, with coordination of diverse resources (t=72.029) and integration of resources strengthening collaboration (t=66.694), both of which exhibit strong contributions to the training value, supporting the principle of S-D logic.

Study findings demonstrate that S-D logic presents strong foundation for analysing recent graduates point of view on perceive value in the training programs. Primary data illustrate that structuring perception role gets high mean square and strong t-test value, relates to collaborations, shared responsibility and interactive element. This is also reliable with the study by Janamian et al. (2022), which highlight that the co-creation value by incorporating reciprocal and collaborative practices. The well-trained students are also able to gain the capability of lifelong learning for receiving further training and fostering skills, even after initiating their careers. 

Training programs are incorporating with co-creation, resource integration and structured modules contributes to perceived value. This fundamental foster applicability and knowledge retention, as believed by Cai and Kosaka’s (2024), that employees with pre-employment training experience stay committed to the organisational paradigm. They also have tendency to become backbone of the organisation by staying for a longer period. The finding also helps in deliver the concept that well-trained students allow organisations to remain flexible in raising requirements of employment that need progress in the technological and other factors. It also increases mobility for career development and better pay.

Training programs allow S-D logic to enhance the perceived value of learning for recent graduates through resource integration, fostering collaboration and structured design. The colleges or organisations offer teaching and training services for the students, which help them to improve their competencies and skills. It helps in employing and developing skilled labour for developing social wealth through services and goods. The study analysed that the value of skills and knowledge that students are learning from education is mainly developed in the workplace. The literature of the study also indicates that the important feature of theory related to value co-creation is that it is integrated through institutions and institutional arrangements initiated by the actors.

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