THE LIFE AND CAREER SKILLS AMONG TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING (TVET) STUDENTS

Authors

  • Nurhanim Saadah Abdullah University Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61841/2s7ygj87

Keywords:

21st Century Education,, Life and Career Skills,, Transferable Skills,, TVET

Abstract

Unemployment is one of the problems faced in many countries. A gap between the skills required by employers and possessed by graduates is one of the factors of unemployment. In such situations, it is important to investigate whether life and career skills are being embedded by higher education institutions, especially in technical and vocational education since it provides a semi-skilled and skilled workforce to compete in the global labor market. This study was conducted to investigate the differences between life and career skills among technical and vocational education and training (TVET) students in different departments in Malaysia. The quantitative research involves TVET students who enrolled in diploma programs at polytechnics in Malaysia. There were five departments involved in this study, namely the Electrical Engineering Department (EE), the Mechanical Engineering Department (ME), the Civil Engineering Department (CE), the Department of Commerce (COMM) and the Tourism and Hospitality Department (TH). A total sample of 821 diploma students from three types of polytechnics (Premier, Conventional and METrO) was selected using a disproportionate sampling method. Data was collected using a questionnaire with Likert Scale 5, consisting of 80 items. The collected data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) program version 21 with an analysis of variance (ANOVA) used as statistical analysis. The finding suggested that students in the five different departments possessed no difference in productivity and accountability skills, and responsibility and leadership skills. Meanwhile, students from the five different departments have similarities in terms of initiative, self-direction, social and cross-cultural skills. Different departments have their ways of embedding their teaching and learning process towards their students. This study may be used to promote and assist in higher education, specifically polytechnics and industries to improve and enhance TVET programs. The students should be provided with training and skills to survive in the real working environment.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

1. Trilling, B., & Fadel, C. (2009). 21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in Our Times. Jossey-Bass. John Wiley & Sons. Retrieved from http://www.hrdcentral.com/21st-century-skills-learning-for-life-in-our- times.html/.

2. Hassan, R. (2010). Strengthening technical and vocational education (TVET)-producing innovative TVET teachers for 21st-century students. Eprints.uthm.edu.my. Retrieved from http://eprints.uthm.edu.my/3243/.

3. Yunos, J. M., Rubani, S. N. K., Alias, M., Sumarwati, S., Yunus, F. A. N., Hamid, H. and Rizal, F. (2019). Vocational pedagogical decisions of Malaysian and Indonesian non-engineering TVET teachers” Journal of Technical Education and Training, 11 (3).

4. Malaysian Qualification Agency. (2011). Malaysian Qualifications Framework. Retrieved June 24, 2015, from http://www.mqa.gov.my/portal2012/default/bm/mqf.cfm

5. Department of Polytechnic Studies. (2014). Student Admission Division Portal, Department of Polytechnic Studies. Retrieved January 30, 2016, from http://www.politeknik.edu.my/portalbpp/index.asp?pg=program&kat=dp.

6. Husain, M., Mustapha, R., Mohamad, Malik, S. A., & Mokhtar, S. (2014). Engineering Lecturer's Perceptions of Empowerability of Technical Institution Engineering Students: A Case Study. First Technical and Vocational Education International Seminar 2014 (TVEIS 2014).

7. Robinson, J. (2000). What are employability skills? The Workplace, 1 (3): 1–3.

8. Zaharim, A., Yusoff, Y., Omar, M. Z., & Mohamed, A. (2009). Perceptions and Expectation Toward Engineering Graduates by Employers: A Malaysian Study Case. Advances in Engineering Education, 6(9), 296–305.

9. International Labour Organization. (2014). Where is the unemployment rate the highest in 2014? Retrieved fromhttp://www.ilo.org/global/research/global-reports/global-employment- trends/2014/WCMS_233936/lang--en/index.htm.

10. Statistician Malaysia Department of Statistics, M. (2014). Monthly Release of Labor Statistics, Malaysia, November 2013, (November 2014), 5.

11. Lim, C. (2007). Educational research: Quantitative and qualitative approaches. McGraw-Hill Education.

12. Laerd, D. (2012). Stratified random sampling. Retrieved January 19, 2015, from http://dissertation.laerd.com/stratified-random-sampling.php.

13. Gut, D. (2011). Integrating 21st-century skills into the curriculum. Bringing Schools into the 21st Century. Retrieved from http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-007-0268-4_7.

14. Ministry of Higher Education. (2012). The National Graduate Employability Blueprint 2012-2017.

Downloads

Published

30.06.2020

How to Cite

Abdullah, N. S. (2020). THE LIFE AND CAREER SKILLS AMONG TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING (TVET) STUDENTS. International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation, 24(7), 3335-3345. https://doi.org/10.61841/2s7ygj87