A Case Study: Gap Competency Between Mechanical Engineering Graduates of Vocational High School and The Demand in Workplace

Abstract

This study explores the workplace competencies, especially in the production machine operators, and finds the existing gap between the competency of mechanical engineering graduates of Vocational High School (Indonesian: Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan; abbreviated as VHS) and the demanded skills in the workplace. The research method employed in this research is the qualitative-explorative research method. In this research, it can be acknowledged that in a broader aspect, the competencies of the mechanical profession of motorcycles, cars, and operators of production machines can be clustered into three groups of skills: base, core, and supporting competencies. Based on the four competencies’ competency map, the vocational school graduates’ basic competencies are unfulfilled in the production workshop: (1) reading the technical drawing and (2) using the hand tools. Moreover, VHS graduates of the mechanical engineering department are still shortage of core competencies, hence still occupying at “lack of comprehension” level equal to more than 33%. On the other hand, the vocational school graduates’ supporting competency is in a minor percentage, according to the workshop’s head, chief engine operator, and senior operator in the workshop.