Industry and Education Practitioners’ Perceptions Regarding the Implementation of Work-Based Learning through Industrial Internship (WBL-II)

Abstract

The crucial problem in implementing Vocational Education on diplomas in Indonesia is the relevance of competence to industry needs, work culture, and sustainable career development. The industrial internship is one of the programs and subjects organized by Vocational Education to unravel the available chain of problems. However, the fact is that the implementation of industrial internships has not positively impacted students. This study explores industry and education practitioners' perceptions regarding applying work-based learning through an industrial internship for Vocational Education Diploma (VED). Fourteen expert practitioners were involved in data collection through semi-structured interviews. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically using NVivo 12. The findings in this study were grouped into two clusters or themes, namely the role of diploma education and the skills needed by students during internships in the automotive industry. The education sector must understand the mindset, internship orientation, program planning, career path orientation in industry, and mastery of case study competencies. Internship students must master the skills of observing, increasing efficiency, productivity, service functions and access to technology, and optimizing interactions with supervisors. The success of WBL-II is in the mutual interest of stakeholders and is integrated with the higher education curriculum. This study is an input for the professional implementation of WBL-II in the future.