Technical Vocational Education Research Articles

Student services in higher education: impact on academic success amid and after the pandemic

The influence of student support services on academic success cannot be overstated, as they play a pivotal role in shaping student performance and overall well-being. In response, educational institutions have established dedicated student affairs offices to cater to the diverse needs of students, ensuring their welfare and holistic development. In particular, during the unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic, these support services have emerged as even more vital, prompting adaptation and innovation within student affairs offices to uphold student well-being and academic progress. This study delved into the experiences of students from the College of Education at Rizal Technological University, specializing in various fields, such as a bachelor’s degree in secondary education and a bachelor’s degree in technical vocational teacher education. These students, who hailed from campuses in Mandaluyong City and Pasig City were selected based on their exposure to student support services before, during, and after the pandemic. Having completed the requisite coursework, they provided valuable insights into their competencies and experiences with support services. Utilizing a descriptive quantitative approach, this study explored students' perspectives on support services before the pandemic, shedding light on the challenges encountered and issues faced during their utilization. Furthermore, it assessed students' satisfaction levels regarding the efficacy of support services in addressing their welfare and development needs. Finally, the study examined post-pandemic changes and enhancements in student support services, offering valuable insights for ongoing improvement and adaptation in the face of evolving circumstances.

Practices Promoting the Inclusion of Adult Students with Disabilities in the Classroom: A Case of a Technical Vocational Education and Training College in Kazakhstan

Practices Promoting the Inclusion of Adult Students with Disabilities in the Classroom: A Case of a Technical Vocational Education and Training College in Kazakhstan

Exploring public knowledge on technical vocational education in Ghana

The study examined the public’s knowledge of Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) in the Ayawaso-West Municipality, located in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Qualitative methods were employed to investigate the societal understanding of TVET, utilizing key informant interviews and focus group discussions. A purposive sampling technique was employed to select thirty-six (36) participants. Key informant interviews involved twelve individuals, consisting of ten parents and two school personnel. Additionally, three focus group discussions were conducted, with eight students participating in each group. Data was analysed through the lens of Solomon Eliot Asch’s theory of impression formation, which centres on beliefs and information availability. The limited public information and beliefs surrounding TVET serve as the foundation for downgrading the subsector. As the theory suggests, societal or public actions are based on the beliefs and information available to them. The results revealed two main themes: awareness and misconceptions regarding TVET. It was further revealed that while people are familiar with TVET and understand its importance, there exist misconceptions that TVET is only intended for specific groups within society. The study recommends that the government should actively engage in public awareness campaigns to highlight the significance of TVET.

An Analysis of How TVET is Playing a Significant Role in Fostering Students’ Skills and Competencies in South Africa

It is generally acceptable that the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) plays a vital role in all aspects of the economy and the society at large in that it is a viable transformative tertiary educational institution for promoting and realising the South African government's developmental strategy and agenda. Essentially, it seeks to ensure that learners who failed to secure admission to the university still have the opportunity to go to tertiary institutions where they will learn and acquire skills and competency that will make them employable, be self-employed and become employers by creating jobs. Also, this paper shows that in the quest for economic growth and development, TVET has moved to the forefront of political changes aimed at eliminating poverty, unemployment, and inequality. More importantly, TVET positioned itself to address the government's developmental challenges and difficulties through the provision of high-quality education to students to skill and empower them. Against this backdrop, TVET continues to be a reliable institution to train and educate young people to build the ideal of a democratic developmental state. Received: 5 July 2023 / Accepted: 21 April 2024 / Published: 5 May 2024

Political Participation of Business Organizations in the Construction of the Technical Vocational Education and Training System in Costa Rica between 1980 and 2021

Political Participation of Business Organizations in the Construction of the Technical Vocational Education and Training System in Costa Rica between 1980 and 2021

Building aspiring teachers' capabilities, professional and skill development: Auspice to quality teaching practice in technical vocational education and training institutions

AbstractThere is an increasing need to train and retrain personnel that would be saddled with the capabilities, professional and skill developmental requirement that meets societal needs. In this case, there is need for adequately trained personnel that will bridge the gap between societal needs; industrial needs with classroom instructions and vice versa. Therefore, this study examines the influence of building aspiring teachers' capabilities, professional and skill development as an auspice to quality teaching activities in technical vocational education and training institutions. Samples were selected using a multistage sampling technique. The collected data from 945 aspiring teachers was analysed using empirical analysis with AMOS SPSS v.23. Hayes PROCESS macro was used for mediation analyses. The result of the study indicated that self‐efficacy and professional skills with knowledge of instructional delivery and personal capabilities have strong significant linkage. There is also a mediating interaction of attention to relationship on the relationship between constructive teaching and personal capabilities. TVET institutions should ensure continuous professional development by concentrating on the requirements concerning teaching and learning, individual resources and social support for coping with various requirements.

Comparing PrEP initiation rates by service delivery models among high risk adolescent boys and young men in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: findings from a population-based prospective study

IntroductionPre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an HIV prevention strategy that can reduce the risk of HIV acquisition by more than 90% if taken consistently. Although South Africa has been implementing PrEP since 2016, initially for selected population groups before expanding access to more people, there is a dearth of research focused on PrEP among adolescent boys and young men (ABYM), despite them experiencing high rates of HIV infection. To address this gap, we compared PrEP initiation rates by service delivery points (SDPs) among ABYM in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.MethodsWe conducted a population-based prospective study in 22 SDPs from July 2021 to July 2022 in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Sexually active ABYM aged 15–35 years who tested HIV negative were recruited at purposively selected PrEP SDPs (i.e., healthcare facilities, secondary schools and Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges, and community-based youth zones). We collected baseline quantitative data from each participant using self-administered electronic questionnaires built into REDCap, including demographic information such as age, sex, employment status and level of education, as well as PrEP initiation outcomes. We extracted data from REDCap and exported it to Stata version 17.0 for analysis, and then eliminated discrepancies and removed duplicates. We described baseline characteristics using summary and descriptive statistics (median, interquartile range [IQR] and proportions) and reported PrEP initiation proportions overall and by SDPs.ResultsThe study included 1104 ABYM, with a median age of 24 years (interquartile range (IQR): 21–28)). Almost all participants were black African (n = 1090, 99%), with more than half aged 15–24 years (n = 603, 55%) and 45% (n = 501) aged 25–35 years. The majority (n = 963; 87%) had attained a secondary level of education. Overall PREP initiation rate among adolescent boys and young men was low: among 1078 participants who were eligible for PrEP, 13% (n = 141) were started on PrEP. Among the participants who were initiated on PrEP, over three quarters (78%, n = 58) were initiated from high schools, compared with community-based youth zones (40%, n = 37), TVET colleges (26%, n = 16) and healthcare facilities (4%, n = 30).ConclusionsThis study provided evidence suggesting that expanding PrEP services to non-traditional settings, such as high schools, TVET colleges, and community-based organizations, may have a potential to increase PrEP access among ABYM in South Africa.

Student Attraction and Marketing Strategies in a Technical National Institute: A Brazilian Case Study

Purpose: This case study analyzes how management strategies for higher technical-vocational education are used to attract students, based on institutional marketing, and how they were put into practice in the MarketIFPI project of the FIPI-Campus Oeiras. Method: This descriptive and interpretative investigation used participant observation, analysis of documents and field notes. Results and Discussion: The main results indicate that the organizational culture, the involvement of the project team and the financial investment for institutional dissemination represented the main key points for the success of the project. Research Implications: Actions that promote the interaction of potential students with the institution tend to generate a greater increase in the number of requests. Paradoxically, actions that involve a lot of effort on the part of civil servants tend to generate less commitment from them. In addition, the less the implementation of command-and-control mechanisms for employee performance, the less will be their involvement. Originality/Value: This research provide important practical contributions for higher education institutions, especially public and campuses located in the interior, to develop and implement effective strategies for attracting new students and establish mechanisms for the management of institutional projects that keep their campuses competitive and do not impede the offering of their courses.

Can vocational interests of students be used to recruit suitable candidates for teacher training programmes in technical vocational education and training in Germany?

PurposeIn Germany, various approaches have been taken to tackle the current teacher shortage in technical and vocational education and training (TVET). One attempt to remedy the shortage in Bavaria has been the introduction of an engineering education study programme at universities of applied sciences. Ideal candidates for this programme should have an interest in both engineering and social interaction. For effective recruitment, therefore, it is necessary to know applicants’ characteristics such as their vocational interests. In this study, the vocational interest profiles of students in TVET teacher training programmes were identified and their interest profiles and further characteristics were compared with those of other VET students at universities and universities of applied sciences.Design/methodology/approachAn online questionnaire based on Holland’s interest theory and adapted from the Allgemeiner-Interessen-Struktur-Test-3 (interest structure test) was administered to 85 students in TVET teacher training programmes at universities and universities of applied sciences in Bavaria. Items regarding reasons for choosing a particular study programme, university location and other personal details were added.FindingsThe vocational interest profiles of students at universities and universities of applied sciences can be described as similar but weakly differentiated. Insights are provided by the characteristics of students such as the majority being first-time academics in the family. The reasons for choosing the degree programme and university location highlight the fact that a large proportion of students in engineering education would not have chosen a teaching-related degree programme if it had not been offered at the respective university of applied sciences.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the sample in this study was small and, therefore, limiting, it represented a high proportion of TVET teacher training students in Bavaria and a substantial proportion of first-year students in TVET teacher training programmes at universities and universities of applied sciences in Bavaria (section 2.2 and 3.1). Thus, the findings provide valuable insights into commonalities in interest profiles between engineering education students at universities of applied sciences and other TVET students at universities. With respect to the domain of the chosen vocational specialisation, differentiated profiles emerged that, for example, showed a stronger artistic orientation among students in construction technology/wood. For further analysis, the previous variable-centred orientation of the analysis can be supplemented by person-centred analyses (e.g. cluster analysis and latent variable mixture modelling, LVMM) (cf. Leon et al., 2021).Practical implicationsThe findings in this study reveal the potential for attracting candidates to universities of applied sciences if they prefer to study in rather rural areas close to their hometowns. With the aim to educate prospective teachers for future work not only in metropolitan regions but in rural areas too, offering bachelor degree programmes in rural areas would seem promising. A regional option can boost the recruitment of new students and attract candidates that otherwise would be unable to pursue studies or a career as a teacher in vocational education. The results of this study and those of previous studies suggest that universities of applied sciences can cooperate with universities to help solve the teacher shortage problem.Social implicationsOverall, it is apparent that the students' interests reached comparatively high values in all interest orientations and thus are only weakly differentiated. If undifferentiated profiles indicate low levels of career readiness, this significantly affects the recruitment of young people for the teaching profession. Assessing career orientation and promoting vocational interests should be prioritised during secondary school education. Vocational orientation measures are essential and should provide insight into typical activities of daily work life in different professions and thus pique and foster interests.Originality/valueThis study provides insight into how to respond to the teacher shortage in VET by identifying important characteristics of engineering education students using vocational interest profiling.

Implementing communication technologies to enhance learning efficiency at a technical vocational education and training college in Cape Town

This paper explores the impact of extending instructional time at technical vocational education and training (TVET) colleges using WhatsApp's mobile social network (MSN) application. In South Africa, there is relatively little discussion on extending instructional time within the TVET sector, yet instructional time loss is consistently mentioned as one of the most significant challenges. During the study, the subject of Computer Programming was examined in light of poor learner performance. This study employed mixed-methods research following a pragmatic paradigm to formulate educational policies potentially dealing with TVET instructional time losses in South Africa. Data were collected from two TVET centres (FB1 and FB2) involving two lecturers and 48 students in Cape Town. Despite the study's mixed results, qualitative data reflected the need to extend instructional time and improve the efficiency of applications like WhatsApp. Quantitative data reflected an overall percentage pass rate of 56% and 100% for FB2 and FB1, respectively. The messaging application, however, has challenges, such as disrupting conversations. By participating in learner WhatsApp groups, the paper believes lecturers can reap positive benefits from these initiatives. This study adds voice to mixed-method practices. To maximise pedagogical efficiency, this study recommends that educators provide practical guidance on using MSN applications to increase instruction time.

Insider perspectives on systematic provision of quality technical vocational education and training in Zimbabwean tertiary institutions

Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is defined as an educational process that focuses on the acquisition of practical skills, and an understanding of technologies and related sciences necessary for employment in a particular occupation or trade. The implementation of TVET is on the premise that students develop the requisite skills necessary to increase their employability and for the development of the economy through entrepreneurship. The study sought to ascertain the challenges and proffered strategies of attaining TVET programmes in Zimbabwean tertiary institutions. A qualitative approach was used, and a case study design employed. Two research questions guided the study. The data collection instruments were interviews, document analysis and focus group discussions. The participants were selected through purposive sampling. The study revealed the following challenges: lack of TVET training facilities, poor teaching methods, poor funding, deplorable facilities, and routine assessment of students' competencies. The following strategies were proffered: deliberate continual professional development of TVET lecturers, provision of adequate training facilities, and mobilisation of the requisite financial resources. It was recommended that central government, policymakers, and all TVET providers should deliberately focus on strengthening quality assurance in all the TVET tertiary institutions.

Factors Affecting Students’ Low-Enrolment in Vocational Technical Education Post-Graduate Programmes in Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria

Factors Affecting Students’ Low-Enrolment in Vocational Technical Education Post-Graduate Programmes in Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria

KEPERLUAN KEMAHIRAN INSANIAH ABAD KE-21 TERHADAP KESEDIAAN KERJAYA PELAJAR

The primary objective of Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is to generate human capital that is capable of meeting the demands of the market today. TVET institution have a difficult time making sure that students are ready for the difficulties if the modern workforce, which is focused on digitalization and technological proficiency. This is due to the fact that industries need career-ready people to guarantee that work scopes can be implemented successfully, supporting the nation’s economic expansion. The moderate degree of soft skill mastery among students is one of the things that makes them unprepared for the workforce. One of the factors that companies take into account to make sure a candidate is prepared for a profession is whether or not they exhibit soft skills. In addition to making sure that students are prepared for occupations related to their fields of study, the mastery of soft skills by students must also meet the demands of 21st century careers. In order to generate human capital that is responsive to employment requirements, this concept paper addresses students’ preparedness for jobs from the standpoint of the 21st century soft skills needed to meet employer demands. This study uses a quantitative methodology and a survey design that includes students in Vocational Colleges as repondents. Employers in 21st century are looking for people with a variety of soft skills including flexibility and adaptability skills, initiative and self-direction skills, social and cross-cultural skills, productivity and accountability skills as well as leadership and responsibility skills.

Alternance Training Strategies Implementation Project in Professional Technical Secondary Education

Vocational technical education is one of the fundamental pillars that governs the educational system, its strengthening is a task assumed by the Ministry of Education through the implementation of the National Vocational Technical Training Policy carried out by practice through the National Strategy for Vocational Technical Training (1). There are multiple challenges involved in carrying out actions to promote and generate instances of participation and decision-making that enable the involvement of all actors. To articulate the educational system and economic development In this sense, professional technical high schools with a specialty in early childhood care assume a strategic and preponderant role in the educational sector, since the young people who study the specialty put into practice what they have learned in classrooms and workshops, allowing them to effectively enter the world of work, access their professional practice and enter higher education. And, in most cases, be an agent of change at the family level to socioeconomically improve the reality of their homes. For this reason, Chile needs to have mid-level nursery care technicians who will allow it to address the challenges of its own development and its growing participation in the preschool care system, with demands of greater added value, dynamic and challenging. In this scenario, alternation training will not only strengthen the specific technical skills of the specialty, but also the capacity for innovation, entrepreneurship, teamwork, and a set of transversal skills that will prepare students to perform in multiple areas of education.

ALTERNANCE Training Strategies Implementation Project in Professional Technical Secondary Education

Professional technical education is one of the fundamental pillars that governs the educational system, its strengthening is a task assumed by him Ministry of Education through the implementation of the National Vocational Technical Training Policy taken to the practice through National Strategy for Vocational Technical Training. Are multiple the challenges involved in carrying out actions to promote and generate instances of participation and decision-making that enable the involvement of all actors to articulate the educational system and the economic development. In this sense, the professional technical schools with nursery care specialty assume a strategic and predominant role in the educational sector, since the young people who attend the specialty, they put in practice what was learned in classrooms and workshops them allow insertion indeed in the world of work, access your practice professional and insert in the higher education. And in the most cases, be an agent of change at the family level to improve socioeconomically the reality of their homes. For this reason, Chile needs to have technicians in level nursery care means that allow us to address the challenges of your own development and its growing stake in the care system preschool, with demands of greater added value, dynamic and challenging. In this scenario, the alternation training will not only strengthen the specific technical skills specialty, but also the innovation capacity, entrepreneurship, work as a team, and a set of skills transversal courses that will prepare the students to perform in multiple areas of education.

Praktisk yrkesopplæring på nett: En case-studie av yrkesfaglæreres undervisningspraksis under covid-19-pandemien

The purpose of this article is to develop knowledge about the experiences of technical vocational education and training teachers in Norway during the covid-19 school closures in the spring and autumn of 2020. Data has been obtained through an electronic questionnaire with open, text-based answers. 18 vocational teachers participated in the survey, which shows that the closure had major consequences for vocational students in the technological education programs. The home school’s narrow framework conditions made it difficult to replace the school’s practical workshop and hands-on training. The study shows that the closure has triggered major differences in how vocational training was carried out. While some students only participated in digital home school, other students were able to have more practice in firms and enterprises than in ordinary school life. Excluded from school, training firms, and leisure activities, many students felt lonely and passive and some were eventually in danger of dropping out of school. The study shows that the vocational teachers took extensive responsibility and worked hard to find relevant and practical tasks for their students in the crisis that arose. One-to-one conversations between teacher and student as well as a close school-home collaboration became decisive for the students' experience of social and professional belonging.

Assessing the Symbiotic Relationship between National Development Plan 2030 and the Technical Vocational Education and Training Colleges National Certificate Vocational (NCV) programme

Despite the successes that are liberating South Africans and changing educational policies, many citizens are still trapped in poverty and chronic unemployment, and the country remains a highly unequal society. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore the nature of the symbiotic relationship between the Technical; Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Colleges National Certificate; Vocational (NCV) programme; and NDP 2030 objectives. The qualitative research approach was adopted with a Case study design. Purposive sampling was used to select eight TVET college lecturers. The interpretive paradigm was used to describe the nature of the relationship the college has with other stakeholders. Data was collected through individual semi-structured interviews and analysed through a thematic approach. The findings revealed a lack of communication, poor relationships with relevant stakeholders, and infrastructural and resources as attributes that impede practices within TVET colleges. The other major challenge that emerged from this study is the lack of a responsive policy system which compromises practices within TVET colleges. Based on empirical evidence, it was recommended that the college requires a fully responsive TVET policy and synergistic efforts, pulling all resources together in achieving these objectives. The ultimate outcome contributes key knowledge that advances proper communication and a healthy relationship with different stakeholders that should be established and maintained for the success of TVET colleges. Keywords: Symbiotic Relationship, Development, National Development Plan (NDP)

Methodological framework for developing pragmatic communication competence in English to students from vocational technical education ISCED 4

The 21st century require certain demands regarding employment on the labor market. An imperative orientation, in this context, is communication. Effective communication is an essential element in any workplace, or the current global context of the labor market requires employees the ability to communicate in a globally used language - English. Employers evaluate not only the language skills of the candidates, but also their ability to adapt to various professional communication situations: to share ideas, ask questions and answer questions appropriately, in other words they evaluate the competence of pragmatic communication in English language - an imperative requirement in the current context for the professional career. Starting from this idea, the professional-technical education has the duty to develop students’ competence of pragmatic communication in English, to be future specialists in various fields. This article presents the methodological framework for training the competence of pragmatic communication in English for students in ISCED 4 vocational technical education, which represents a scientific-didactic construct created out of theories, principles, didactic methods and learning tasks.

Assessing the Distance Teaching-Learning Experience in Higher Technical-Vocational Education in Chile

This study aimed to validate a multidimensional instrument for assessing distance teaching-learning. It combined factors measuring motivation with instructional material and the teaching-learning experience with peers and teachers. The instrument was administered to 2,984 higher education students in Chile, demonstrating its statistical validity and adequate fit indicators. Consequently, this instrument can confidently evaluate online learning in higher education.

An understanding of school libraries within the technical vocational education and training system: Chile’s CRA school libraries

An understanding of school libraries within the technical vocational education and training system: Chile’s CRA school libraries