Technical And Vocational Education

skillful And vocational fosteringThe suppuration of Technical and Vocational Education and educate has clearly been seen as a key to carry poverty decrement and socio-economic training in Cambodia, as defined in the Rectangle St treasuregy of the purplish Government of Cambodia (RGC) and the five-year National Strategic ripening Plan (NSDP) 2006-2010. These show a commitment to skills development. The National T ex-serviceman Development Plan, 2006-2011, compar fittedwise identifies the TVET sector as an beta element in ei at that placeviating poverty, promoting peace, conserving the environment, improving the prime(a) of breeding for either, and helping pass sustainable development in Cambodia. However, Cambodias trustworthy TVET system is facing nigh(prenominal) critical issues such as overlook of access to formal reading on a national basis, washy links with fabrication, lack of entrepreneurial focus, poor feel control, inadequate institutional financin g, depression rates of entropy and communication technology (ICT) usage and depleted capacity of TVET teachers, which pre direct expressage the quantity and role of system come outputs for years (e.g., Asian Development money box ADB, 2009 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO, 2004b International Project on Technical and Vocational Education UNEVOC, 1997).With the critical richness of the TVET sector, the TVET broadcast must be well prep atomic number 18d for the success of scholarly persons at the work arse. It can nasty the difference in the midst of success and failure for TVET assimilators in terms of suppositional friendship and technical skills as well as being informed with new technologies in the workplace (African Union, 2007). Similarly, Ben-Peretz (2009) specified the shallow curriculum as one of three critical domains of statement, which should prepargon students for their future success.As account by United Nations D evelopment Program (UNDP) (2011) one of the close brisk aspects of facts of life is to produce a workforce which is skillful and able to learn returns on their development and for the overall frugality when they ar in their cargoners. Therefore, the rearing system must be able to understand the needs and necessities of the providence and modernise learners for their economic lives (UNDP, 2011). However, TVET curricula book non foc utilize their relevance to the requirements of the press market in m some(a)what(prenominal) countries and in other nations, for various reasons, employers or managers may prefer to hire unskilled workers or donnish graduates and digest on-the-job training programs (Maclean Lai, 2011).There do not seem to be strong gains and work development in Cambodia (UNDP, 2011). Additionally, the balance amongst supposition and practice has shifted in recent years. There seems to be a gaucherie somewhat the (under)graduates perceptions of the re levance of TVET curriculum to their existing jobs. However, this anecdotal randomness was wholly heard second-hand from employers. That is, umteen employers in Cambodia collapse complained about the curriculum match that most graduates from universities and technical trains atomic number 18 not well equipped with familiarity and skills needed at workplace, especially soft skills (ADB, 2009 UNDP, 2011).Actually, the importance of deal of (under)graduates perceptions of their playing field programs helps to rectify the tint of TVET curriculum, and could be key for TVET curriculum reform as conducted in many countries (e.g., Lubasha Tripathi, 2012 Singh Singh, 2008). Indeed, the value of surveying the perceptions of students on the relevance of the field program is something that the obligingise committee should consider as being of hardheaded importance to our own teaching manneral institution. The lack of feedback from students may probably feature been problema tic to the school curricular that were intended to offer fellowship and skills for the valet de chambre of work. Since thither is little schooling about students perceptions on the curricular in Cambodian TVET especially at my workplace, my interpret on this exit imparting serving as a helpful source for TVET curriculum development and melioratement and brings the school to success in filling gaps between the curriculum twin and the needs of the industries.The take apart of student interests depart focus on graduates of a TVET institution, which is located in Phnom Penh and offers educational and training services from security measures levels to bachelor scores in business and applied science studies. The schooling go awaying be conducted in Phnom Penh, and a group of graduates of courteous engineering field between the academic years 2011-12 allow be contacted for questionnaires and individual hearing. Those graduates work in different job positions and in dif ferent companies. The survey re as put forward leave behind help to inform the leaders of the institution to look at the importance of student survey on the relevance of TVET curricular and the result result best serve for the school curriculum reform.Statement of ProblemThe match between education and meshing is critically concerning to many related stake openers. They are in any case concerned that most universities and TVET institutions have provided knowledge and skills, which are not pertinent to industries (ADB, 2009 UNDP, 2011). Therefore, as in many countries, Cambodian graduates husking it arduous to deal with the jobs available in labor market when their knowledge and skills are far different from what they have experienced in schools (e.g., Lubasha Tripathi, 2012 Singh Singh, 2008).The perceptions from students are oft neglected by many universities and TVET schools in Cambodia that is why film programs are very much constitute out of date in the watercours e serviceman of work where graduates find it hard to enter. The student voice is often silenced, just now it can be regarded as a key mirror to mull the good match of school curriculum and the industry needs.Moreover, the irrelevance of school curricula is the critical issue faced by many educational institutions in Cambodia (ADB, 2009 UNDP, 2011). Therefore, the knowledge and skills needed by employers cannot be matched when employers hire graduates to behave the jobs. Thus, there are some frustrations for employers to employ graduates who have the knowledge and skills which are unconnected to their needs. Many employers have complained about the knowledge and skills provided at schools while graduates have expressed their discontentment about what they have learned from schools.Research interrogativeGiven this background to the pack, the query subject area will propose the pas beat research question, in drift to explore and examine undergraduates perceptions of the re levance of TVET field of operation programs toward their current jobsWhat perceptions do graduates in a civilized engineering mark (the academic year 2011-12) at one Cambodian Institution hold in terms of the relevance of their studies to their current jobs?Significance of the Research believeThe focal findings of this research study will contri furthere to the shade of school curriculum development, and to the determination of the relevance of the study programs in terms of providing students with skills and knowledge required in the human beings of work in the field of civil engineering. Specifically, the study will be a helpful reference for the development of TVET character reference betterments. Furthermore, the result will provide important information to relevant stakeholders in the TVET sector in order to help create the TVET watercourse as a main prick for equipping people with extravagantly knowledge, skills and competence for their employment and employability in the competitive world. Data in the study will hope in plentiful be utilized for the improvement of curriculum and will also be utilise to determine areas of weaknesses. The findings can be engrossd as a tool to provide instructors to better master their teaching practices and to aid TVET institutions to create a database on students perceptions of their study programs. In order to execute effective changes in offering any study programs, it is bouncy to receive feedback from students who are involved in the specialised programs. Hopefully, this survey study will be a valuable asset, and its findings will also serve as a supportive document for investigators from different fields of study to use and build up their foundation knowledge of TVET students perceptions of the quality and relevance of study programs to job industries in the TVET system.Chapter TwoLiterature ReviewBy victimisation the search engine Google Scholar and the James Cook University Library search engi ne with key terms including the perceptions of TVET students, the figure of higher(prenominal) education and that education, the use of student feedback and survey, the quality of higher education and further education, the quality of higher education (HE) and TVET, the relevance of study programs to industries, and TVET, I have found and downloaded many useful materials for my literature review of my topic. Although some materials seem to be out of date, they are still useful for the research study, because they can wee-wee an overview on the topic, and they can work as a foundation of knowledge to support the literature review.The Role of Higher Education in Preparing Undergraduates for handsThe international context.An article by Haveman and Smeeding (2006) stated that most Americans expect the nations colleges and universities to enkindle the aim of social mobilization to make it possible for a student with capability to succeed. According to Mortese (2003), higher educati on can serve as a model of sustainability by fully integrating all aspects of campus life that students have experienced for their future lives. Furthermore, higher education has become a major driver of economic competitiveness in an increasingly knowledge-driven global economy when the world has faced many matters (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development OECD, 2010). To improve employment skills calls for quality teaching and holistic approaches within universities (OECD, 2010 Ben-Peretz, 2009). National and international discussions like the Bologna Process, regarding state regulations and incentives, as well as aspiration among private and state-run institutions all urge universities and educational and technical providers to put quality teaching on their agenda (OECD, 2010). In addition, national quality self-assertion agencies push for reflection on the subject, even if their influence is controversial. Since higher education systems are increasingly diversif ying, society is increasingly concerned about the quality of study programs offered to their consumers. This is not only the grapheme in the academic stream, neverthe slight is the case in the TVET stream.As many relevant stakeholders have recognized the importance of the study program in preparing students for jobs, Lauglo (2006) explained that TVET curricular refer to metrical interventions to bring about learning which would make people more originative (or simply adequately productive) in be afterated areas of economic activity (e.g., economic sectors, occupations, specific work tasks) (p. 11). This is because TVET has its outstanding potential to get up human capabilities and enlarge peoples choices (Ayuba and Pascal, n.d.). Therefore, the education system must be able to understand the needs and necessities of the economy and specify learners for their economic lives (UNDP, 2011). Additionally, Klimek (2010) noticed that a skill refers to an ability to perform a parti cular mental or physical activity that may be developed through vocational training or practice. Klimek (2010) also noted that vocational education and training provides people with occupational or work-related knowledge and skills. TVET also includes programs which provide the basis for subsequent vocational programs (p. xxviii).Therefore, TVET curricular are designed and developed as an education alternative to prepare students for the world of work (Klimek, 2010 Ayuba Pascal, n.d.). The changing demands of the workforce in the 21st deoxycytidine monophosphate have created great ambitious problems for TVET providers to respond quickly and efficiently to the continually changing skills requirements of the industries (Rafik, Treadwell, Triki, Gupta, Najah, n.d.). This is important if developed countries are to stay competitive and challenging but it is even more important for developing countries to catch up and fill the gap with the industrialized world (Rafik et al., n.d.). Th ese challenges have resulted in increase debates and demanding solutions on developing better and more effective TVET systems that satisfy the national needs (Rafik et al., n.d.).The Cambodian context.The state of the higher education system in Cambodia, consisting of both university education and vocational and technical training, is largely formed by three factors actually disparate organization mechanisms, poor quality output, and low enrolment (UNDP, 2011). These three factors are greatly slowing down the advancement of higher education and more capable human resources in the unharmed country, and there should be a major concentrated pointedness when lying-in reforms in education. A total number of eleven ministries and agencies which provide higher education service thus have access to the public education budgets of Cambodia (UNDP, 2011). The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS) and the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training (MoLVT) are the two most importa nt ministries regarding higher education in Cambodia, and while the Cambodian Education Law states that MoEYS is responsible for general, higher and vocational education, it does not provide any explanation for the role of MoLVT, which has resulted in a high level of challenges, and validity in developing strong cooperation links between these Ministries in providing educational and training services to learners (UNDP, 2011). Understandably, this makes coordination of the higher education system very ticklish for the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) to take actions on this issue.There are 38 public TVET institutions spread over 24 provinces of Cambodia under the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training and many NGOs, large-and-small enterprises, local centers, and other relevant stakeholders also hold out TVET practice on a very small and localized carapace with few exceptional cases (National TVET Development Plan, 2008). However, NGOs move in and out of skills training, dep ending on donor funds availability and/or donor interest.At present, there are approximately 12 national NGOs that run institution-based skills training courses (National TVET Development Plan, 2008). The public TVET provision does not fully meet the need for staple and mid-level skills in the formal and informal economies, of NGOs and other local private centers, like Don Bosco schools, TAYAMA Business school, and EDC Training Center help to fill gaps. overlook of access to formal training on a national basis, weak links with industry, lack of entrepreneurial focus, poor quality control, and inadequate institutional financing continue to limit the quantity and quality of system outputs. Pich (2010) indicated a number of students are smaller in the TVET system than that in the academic stream while the employers need technical knowledge and skills for their business practices. This is the mismatch between higher education and the needs of industries, concerned by many stakeholders if the availability of solutions is not at hand (UNDP, 2011).In summary, we can say that the quality in TVET in Cambodia is low. There should be coordination amongst these ministries to link the educational services to match the requirements of the industries while the relevance of curricular seems to be low when graduates tend to work (UNDP, 2011 ADB, 2009).The Use of Student Feedback for Curriculum Development in Higher EducationThe international context.Authorities in higher and TVET education often use student feedback as a mechanism to improve course content and delivery. In the TVET sector internationally, survey questionnaires have been apply to explore stakeholder perceptions of the quality of TVET education and of the match between the skills of graduates and the needs of industry. For rice beer (2008), it is ideal that feedback results are use to assert the strengths and find out areas of improvements in organization.As the practice of survey research is important, Lubash a and Tripathi (2012) surveyed stakeholders perceptions in VET programs in Tanzania, which are relevant to the quality all stakeholders may think, while Singh and Singh (2008) in the first place focused on employability skills in Malaysia. Both studies have aimed at the improvement of study programs offered at educational and training institutions in order to see the quality of education and training as the key for graduates to be employable after they graduate from schools (Lubasha Tripathi, 2012 Singh Singh, 2008). In the study, Lubasha and Tripathi (2012) found that the determinants of quality in the VET programs such as the quality of VET programs, the relevance of VET programs to employment trends and entrepreneurship, and the perception of delivering the quality VET programs, which are critical for improving the quality of education provided by VET programs in Tanzania. The survey result of Singh Singh (2008) indicated that importantly employers tend to hire local graduat es from public universities to non-public graduates. This is because they believe that public graduates have the knowledge and skills they need for their business.Another survey study of 434 TVET graduates in gold coast which was through by Dasmani (2011) indicated that limited teaching and learning facilities for instructors and learners, large physique sizes, and weak linkages with employers can lead to poor training and education of students. Dasmani (2011) added that this lack of preparation for the job entries put more pressure and working place difficulties to those graduates. This means that the survey finding is not only important for universities, but it also helps to inform TVET institutions about the perceptions of employers and students whether the TVET programs are at best quality to fill the gaps. It can also serve as an informant in offering better quality TVET programs. Therefore, many countries (e.g., Australia, England, Wales, and so forth) have created alter res earch centers for VET and HE (Chalmers, 2007) and many international conferences are organize each year to disseminate and share the results of research in this area, in order to help the TVET sector to be flexible in the world of work (Rafik et al., n.d.). Rafik et al. (n.d.) also added that the main aims of this survey research are (a) to ask the current skills gaps in the Libyan manufacturing sector (b) to make recommendations to the national TVET providers to enhance the skills they provide and (c) to make recommendations to establish systems that improves the responsiveness of the TVET providers to the emergent needs of the industry (p. 1).Like the above points by Rafik et al. (n.d.), Chalmers (2007) claimed that experience, satisfaction and engagement of each student can be reached through victimization survey practice. Additionally, Chalmers (2007) recognized that using national student surveys are intended to demonstrate trustfulness and worthwhileness of study programs, a nd to explicitly articulate a particular view on what constitutes the quality of teaching and learning through student perceptions. Therefore, how the survey results can be used for the evidence-based curriculum development and improvement (Chalmers, 2007 Rafik et al, n.d.).The Cambodian context.As discussed in the global context, the survey of student feedback or perceptions is a useful tool in order to make school curricular change in according to the needs of industries. However, at this Cambodian TVET institutions, the survey of students perceptions and feedback is not so far conducted although survey research can give the school a great deal of information from labor market and industries. Because no surveys have been done or published on student perceptions in Cambodia, it is difficult to find the literature review to support the research study.As seen recently at the Cambodian TVET institution, the school management team has used the tele earphone survey on graduates whether those graduates hold job positions. The result of the telephone survey has been unbroken secretly. Furthermore, student surveys on teacher teaching have been done, but no survey on student perceptions on the relevance of the study program. Although information from student feedback can help the school make reform the school curriculum in order to keep abreast with the needs of industries, this case is absent from the school. The action of keeping old curricular is the weak point that should be urgently considered if the school is in the competitive world of providing technical services to students.Chapter ThreeMethodologyAs the topic of this study suggests, the study is a type of a survey research. Survey research is sometimes used by schools or other stakeholders of the related fields in order to get feedback from graduates, and which can be excellent vehicles for measuring opinions and orientations in a large population (Rubin Babbie, 2011). In order to get a racy understandin g of perceptions of TVET graduates through survey research, this study will use the soft and quantitative data collection rules to get both primary feather and secondary data. The use of mixed method actings is to build the synergy and strength that exists between quantitative and qualitative research methods to understand a phenomenon more fully that is possible using either quantitative or qualitative just (Gay, Mills Airsian, 2009, p. 462). Creswell (2009) also highlighted that most police detectives use a mixed methods design because they want to enlarge understanding by integrating both qualitative and quantitative research, or they want to better understand, explain or build the results from this approach.In this research, the following sampling methods, data collection methods, terminus ad quems of methods, data analysis, good issues, and other cases will be raised and discussed in detail in order to capture the practice of the whole research methodology of the study. taste MethodsBerg (2009) indicated that the rationale of using of subjects is to make inference about some larger population from a smaller one-the hear (p. 48). That is, it is important in quantitative research that researchers keenly consider the probability sampling method (Berg, 2009). However, for qualitative research, sampling is the process of selecting a small number of individuals for a study in such a way that the individuals chosen will be good key informants (e.g., collaborators, co-researchers) who will contribute to the researchers understanding of a habituated phenomenon (Gay et al., 2009, p. 135).Since a deep understanding of instrumentalists perspectives creates the very core of a qualitative research study, the researcher will use a purposive sampling method (one of nonprobability sampling techniques) that is, the researcher relies on his or her expert judgment to select a typical stress of the population (Gay et al., 2009 Singleton Straits, 2005). This is also because each participant is believed to be thoughtful, informative, articulate, and experienced with the area of research topic (Gay et al., 2009, p. 135). Therefore, the researcher will use homogenous sampling which is selecting participants who are very similar in experience, perspective, or outlook this produces a narrow, homogeneous sample and makes data collection and analysis simplistic (Gay et al., 2009, p. 137).As indicated above, the participants are ex-students who receive with a civil engineering degree in the academic years 2011-2012, and they are currently employees holding various positions at different companies. Thus, the researcher can purposefully access the participants in order to get the deep understanding of their opinions about the quality and relevance of their study program of civil engineering and the needs of knowledge and skills from the employers. As the purpose and importance are clearly explained by the researcher, the participants will be asked to volunteer in the research study. With this regard, they are believed to have a deep understanding of the relevance of their study programs to their current jobs.With the purposive selection of a group of graduates with a civil engineering degree in years 2011-2012, the participants with their current jobs are powerfully believed to be best for the research topic. The researcher hopes that the participants will be able to give the truths about their study program relevance to the needs of employers. However, the point of accumulation of this selection method will not be able to make a panoptic generalization of the whole population of the school because a number of participants will be small and limited to the field of engineering (Gay et al., 2009 Berg, 2009).Data Collection MethodsThe survey research method is sometimes used by many schools in order to get feedback from graduates, and it can be an excellent tool for measuring opinions and orientations in large populations (Ru bin Babbie, 2011). With the purpose of acquiring the views of undergraduates about the relevance of their study program to the needs of employers, the following research methods will be used in order to gather important data from the field.Questionnaires.A questionnaire method is widely useful to many researchers in both the private and public sectors because questionnaires can conveniently be given or sent to relevant individuals to dissolving agent or complete a number of questions, and respondents are asked to return questionnaires (Kothari, 2004 Singleton et al., 2005). They are convenient because questionnaires can comfortably be offered to the respondents, and the respondents can answer the questions on their own when they have full time to complete the whole questionnaires.Many researchers have also used the questionnaire method because questionnaires are low-cost, accessible to larger participants, extensively geographic, and free from yield from researchers (Kothari, 2 004 Creswell, 2009). Kothari (2004) and Gay et al. (2009) showed that a survey is a vehicle for collecting data describing one or more characteristics of a specific population by asking members a series of questions using questionnaire forms.In spite of the wide use of questionnaires, Kothari (2004) pointed out the main limitations of using questionnaires as follows (a) low rate of return of the duly filled in questionnaires and bias due to no-response is often indeterminate (b) it can be used only when respondents are amend and cooperating (c) the control over questionnaire may be lost once it is sent (d) there is inbuilt inflexibility because of the difficulty of amending the approach once questionnaires have been dispatched (e) there is also the possibility of ambiguous replies or omission of replies entirely to certain questions interpretation of omissions is difficult (f) it is difficult to know whether willing respondents are truly representative and (g) this method is likel y to be the slowest of all (p. 101).In light of the above reasons, the researcher will cautiously prepare the general form, the question sequence, and question formulation and words in the coordinate questionnaires as the researcher is not experienced with the use the survey questionnaires (Kothari, 2004). In the questionnaires, the researcher will focus on the following points demographic data, the quality of study programs, the relevance of the study programs to the jobs, and the participants perceptions of their jobs in terms of study programs. These points will help the researcher to answer the research questions about understanding the perceptions of undergraduates about the relevance of their study programs to their current jobs.With help of a lecturer from well-bred Engineering Department and a list of graduates of civil engineering degree in years 2011-2012, the researcher will contact graduates through phone calls and emails in order for volunteering for answering and com pleting the questionnaires. According to Gay et al. (2009), the sample size for survey research is common between 10% and 20% of the whole population because the population of this research is about 250. However, the researcher will ask 120 graduates who have jobs, and they will be given questionnaires to voluntarily answer and complete the questionnaires with their honesty and kindness in case that some of respondents will not return questionnaires. The participants themselves will administer the questionnaires. Nonetheless, an explanation of some questions will help the participants answer with clarity and accuracy. The questionnaires will be indite in Khmer language that all the participants can fully understand and answer those questions clearly.Individual interviews.After the researcher uses the questionnaire method, the researcher will employ the interview method that is another alternative to collect data survey. The interview method involves presentation of oral-verbal stim uli and reply in terms of oral-verbal responses (Kothari, 2004 Rubin Babbie, 2011). Furthermore, it is a tool that allows the researcher to flexibly move beyond the line of question, and it is helpful if the participants can be observed directly, and allows the participants to give more information (Creswell, 2009).With the analysis of the questionnaire results to find out the main themes of responses, the researcher can identify who the participants are for personal interviews in the second step of the research. Thus eight participants will be carefully selected through the results of questionnaires. They are representatives for civil engineering graduates because they are believed to answer the questionnaire questions accurately and have a deep understanding of the relevance of their study programs to their current jobs. Time for each participant to be interviewed will be during time break in order to avoid work interruptions.The interview method can be structured, unstructured, or semi-structured, as to allow the flexibility of questions and answers in order to fully understand graduates perceptions on the curriculum relevance to their current jobs (Williman, 2011). However, the researcher will choose to conduct the personal interview with a small number of graduates with a structured interview model. This is because the research has less experience in the research field. On the other hand, the researcher will gain a clear understanding of information from respondents when respondents understand the purpose of the interview (Kothari, 2004).Despite the advantages of using the method to go beyond simple responses from the participants, there are the limitations of this method (e.g., indirect information filtered by the views of participants, information is gathered in an arranged site rather than in a natural setting, the presence of the researcher which can bias responses, and not all the participants having equal thoughts, feelings and understanding of the same questions and topics) (Creswell, 2009). Similarly, Okojie, Okojie-Boulder and Boulder (n.d.) also added that a limitation of this method is that it can be time consuming and the truth of participant responses will be limited. Therefore, the role and art of the researcher is vital in using the method when the in-depth interviews are the key to get a full understanding of the research topic (Berg, 2009 Creswell, 2009).Ethical ConsiderationsThere will be ethical problems in research when the research deals with humans. As Williman (2001) stated that there are two aspects of ethical issues in