Message from the Chief Editor: JTET June 2017

Authors

  • Chief Editor Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia

Abstract

Welcome to issue 1, volume 9 of the Journal of Technical Education and Training (JTET).  I am happy to present nine articles in this issue that share some aspects of TVET practices in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Malawi and Nigeria. In this issue the authors share factors that can influence the quality of TVET provisions namely awareness and perception of TVET, teachers teaching standards, TVET outcomes, and continuing professional development efforts.

As TVET has been shown to play a key role in the development of many nations, formulation of National TVET goals has become the standard practice. However, having national goals do not by itself translate into achievement of these goals. Many factors can promote or hinder the achievement of the national goals as suggested by the first, second and third article. In the first article, Idris and Mbudai share their findings on the gap between the Nigerian national TVET goals and what is actually achieved which, they attribute to the TVET implementation practices.  Implementation practices can also be ineffective if there is lack of support from the public. Public support often rests on their awareness and perception of TVET. In the second article, the author, Manda presents the current situation in Malawi where they identify the lack of awareness and poor perception on TVET among the population as one of factors that hinder the achievement of national TVET goals. In addition to public awareness and support towards TVET implementation, another key factor in the successful implementation of TVET is TVET teachers. The training of TVET teachers is crucial in producing effective teachers, which can only be guided by appropriate standards for TVET teachers. In the third article by Estriyanto, Kersten, Pardjono and Sofyan, the authors discuss the need to have specific standards for TVET teachers that are different from the general education teachers. The author further identifies the elements of this standards and postulate that the establishment of such standards is the key to producing competent TVET teachers in Indonesia.

 To prepare TVET graduates for their future occupations, involving them in authentic learning environments and exposing them to the experience as early as possible in their education is important. In the fourth article, Samsuri, Mohd-Yusof and Abdul Aziz discuss such an initiative where authentic learning environments are provided during the first year of studies to help students appreciate their future career responsibilities. Ensuring graduates succeed in their early career is also the concern shared in the fifth article by Mohd Affandi et al. In this article, the authors present the essential attributes of construction management graduates as identified by practicing construction management personnel.  Knowing these attributes can help in preparing future graduates for their roles.

In addition to preparing graduates to be successful job seekers, one of the goals of TVET in Malaysia is also to prepare graduates to become entrepreneurs. In the sixth article, Suradi, M. Yasin and Rasul discuss the current efforts in preparing graduates through the support of an outside agency to embark upon entrepreneurship journey upon graduation. Upon successful completion of a programme, there are more hurdles to be overcome by TVET graduates, the first being to actually secure a suitable job. To secure a suitable job, graduates must succeed at their job interviews. In the seventh article, Mohd Noor, Md Tab, and Kamarulzaman identify some of the job interview skills that are missing among final year students.  Knowing the weakness while they are still in the programme is helpful as remediation can then be initiated.   

In this issue, we also share the less publicly discussed role of TVET, that is in the rehabilitation of youths. Providers of rehabilitation programmes of delinquent youths face greater challenges in meeting the needs of trainees as they are not only in need of vocational training but aslo in need of spiritual-emotional skills guidance. In the eight article, Esa, Abd. Aziz, Mohd Salleh and Mohamad present their finding on the implementation of such a programme that integrates culinary training and islamic studies to cater to the spitual-emotional needs as well as the vocational training needs of trainees. 

The story of TVET however, does not end upon graduation, further skills development; upskilling, reskilling is a necessity if increasing productivity and service quality are to be sustained. Thus, in last the article, the authors Kumar, Singh, and Kumar share with readers their in-house training efforts that can be a source of information for those who intend to conduct similar trainings.  With the last article mentioned,  would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our authors who have chosen to publish in JTET; our reviewers who have lent their expertise in ensuring the quality of JTET is sustained and to all our readers who have helped in the continuity of our journal.  Last but not least, to all Muslims, Eid Mubarak. 

 

 

Professor Dr. Maizam Alias

Chief Editor

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

  • Chief Editor, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia
    Dr Alias is an academic staff/researcher in the faculty of Technical and Vocational Education, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM). He obtained his M.Ed and PhD in Technical and Vocational Education, respectively in 2008 and 2012. He has enthusiasm in exploring several research areas and sub-areas, including Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), teaching and learning approaches i.e. Problem Based Learning (PBL), students’ centred learning, and other innovative teaching approaches. He actively writes a paper and book in the area of teaching and learning, especially in in engineering education and TVET field. He has been the managing editor for the Journal of Technical Education and Training (JTET) since in 2012.

Downloads

Published

22-06-2017

Issue

Section

Editorial

How to Cite

Editor, C. (2017). Message from the Chief Editor: JTET June 2017. Journal of Technical Education and Training, 9(1). https://publisher.uthm.edu.my/ojs/index.php/JTET/article/view/1679