Authors:Suhailah Sahul Ahmid, Chia Chun Tiew, Melissa Ng Lee Yen Abdullah Pages: 288 - 317 Abstract: Purpose: Vocational education and training is important to produce skilled and innovative labor to drive the country's development in the 4th industrial revolution (IR 4.0). The employability of vocational college students is crucial to meet the country's demand for 21st-century workers. This study aims to identify the influences of innovative characteristics, work readiness, and vocational self-concept on the employability of vocational college students. The study also examined the moderating role of gender.
Methods: A quantitative correlational design was carried out to achieve the objectives of the study. The samples consisted of 395 vocational college students from five vocational colleges located in the states of Kedah and Penang, Malaysia. Data were collected through online questionnaire survey, which is made up of four instruments: Youth Innovation Skills Measurement Tool, the Work Readiness Scale, the Vocational Rational Scale and the Perceived Future Employability Scale. The validity and reliability of these instruments were well established. Descriptive and structural equation modelling (SEM) analyses were carried out.
Findings: Innovative characteristics (β = 0.252, t = 5.041, p < 0.001), vocational self-concept (β = 0.386, t = 7.131, p < 0.001) and work readiness (β = 0.219, t = 3.787, p < 0.001) had significant effects on employability of vocational college students. The model explained 53% of the variance in employability. Gender, however, did not moderate any of the three direct significant relationships.
Conclusion: This study found that innovative characteristics, work readiness, and vocational self-concept are factors that should be taken into consideration when developing education and career programs, interventions, and support services for vocational students. The graduate employment issues faced by vocational college students can be overcome if factors identified in this study can be enhanced. Similar approaches can be applied for both male and female students since gender is not a significant moderator. Overall, this study sheds light on the employability of vocational graduates and contributes towards improving career guidance and counseling practices for vocational students. PubDate: 2023-09-18 DOI: 10.13152/IJRVET.10.3.1 Issue No:Vol. 10, No. 3 (2023)
Authors:Piia Kolho, Anu Raappana, Sanna Joensuu-Salo, Timo Pihkala Pages: 318 - 339 Abstract: Purpose: Vocational education and training (VET) in Finland takes place more and more at workplaces. Hence, the teachers' cooperation with companies has become important. Little research has been done on the teacher's activities in business cooperation and the factors affecting business cooperation. The teacher's decisions and choices are made possible through the teacher's autonomy and agency. The teacher's agency is understood as a capacity to utilise autonomy. In this study, the teacher's agency is reflected in their activity in developing entrepreneurial learning environments and activity in developing regional entrepreneurship education (EE). The study was conducted among Finnish VET teachers. In Finland EE is understood in its broad sense and the teacher is in a significant position choosing where, how and with whom they implement EE. The main research question in this article is: How does the VET teacher's agency in EE affect their cooperation with entrepreneurs'
Methods: The data consists of 933 vocational teachers' responses. An open online survey tailored for teachers was used in the data collection (Measurement Tool for Entrepreneurship Education). Ordinal regression analysis has been used to analyse the data.
Results: The teacher's agency is a significant factor explaining his/her level of cooperation with entrepreneurs. The results show that the teacher's activity, desire, and ability to express agency, strengthens the use of companies in teaching. Surprisingly, the teacher's personal entrepreneurial background and the number of companies in the area do not act as explanatory factors for entrepreneurs' cooperation. The study makes several suggestions on teachers' perceptions of the factors explaining and creating agency as an entrepreneurship educator.
Conclusions: In Finland, teachers' autonomy is high. Teachers have the freedom to utilise their agency in many ways. They can, for example, make their own decisions and renew their teaching in many ways if they are willing and encouraged to do so. It seems like the question is more about management and teacher identity. The teacher's agency should be strengthened, and the teacher should be given the option to act more freely. Furthermore, the teacher's autonomy is not enough; agency is also needed. PubDate: 2023-09-18 DOI: 10.13152/IJRVET.10.3.2 Issue No:Vol. 10, No. 3 (2023)
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