Challenges of initial TVET teacher training in Indonesia : empirical analysis of skills deficit of mechanical engineering teachers

Abstract

The fulfilment of competent secondary vocational school (SMK) teachers needs in accordance with the requirements and standards of teacher competence in Indonesia has not yet been carried out according to expectations. This dissertation seeks to find out more about what skills deficit are possessed by prospective vocational teachers who have just graduated from university and to find out more deeply what are the factors that influence these skills deficit. Prospective vocational teachers who will serve in secondary vocational schools (SMK’s) at this time need a long adaptation process before being able to teach at each level of competence according to their competence. Based on the research question, "what kind of skills deficit and its factors influence, owned by prospective mechanical engineering teachers related to the school needs for competent teachers in West Java?" the implementation of the teaching internship program for prospective vocational teachers as well as the learning process carried out at the TVET faculty will be the starting point for this dissertation. Problem-Centred Interviews (PCI) have been conducted with the supervisor teachers in the teaching internship program (n=10) and lecturers who teach practical courses at the TVET faculty (n=10) with an approach to the process carried out on teaching internship program activities for prospective vocational teachers in SMK’s and an approach to the practical learning process carried out at the TVET faculty in order to prepare prospective vocational teachers according to the needs of SMK’s. And then evaluated using the methods of inductive category formation, the forms of analysis of qualitative content analysis about kind of skills deficit and its factors influence reconstructed, interpreted and summarized in a catalogue of criteria. From the result of the analysis, it is found out that the prospective teachers ready to teach in basic competence subject at schools and not yet ready for advanced level of competence in respective subjects. The interview results also found that there is no systematic approach to assure the quality of the graduates based on the standard until now there is no third-party assessment for university students so for that reason there is no assurance that the prospective teachers have enough competence for becoming a TVET teacher in SMK's.