THE NEW 21st CENTURY STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING IN TECHNICAL, VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING (TVET)

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify the new21^st century strategies for teaching in technical and vocational education. The study explores the educational approaches employed to produce highly skilled 21^st century graduates. Survey questionnaires were used to identify these strategies suitable for the teaching of technical and vocational programs. The data generated represents a comprehensive review through case study. The study was guided by one Objective and Research Question each with a population of 89 respondents. However, random sampling was used to select the respondents from the postgraduate students of technical and vocational education department, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. The data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation with the aid of (SPSS 22 version software). The data and results present the stakeholders’ views on the new strategies for the teaching of technical and vocational programs which were identified to be; creative knowledge, critical thinking, problem solving skills, higher thinking order, communication and confidence. The key issues with the strategy is teachers becoming more like facilitators using student-centred learning (SCL) approaches, modern training facilities, relevance of curriculum content, and the collaboration between educational institutions and industry. The study recommends that the stakeholders should ensure that programs commensurate with the standard and requirement of the beneficiaries. The recommendations have significance to all stakeholders; include students, lecturers, schools, industries, employers, training institutions and so on.