The Description of Vocational High School

a. The Description of Vocational High School

Vocational high school is a school which trains students for specific skills based on the students’ interest in order to prepare them to be ready-to-work graduates. Skills and knowledge offered for students in the vocational high school is different from those offered in the senior high school. They are designed specifically to face a certain specific working world. Marsigit 2008, p. 2 mentions that Vocational education, sometimes called Career and Technical Education CTE has its aim to prepare learners for careers that are based in manual or practical activities, occupation or vacation, hence the term, in which the learner participates”. Meanwhile, Bern and Erickson 2001 as cited in Ratnasari 2016, p.35 state that vocational education means of preparing well-trained, compliant workers for that efficient society so school should teach students the right work and moral habits. Meanwhile, Gordon 2012 mentions that vocational education belongs to an education that trains students for specific skill, ability, and career ibid. Indonesia is one of the countries which serves vocational high school in the secondary level. In Indonesia, the vocational high school Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan is one form of formal education unit which is organized as the continuation of the junior high school Sekolah Menengah Pertama, or Madrasah Tsanawiyah MTs, or other forms which are equals the Law No. 20 2003. It has nine specialized programs namely a. Technology and Engineering; b. Information Technology and Communication; c. Health; d. Agribusiness and Agro Technology; e. Fishery and Marine; f. Business and Management; g. Tourism; h. Painting and Crafts; and i. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI Performing Arts. The programs suit the needs of the working world. The level of vocational skills program also adjusts the public demand and the market. Students graduated from vocational school should be qualified with standards that are written in the Indonesia National Qualification Framework Kerangka Kualifikasi Nasional Indonesia. It is a framework that regulates education, work training and work experience to give an admission of working competence which is appropriate with working structure in various sectors. It separates qualification level into nine levels in which level 1 is the lowest and level 9 as the highest level. The nine qualification levels are categorized into three main functions; operator, technician and specialist level. Based on the Indonesian National Qualification Framework INQF, graduates of the vocational school are involved in the level of operator. Those who belong to that level should be able to do a particular duty using a tool, information, and usual working procedures. They are also demanded to be able to show their measure performance under their superior. They must own knowledge of basic operational and factual knowledge on a particular working area, so they can choose an appropriate problem solving for usual occurred problem. They are also demanded to be responsible for their own work and can be responsible in guiding the others. Based on the discussion, this research considers that vocational high school students are prepared to be ready-to-work graduates. Therefore, they need to be equipped with any learning materials related to their needs in the working field. This research will consider this important information in developing the product.

b. Students in the Vocational High School