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Member Countries. According to Kim 2008, Philippines, Indonesia, and Myanmar are the major senders of 3.6 million, 2.3 million, 1.6 million migrant workers respectively.
The major destination countries are Malaysia and Thailand with 1.9 million each
, and Singapore 1.2 million.
According to Kim, the economic and social benefits of
migration both for sending and receiving countries are enormous. To prepare students with more suitable skills not only working in the country but
also abroad, TVET should incorporate inter-cultural understanding and international languages—especially English. Indonesia has been sending TVET students to attach in
foreign companies. Mastering foreign language competency, especially English, is also mandated for TVET students regardless of some limitations.
Students in Singapore are also having an exposure to learning about and working in conditions outside of their
culture, country, and region, so as to benefit from opportunities abroad which are on the rise due to globalization Tiew Ming, 2007. This initiative is also happening in other
countries in the region.
C. Concluding Remarks
A good-quality workforce equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes required by the economy can drive national competitiveness and spur economic
development. Appropriate skills development to prepare well-trained workforce is necessary so that they are better equipped to effectively and quickly adjust to shifting
labour markets, changing technologies and new business practices.
Addressing various issues, including the one discussed above such as the content, the delivery, and
Skills Standards, Assessment and Recognition is very crucial. The expansion and intensification of role players in TVET will also help strengthen
TVET that eventually can improve productivity and the development of the country and the region. Embracing the trends of labor mobility by preparing our students with
necessary “soft” and “hard” skills will eventually benefit every nation in the region.
This inline with ILO report 2007 that labour productivity, education and migration play important role in shaping the Southeast Asian’s competitiveness, growth and
development.
References
Casner-Lotto , J.
Barrington , L. 2006. Are They Really Ready to Work? Employers
Perspectives on the Basic Knowledge and Applied Skills of New Entrants to the
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21
st
Century U.S. Workforce. Washington DC The Conference Board, Corporate Voices for Working Families, the Partnership for 21
st
Century Skills, and the Society for Human Resource Management.
Gray, K.C. Herr, E.. 1997. Workforce Education and Development: The Basics. ILO 2008. Labour and Social Trends in ASEAN 2008: Driving Competitiveness and
Prosperity with Decent Work. Jakarta: International Labour Organisation Kim, K.B. 2007. Labour and Social Trends in ASEAN 2008: Driving Competitiveness
and Prosperity with Decent Work. Jakarta: ILO Majumdar, S. 2009. Emerging Trends in TVET in Asia and the Pacific Region:
CPSC’s Response. TVET Agenda: Transforming Ideas into Actions. 11-21. Manila: Colombo Plan Staff College.
NORRAG. 2007. Skills Development Policies and International Cooperation in East and South-East Asia. Hong Kong: Group for International
Cooperation in skills development
Tiew Ming, Yek, 2007. Quality and Performance Management of Technical Education and Training in Singapore. Doctoral Thesis at the School of
Education. Edith Cowan University.
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SOFTSKILLS INTEGRATION IN THE PRACTICAL LEARNING FOR THE INDUSTRY RELATED JOB READINESS
Siti Mariah Faculty of Technology and Vocational Education
Indonesia University of Education email:
sitimae_1204yahoo.co.id
Abstract
This paper constitutes part of quality improvement of the Vocational High School VHS graduates for their work preparedness in accordance with the requirements of
the employment markets in industry field. The survey, through observations, questionnaires and interviews of the practitioners HRD and the supervisors of the
Central Java-based garment industries, showed that their responsiveness to the soft skills of the Vocational High School-dressmaking graduates was categorized low, while
the demand for the soft skills was categorized highly expected, there was thus a gap
between the soft skills of the vocational high school graduates dressmaking programs
and the workforce demand garment industry. One of the causes of the gap was the learning process that poorly equipped the students with the soft skills.
For this reason, it is important to revise the learning approach by the integration of the soft skills into the practical learning that makes the students being able to realize
the meaning inherent in the subjects they study by relating them to the context of the real and authentic work force. Moreover, the teachers’ high commitment is needed as
one of the main components in the learning process for the improvement of the work system insight in industry and for the learning guidance in preparing the students for
working, since the competent and skilful-technique capacity hard skills without any support from the soft skills in accordance with the work requirements might be
meaningless for a successful job.
Keywords: soft skills; Vocational High School; dressmaking program; garment
industry. A. Introduction
The job opportunities offered by the work force markets were yet to be fulfilled because the existing graduates were not fully absorbed in the work markets Dedi S,
2002: 612. Data of the Central Bureau of Statistics BPS indicated that the unemployment rate of August 2008 was, based on the educational background, largely
dominated by the graduates of Vocational High School SMK of 17.26 percent, followed by those of Senior High School SMA 14.31 percent, and university 12.59
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percent. Such condition revealed the gap between the work market demand and supply and the availability of the work force from the educational institutions.
The role of the educational field in producing the quality graduates was questionable by the work world. The industry world highlighted the low quality of the
graduates, including that of the Vocational High School graduates of dressmaking programs. In fact they have passed the competency test and acquired the certificate, but
when they engaged in the work industry they found difficulty to cope with the work systems in industry. As a result, the dressmaking programs graduates largely acquired
impermanent works or they often changed their works. This situation was due to such factors as their inability in adapting to the production management system of the
garment industries, in working together as a team, or mentally they couldn’t help to experience work pressures and also their bargaining positions in work market were low.
When searching for the recruitment on-line garment manufacturing in Indonesia, the requirements most frequently appeared for the recruitment of the candidates workforce
for the production line position were be able to working under high pressures, working overtime, be readily placed in the production area, and receiving the predetermined time
target, physically and spiritually health, no use of glasses, and even those who were incapable of sewing will be provided with sewing course or training
http:acecnews. blogspot.com200803ungaran-sarigarment.html
. The recent global competition in the garment industry is getting tight, especially
upon the effective application of both Asean Free Trade Agreement AFTA and Asean Free Labor Agreement AFLA that gives impact on the demand of human resources
with the capacity of performing the production system in line with the market development to be survival in the global trade. Working in the garment industry requires
the capacity to subject to the work patterns with high and rapid productivity output piece per minute, mass production with the running-tire production system, and the
tightly quality of products. So that, the employees have to acquire good mental readiness and physical endurance to support their work performa nce.
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The need ratio of the soft skills and hard skills in the work market demonstrates that the components that contribute to someone’s success in work is hisher mindset of
80 and technical skills of 20, on average Neff and Citrin, 1999.
There is a need to shift the thought and action paradigms from the merely focus on the hard skills to the creation of synergism between the hard skills and the soft skills. The
questions are now how to make the treatment of the soft skills being not a burden to the learning process of the Vocational High School, and how to make it being not a compel
for both the teachers and learners. One answer to the questions is by the integration of the soft skills learning process into the practical learning approach. This requires a
sincerity and creativity on the part of the teacher propping up the education and training course. According to Johnson 2007 the development of the soft skill at school must be
based upon the real life, high level of thinking, learners’ activities, being applicable, the problem-based learning, authentic teaching, relevance-based teaching, project-based
learning, work-based learning, service-based learning and cooperative learning.
B. Analysis of the gap soft skills demand in the garment industries work
