Institutional networking and internationalization has been included as one of the institutional Key Performance Indicators (KPI) in most universities´ blueprints in Malaysia. The “eighth shift”, which is one particular strategy of the Malaysia Education Blueprint (Ministry of Higher Education 2013), specifically demands that internationalization initiatives are to intensify networking and collaboration with international institutions of higher education. For that reason, a networking and internationalization agenda is critically important for Malaysian Technical Universities. This paper discusses the role of networking and internationalization of universities for developing the academic staffs’ competency, focusing on staff mobility, regional collaboration as in the Regional Association for Vocational Teacher Education in Asia (RAVTE) and competencies through professional accreditation. Initially the paper explores the roles of networking and internationalization in the context of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and how it has been introduced and practiced in higher education, and then, we discuss how universities’ networking and internationalization contribute to staff mobility, research, and technical skills development.

1 Malaysian Technical Universities Network (MTUN)

In the present era of globalization, technology is another choice for the students to choose besides engineering, pure sciences and social sciences. There are four Technical Universities in Malaysia offering technology programs. The Universities are: Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP), Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UNiMAP), Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) and Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysian (UTHM). Among the four universities from the Malaysian Technical University Network, UTHM has been actively involved in supporting the Ministry of Education to train technical and vocational education teachers under the Faculty of Technical and Vocational Education (FTVE). UTHM struggles in the global circle of tough competition in order to maintain capacity and pursue the highest university ranking. Most universities have established systems to ensure academic staff competency, in order to improve the capacity of their workforce. For that reason, institutional networking and internationalization has been included as one of the institutional Key Performance Indicators (KPI), in most universities´ blueprint for higher education in Malaysia (Ministry of Higher Education 2013), and being reflected in the universities´ mission and vision.

“Global Prominence in higher education requires four elements – visibility, recognition, distinction and expansion. To tap these elements, the Ministry will strengthen the promotion, marketing and value proposition of Malaysia’s higher education system; identify ways to increase the enrolment of high calibre international students; and establish stronger ties with the global higher education community.” (Ministry of Higher Education 2015).

In its Malaysia Education Blueprint, the Ministry of Education identified 10 shifts that would be needed to take the Malaysian higher education system to the next level. The “eighth shift” includes the recommendation to intensify networking and collaboration with international higher education institutions worldwide. The networking and internationalization agenda is critically important for Malaysian Technical Universities (MTUN), especially UTHM. Maintaining networking and internationalization is not merely for getting international funds, in order to enable institutional staff to intensify research and publications, or pursuing the best university ranking. It is beyond the students’ mobility and also involves a wider scope and capacity including transfer of knowledge, technology, academic research, and educational resources (UNESCO 2009). An exemplary benchmark of win-win networking and internationalization initiated by UNESCO, was discussed in an International Meeting on Innovation and Excellence in TVET Teacher/Trainer Education in 2004. This is a good benchmark for research and development in the networking and internationalization context. Another specific example that is closer to sharing educational resources was the initiative of the European Union Erasmus program, hosting staff mobility that involved 33 participating countries (British Council 2014).

Although networking and internationalization is good for the university as an education institution in terms of capacity, sharing of educational resources would be beneficial for institutional staff competency. A program such as staff mobility actually fulfils almost all of the key elements of the networking and internationalization objectives. It is during the mobility period, that staff have great opportunities to increase competency and learning through experience. This competency enhancement would improve several areas of skills depending on the focus and objectives of the mobility program (Buenning & Zhao 2006). A mobility program that is focusing more on research and development would increase staff competency on research skills, which has a positive impact on teaching as well.

2 Relationship between internationalization of TVET institutions with their competence development

ASEAN and the East-Asian Summit (EAS) organize internationalisation activities of TVET institutions under an agreement of partnerships among the involved nations. One of the agendas under ASEAN member states (AMS) and EAS has inspired the flexibility of goods, students and workers across the ASEAN regions starting in 2015. This means that the flexibility among TVET staff to be mobile within these countries will also be greater. In TVET institutions, the international flow of staff requires more attention on enhancing the effectiveness of qualifications and skills recognition across regions. Common understanding between the regions needs to be addressed, and this is through the newly developed East Asia Summit Regional TVET Quality Assurance and Qualification Frameworks, and the Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA).

The function of this framework is basically to provide a standard alignment in the requirement of what the mobile staff should be able to do in trade services among the regions involved, and standard qualifications that should be addressed as requirements fulfilled by the staff. MRA then will enable the qualifications of professional services suppliers to be mutually recognized by all of these regions; which literally means that staff could use the qualifications to practice their expertise in any of the countries. Despite the advantages however, the development of such framework needs to be rigorously planned, researched and reviewed if the framework is to be implemented. It is the role of AMS and EAS regions to carefully design the development to optimize the advantages that the framework could provide. Two professional bodies – the Professional Regulatory Authority and the Department of Labor and Employment are currently in the process of putting policy measures in place to facilitate MRA implementation in Malaysia. Although still under progress, with this standard framework, regions within the EAS are connected because every qualification that the staff receives will be similarly recognized among the regions. This recognition will not only promote human resource development, but also provides a means for bridging any development gaps, assisting economic development, promoting friendship and mutual understanding among the people in the EAS regions, and of course enhancing regional competitiveness. How does this implementation increase competencies of the staff?

In the context of regional competitiveness, within the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the issue of gaining standard recognition and qualifications for staff whose mobility has gained increased prominence in recent years is critical. Added impetus is coming from the plan to move to a common labour market by 2015. “Sending countries” such as Laos and Cambodia are keen to develop their TVET systems and skills recognition arrangements quickly while “receiving” countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei at the moment already have a range of skills training and recognition systems in place for their own workers. These systems will persist and it remains to be seen how ASEAN workers from elsewhere will be accredited by these receiving countries in the future. Both sending and receiving countries in ASEAN have different motivations but towards a similar goal – to improve skills development and accreditation mechanisms. The sender countries would like to provide more skilled workers who could be employed abroad at appropriate employment levels and wages, as well engaging with international economic development. On the other hand, receiving countries are seeking a greater guarantee of the availability of well-trained workers. Both sending and receiving countries however, apparently will strive to increase the competencies of their workers, since if standard recognitions are to be developed, they must be within the viability of a true common labour market. All of these will depend on how these skills recognition arrangements will emerge and develop.

3 Mobility and flexibility of staffs’ development in TVET

Globalization increases international competitiveness in TVET. The gap in knowledge and ownership of advanced technologies between developing and developed countries has always been large, with developing countries often adopting technologies and solutions innovated elsewhere but lacking the capacity and resources to adapt most of the technologies to the local context. Transfer of technical knowledge through TVET combined with creative skills and career guidance, can raise the innovative capacity of developing countries, allowing them to produce quality technological solutions for their own context and export and to keep up with the developing world. The observed global trend is increasing career mobility and, as such, TVET is no longer merely expected to provide learning opportunities for skills development, but also to enable employees to prove themselves to be flexible in new working environments as a result of their broad individual competence profile. TVET is in a position to enhance human resource development within the context of this shift from a one-job-for-life culture to higher career mobility through focusing on competence development as opposed to just knowledge acquisition.

Competency is identified through knowledge, skills, attitude and other individual characteristics (Srinivasa Rao & Prabitha 2012) and focuses on what is expected of an employee in the workplace, not only technical but also social, rather than just on the knowledge acquisition. In these definitions, TVET – sometimes also known as Vocational Education and Training (VET) or Career and Technical Education (CTE) can be regarded as a means of preparing for occupational fields and effective participation in the world of work (Cinter 2001). It also implies lifelong learning and preparation for responsible citizenship. In its broadest definition, TVET includes technical education, vocational education, vocational training, on-the-job training, or apprenticeship training, delivered in a formal and non-formal learning environment. Table 1 summarizes the TVET-modes of delivery.

• Technical education mainly refers to theoretical vocational preparation of students for jobs involving applied science and modern technology. It emphasizes the understanding of basic principles of science and mathematics and their practical applications, rather than the actual attainment of proficiency in manual skills as it is the case with vocational education. The goal of technical education is to prepare graduates for occupations that are classified above the skilled crafts but below the scientific or engineering professions.
• Vocational education and training prepares learners for jobs that are based in manual or practical activities, traditionally non-theoretical and totally related to a specific trade, occupation or vocation, hence the term, in which the learner participates.

Table 1:    Modes of TVET delivery (World Bank 2014)

Professional development of staff means to upgrade all those skills required to execute a task of TVET staff in transferring knowledge, expanding networking and improving their competency in a particular area. It means that staff maintains, improves and broadens their knowledge and skills to develop their required competencies (Powar 2004). The mobility of the internalization process provides different scenarios based on sharing knowledge and experience. TVET is in the position to contribute to global development, participation and cooperation. TVET systems allow a broad participation of people, who can develop relevant competences, if it is adapting to the changing needs of the local, national and global labor market and economic sectors.

Flexibility in training delivery and strengthening qualifications through international recognition need to be planned to ensure academic staff are competent up to international standard. This includes, for example, creating a framework for recognizing prior learning, establishing clear pathways for re-entry into the education system, developing a national credit system to enable accumulation of modular credits over time, and stipulating clear criteria for recognizing prior experience.

4 Competency based skills needed

The education sector’s success in addressing the challenges of globalization will help a country to produce internationally competitive and competent human resources. According to Sharma (2008) human resources are the assets of a country required to achieve national competitiveness. Human resource development (HRD) plays an important role in achieving sustainable development. It is a process of increasing the knowledge, skills and competences of the people in a society. Competencies are identified through knowledge, skill, attitude and other individual characteristics (Srinivasa & Pratibha 2012). Competencies acquired show an individual’s strengths so that the organization will know their value and capability in their job performance. To develop competencies, the mapping of an organization’s goals and workers skills should be identified. According to (Srinivasa & Prabitha 2012) competency mapping in organizations should have specific support and assessment; provide methods to enhance workers competences and demonstrate what type of skills and knowledge are required to improve competencies. Competency programs should be developed to increase the quality of human capital in TVET. The characteristics of competency programs are the following: competency are carefully selected; integrate theory and skills; detail training material; methods of instruction and learning should be self-paced and flexible training (Anane 2013).

Issues and challenges in the Tenth Malaysia Plan, 2011-2015 focused on uncoordinated governance of TVET and fragmentation resulting from technology competency gaps among instructors. Mainstreaming and broadening access to quality TVET addressed industry needs for skilled workers. These efforts increased the number of school leavers pursuing TVET from 25% in 2010 to 36% in 2013 (Economic Planning Unit 2015). Even though TVET mainstream is moving towards a successful field, issues and challenges in competency gaps among instructors persist. Fig. 1 shows issues and challenges faced in TVET sectors in Malaysia. These highlighted issues will be seriously focused in the Eleventh Malaysia Plan, 2016-2020).

Figure 1: Malaysia TVET issues and challenges

The Eleventh Malaysia Plan 2016-2020 will focus on several initiatives to harmonize delivery of TVET towards economic development and demand driven by industry to ensure a quality skilled workforce. Competencies are needed in TVET graduates to increase the employability rate within 6 months after graduation. The Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), suggests Malaysia will require an increase of 625,000 TVET enrolments by the year 2025. However, there is an undersupply of TVET workers in some key areas. Further, TVET is seen as a less attractive pathway than university education, thereby limiting the number of students, particularly high-performing ones, who apply for such courses. Malaysia needs to move from a higher education system with a primary focus on university education as the sole pathway to success, to one where academic and TVET pathways are equally valued. To achieve these outcomes, UTHM must intensify industry involvement and partnerships, streamline qualifications, improve coordination across the regional countries and their Ministries and, with other TVET providers, enhance TVET enrolments. Key initiatives include:

• Collaboration with industry to support industry-matching curriculum design and proposed new delivery models through partnership.
• Improvement in coordination across the countries and Ministries of various TVET providers to eliminate duplication of programmes and resources, enable greater specialization in areas of expertise, and improve cost efficiency; and
• Coordination with other countries and ministries supported by various agencies, in offering TVET programmes to streamline the international qualification framework and ensure alignment with major industry associations, and pursue international accreditations for TVET programmes.

5 Conclusion

The impact of networking and internationalization can only be seen positively, especially with regard to the standards and quality of programs offered, if all partners in the Asian countries show their commitment and are proactive. Proposals and commitment should be accepted with understanding and be accepted by all parties. These opportunities can be achieved and implemented in 2015, when Malaysia will lead the Asian community. A new work environment, new resources, a new social environment, new ideas, and new research fellows and colleagues would provide different context in doing this research. On the other hand, the mobility program that is focusing on skills training for a particular timeframe, staff mobility, staff and student exchange, consultancy through MoU and MoA signing and further collaboration could enhance their technical skills and learning new technologies used by the hosting country. UTHM can be seen potentially to lead several activities and projects to ensure close collaboration among local and international parties from various countries to obtain an advantage.  

References

Anane, C. A., (2013). Competency Based Training: Quality Delivery for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Institutions. In: Educational Research International. Vol. 2, No. 2, 117-127.

British Council (2014). Erasmus+ Staff mobility. Online: http://www.britishcouncil.org/study-work-create/opportunity/work-volunteer/erasmus-staffmobility (retrieved 14.07.2014).

Buenning, F. & Zhao, Z. (2006). TVET Teacher Education on the Threshold of Internationalisation. Germany: Internationale Weiterbildung und Entwicklung GmbH.

Cinter (2001). Modernization in Vocational Eduation and Training in the Latin American and the Caribbean Region. Montevideo.

Economic Planning Unit (2015).Transforming Technical and Vocational Education and Training to Meet Industry Demand. Online: http://www.epu.gov.my (retrieved 13.06.2015).

Ministry of Higher Education (2013). Pelan Strategik PengajianTinggi Negara. Online: http://www.moe.gov.my/userfiles/file/PPP/Preliminary-Blueprint-Eng.pdf (retrieved 14.07.2014).

Powar, K. B. (2004). Internalization of Higher Education: An Aspects of India’s Foreign Relations. New Delhi: Gyan Publishing House.

Sharma, K. D. (2008). Regional Accreditation: Mechanism for Cross-Border Mobility for TVET Graduates. Online: http://202.4.7.101/files/2008.05.30.cpp.dhameja.regional.accreditation.cross_border.mobility.tvet.paper.pdf (retrieved 14.07.2014).

Srinivasa Rao, K. & Prabitha, S. (2012). Competency Based Human Resource Development Mechanism: A Case Study of NTPC.In: International Journal of Organization Behaviour & Management Perspectives, Vol. 1, No. 2, 165-169.

UNESCO (2009). Internationalization, regionalization and globalization. Online: http://www.unesco.org/en/the-2009-world-conference-on-higher-education/sub-themes/internationalization-regionalization-and-globalization/ (retrieved 14.07.2014).

World Bank (2014). TVET Issues and Debates, World Bank Institute. Online: http://info.worldbank.org/etools/docs/library/243625/bTVET%20Issues%20and%20debates.pdf (retrieved 18.3.2015).

Citation

Hassan, R., Masek, A., & Mohamad, M. M. (2015). The role of networking and internationalization of technical universities in academic staff competence development. In: TVET@Asia, issue 5, 1-9. Online: http://www.tvet-online.asia/issue5/hassan_etal_tvet5.pdf (retrieved 23.7.2015).

The current pre-service training undertaken by Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) teachers in higher learning institutions cannot be expected to provide adequate occupational skills. Thus further additional training is necessary to raise the vocational competence of TVET teachers. The purpose of this article is to discuss the current provisions for further training under the Malaysian Ministry of Education’s (MoE) TVET system. The discussion presented in this article is one of the outputs of a Regional Cooperation Platform (RCP) project that evaluates the curriculum for further training in occupational skills for vocational teachers with a particular focus on the field of metal cutting. Document analysis, focus group discussions and interviews were conducted to gather data for this project. Unpublished and published government reports were analyzed and a group of 16 teachers from vocational colleges, which are under the MoE, participated in the focus group discussions and interviews. The data analysis results show that further training is in fact provided to TVET teachers as part of their in-service training. However this training is often customized to existing needs and may change from time to time. Thus, the hours of training received may differ from one teacher to another. Limited opportunities for further training is also an issue that needs to be resolved. When provided, the further training curiculum is usually designed specifically based on the metal cutting module as offered by the vocational colleges under the MoE. In addition to job competence skills, instructional skills training are also incorporated in the training programs to enhance their instructional competence in metal cutting. In conclusion, although there is no standard curriculum for further training in the metal cutting occupation for TVET teachers, continuous efforts through in-service training are made to support TVET teachers’ development of their occupational skills.

1 Introduction

The term ‘further training’ refers to training that is provided to TVET teachers upon successful completion of their specified teacher training program. Further training on occupational skills in particular are necessary in order to increase competence of every TVET teacher, and ensure that teachers are transferring updated knowledge, technology, and current occupational skills to students. For that reason, a standard curriculum and development for further training in a particular area should have a clear definition and a comprehensive mechanism for achieving this goal, especially for industrial partnerships. Because input from industry is deemed important in designing curriculum development for further training, the mechanism of further training for TVET teachers should be well-structured from the grassroots. However, there are no standards for further training on occupational skills at present, which has resulted in diverse forms and modes of further training for TVET teachers (SkillsMalaysia 2013).

Typically, practicing TVET teachers under the Ministry of Education system in Malaysia are either diploma holders who graduate from TVET institutions such as polytechnics and community colleges, or degree holders who graduate from universities. In general, teachers who graduate from polytechnics and community colleges are relatively better equipped in terms of hands-on competencies compared to university graduates. This is due to higher opportunities for hands-on training which are provided within the respective TVET institutions as part of their diploma programs, and which give greater emphasis on skills training (Department of Higher Education 2013). However, irrespective of their qualifications, most of the newly-qualified TVET teachers are still in need of further training in occupational skills, notably in the field of metal cutting, in order to better serve their respective students.

To enhance the skills of secondary school leavers, guidelines were set by the Ministry of Education that all TVET teachers must possess a minimum of Malaysian Skills Certificate Level 3 (Supervisory Level) i.e. one level higher than the expected skill of secondary school leavers who are supposed to achieve the Malaysian Skills Certificate Level 2 (Operation and Production Level) upon graduation. Thus, to meet this requirement, some universities are realigning their teacher preparation programs. One such university is the Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia that has incorporated skills training into its degree programs via its Faculty of Technical and Vocational Education starting from 2012. For example, the students from its Bachelor in Vocational Education (in electrical electronic) will be awarded Level 3 of the Malaysian Skills Certificate in addition to the degree conferred. The skills training component of the curriculum is designed with industry input while taking into account existing training needs of pre-service teachers. Thus, the integrated program as a whole has been designed to meet the degree and occupational skills requirement without lengthening the overall study duration of TVET teachers. However, the integrated program could only cater to limited occupational skills requirements and thus further training for TVET teachers is still a necessity for many occupational skills areas.

As mentioned before, there is yet to be a common standard for further occupational skills training of TVET teachers in the country. The absence of a standard curriculum for further occupational skills training at the national level in an area as specific as metal cutting has resulted in the adoption of diverse methods and approaches to further training of TVET teachers. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to describe the current provision of further training in occupational skills for vocational teachers for metal cutting under the MoE TVET system.

1.1 Malaysian TVET Structure

Several ministries such as the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development, Ministry of Human Resources and the Ministry of Youth and Sports provide for TVET opportunities in Malaysia (Alias & Hasan 2013). However, the focusof this paper is on TVET programs provided under the Ministry of Education where TVET forms part of the general education system.

General education is provided at both primary and secondary level. Primary education is compulsory to all children from the age of six, followed by five years of secondary education. Secondary school leavers with the Malaysian Examination Certificate or Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) qualifications can then opt to continue their education in Form Six (post-secondary level provided in schools), Matriculation College programs or in pre-university programs to obtain pre-university qualifications. At the post-secondary level, school leavers have the opportunities to pursue their studies at the certificate or diploma level. The diploma level is for secondary school certificate holders (SPM) from the age of 17 onwards whereas the bachelor degree level is for those with post-secondary qualifications such as the Malaysian Higher School Certificate or Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM), matriculation certificate, General Certificate of Education (GEC) ‘A’ level or other equivalent pre-university qualifications.

For those who are keen to pursue their studies in technical and vocational education (TVE) after SPM, they can enroll in certificate or diploma programs that are offered by polytechnics and community colleges. Undergraduate and postgraduate programs up to doctoral level are offered by universities and university colleges. Each level may be further subdivided according to the nature or purpose of the qualifications.

TVET under the MOE however, begins much earlier i.e. at the lower secondary school level with the introduction of Basics in vocational education courses in mainstream programs (Ministry of Education 2012). These courses are offered to provide choices to students who are more inclined to practical and hands-on learning which lead to the Malaysian Skills Certificate Level 2. At the upper secondary level, more choices are open to students with three TVET streams offered under the MOE namely the technical stream, the vocational stream, and the skills training stream. The vocational streams are offered in vocational colleges in order to meet the following objectives:

• To provide pre-employment skills as well as general education,
• To provide diversified technical courses tailored to the country needs,
• To consolidate career guidance in technical and vocational field and,
• To establish smart partnership with industries.

There are currently 78 vocational colleges operating in Malaysia that offer vocational courses in electrical and electronic engineering technology, mechanical and manufacturing engineering technology, civil engineering technology, transportation, hospitality, business, information and communication technology and agriculture (Technical and Vocational Education Division 2013).

At the post-secondary level, there are 30 Polytechnics and 68 Community Colleges, administered directly by the Department of Polytechnic Education and Department of Community College Education of the Ministry of Higher Education (Economic Planning Unit 2006; Department of Higher Education 2013). The programs offered at these institutions lead to the award of a certificate, diploma and an advanced diploma qualification.

Meanwhile, at tertiary level, there are six technical universities (these used to be known as university colleges) that have been established by the government to cater for the increasing demand for technical education at a higher/tertiary level. Aside from the community colleges, polytechnics and universities, some government ministries also carry out training activities at the technician/sub-professional and craft levels for school leavers, such as the Ministry of Human Resources, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) under the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development, and other government agencies.

With regards to private education institutions, TVET at the tertiary level is provided by the University of Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur Infrastructure University College, University of Technology Petronas, University of Tenaga Nasional, and many other established private higher educational institutions leading to the award of a diploma or a degree.

As a result of the current educational system for TVET teacher training, TVET teachers hold either a bachelor’s degree or diploma qualifications. A bachelor degree is a four year program including teaching practice while a diploma program is a three year program. TVET teachers obtain training from technical universities or teacher training institutes. The government is currently in the process of enforcing the requirement that all secondary school teachers must be degree holders. Therefore, some TVET teachers who are diploma holders are currently in the process of obtaining their degrees from public universities.

2 Methodology

As previously mentioned, this paper is one of the outputs from a Regional Cooperation Platform (RCP) project. The goal of the RCP project is to evaluate the curriculum for further training in occupational skills for vocational teachers in the field of metal cutting in TVET institutions under the Ministry of Education. Data were triangulated from document analysis, focus group discussions and interviews. Triangulation was used to achieve a higher validity of findings through the combination of multiple data sources (Kimchi et al. 1991).

2.1 Document analysis

The purpose of document analysis was to gather relevant information on the current status of metal cutting courses within the TVET schools program in Malaysia. The main contexts of document analysis included the teacher training program, training curriculum, skill standards, training providers, and teacher engagement on metal cutting. Unpublished and published documents were gathered and analyzed from multiple sources; articles from online and printed journals, technical reports from government and documents from official government web sites. The documents were analyzed according to clustering of similar meanings using coding techniques to build up a set of definite themes of the study.  

2.2 Focus group discussions

Focus group discussions were conducted to discover TVET teachers’ perceptions and opinions toward training for metal cutting competence. The focus group discussions data are expected to increase the credibility and validity of the document analysis results (Edmunds 1999). Sixteen teachers from vocational colleges under MoE participated in the focus group discussions and interviews. The participants in general, have more than five years’ experience teaching welding technology or ‘metal cutting’ courses in vocational colleges, previously known as vocational schools. The participants volunteered to share their knowledge and experiences on metal cutting training which helped researchers to have a better understanding on skills training implementation in Malaysia. The qualitative data gathered from the focus group were analyzed and synthesized accordingly.

2.3 Follow-up interviews

In addition to document analysis and focus group discussions, follow-up interviews were also conducted to support the findings from the previous methods. Two participants from the focus group were selected to further discuss the metal cutting training provided for TVET teachers under the MOE.

Both of the two interview participants agreed that metal cutting training should be regularly implemented by the training providers. They also suggest that the training providers should update their training curriculum to be in line with the latest technological know-how on metal cutting such as water-submerge cutting.

3 Discussion and Findings

3.1 Provisions for a metal cutting curriculum

There is no specific program for metal cutting that is offered by any TVET institutions under the Ministry of Education. Nonetheless, metal cutting teaching and learning materials are embedded within another program such as the Welding Technology Program that is offered by vocational colleges under the MOE. Specifically these materials are embedded within the Introduction of Welding Technology module that includes metal cutting materials under the following units:  

• Cut metal using disc cutter
• Cut metal using power saw
• Cut metal using band saw
• Cut metal using circular saw
• Cut metal using hydraulic squaring machine
• Cut metal using hand lever shear

(Ministry of Education 2012)

Metal cutting is offered as part of a larger program to enable students to be competent workers in the industry, and providing workers for industry is part of Malaysia’s efforts to raise Malaysia to developed country status by 2020.

In the context of curriculum design and development, there is no specific philosophy or references for metal cutting curriculum and training. However, all TVET related training falls under the umbrella of the National Education Philosophy, including the metal cutting curriculum which is designed to comply with this.

3.2 Further training for TVET teachers

In practice, professional development provided for vocational teachers is organized and coordinated by the Division of TVET Coaching Development, Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) Division, MOE. The main focus of the in-service TVET program is to strengthen the vocational skills of TVET teachers through programs that are strategically designed to meet the needs of the country. The training programs are designed to take into account the needs for personal mastery, development of mental models, shared vision, team learning, and system thinking. To streamline the functions and activities of in-service curriculum development, the aims and objectives of the program are set by the Division of TVET Coaching Development, under the TVE Division of the MOE as follows:

• To improve teachers’ teaching performances
• To improve teaching and learning management performances
• To improve relationships with industry
• To improve image, identity, and work ethics of vocational college teachers
• To improve teachers’ knowledge and skills

The aims and objectives indicate that the primary purpose of in-service training for vocational teachers is to emphasize teachers’ engagement in teaching. It is also to help and encourage vocational teachers to develop new teaching interventions in their instructional practices as teachers.

In general, in-service training emerges when there are requirements and needs from concerned parties which involve the implementation of the existing program offered by vocational colleges in Malaysia. It can be a one-off or a continuous program depending on the situation. The in-service training curriculum development is illustrated in Figure 1.

The TVET Training Development Division under the Ministry of Education is responsible for organizing, coordinating, and monitoring any training programs under the vocational colleges. The budget allocations for the training programs are provided by the Ministry based upon the training programs planned by the TVET training development division for the specific year.

Figure 1: Curriculum Development for in-service training under the Ministry of Education, Malaysia

3.3 Development of the in-service training curriculum

The training curriculum is usually custom-made for the specific needs of TVET teachers at any particular time. Thus, in addition to the in-house input from the training division staff, the division also receives relevant and valuable input from top management of the MOE as well as from other divisions and individuals under the Ministry who are associated with either the planning or the implementation of the in-service training programs.

They include:

• The Academic Management Division
• The TVET Staff Development Division
• The School Operations Management Division
• Schools
• TVET teachers from schools under the Ministry of Education

The MOE, in its efforts to provide up to date and industry relevant training programs, works closely with the Ministry of Human Resources. The Ministry of Human Resource has its own TVET training curricula which are overseen by the Skills Development Department under the Ministry. Successful participants who have undergone the training programs under the Ministry of Human Resources are awarded the Malaysian Skills Certificate (Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia [SKM]) which ranges from Level 1 (lowest) to Level 5 (highest). All TVET training providers under the Ministry of Human Resources must be accredited by the Ministry so that they comply with the National Occupational Skills Standards (NOSS) requirements, which have been developed by National Vocational Training Council (NVTC), which is part of the Ministry of Human Resources. NOSS is a standard document that specifies the expected competency level to be achieved by a skilled worker according to his/her specific occupation. By integrating the NOSS requirements in the in-service teacher training programs, teachers are not only competent for school-teaching but are also industry-recognized for their skills.

Apart from the formal in-service training programs that TVET teachers can attend to improve their skills, the achievement in-service training programs’ objectives are also supported via other forms of professional development programs such as competency-based education and training offered by other agencies, coaching and mentoring by peers, traineeship programs, teacher networks, collegial interactions with expert colleagues, attending seminars, participation in school enterprise projects and participation in industrial attachment programs.

3.4 In-service training programs in metal cutting

The metal cutting training curriculum for vocational college teachers is designed to meet the needs for teaching the metal cutting module that is offered by vocational colleges under the MOE. The National Teacher Training Philosophy provides guiding principles for TVET teacher-training for all TVET programs including metal cutting.

Further training is provided to metal cutting teachers through in-service training. Theory and practice are included in the in-service program to provide sufficient knowledge and skills to vocational teachers in order to enhance their teaching abilities in metal cutting as well as competence in metal cutting. To enhance their job competence in metal cutting, the in-service TVET teacher training programs incorporate the need to meet the National Occupational Skill Standards (NOSS), the skills standards under the Ministry of Human Resources referred to earlier in this paper. By combining the standards from the Skills Development Department which are recognised by industries, teachers have industry- accepted competencies and are in good stead to train students to obtain the same recognition from industry.

The in-service training implementation as shown in Figure 2 illustrates the contributors to the curriculum development (instructors, TVET teachers, standards requirements) as well as the components of the resulting curricula (theory, practice and evaluation).

Figure 2: In-service training implementation based on Malaysian vocational teachers qualitative responses

The curriculum for the metal cutting training is equivalent to the module used at vocational colleges with some additional advanced level of knowledge and skills. Furthermore, the curriculum meets the requirements of the MOE and Department of Skill Development, Ministry of Human Resources requirements. Additionally, the vocational teachers gain an insight into the didactical knowledge and competencies of metal cutting. However, one respondent suggests that the practical component of the metal cutting curriculum should be extended so that vocational teachers could achieve greater mastery of metal cutting skills.

Blends of comprehensive theoretical and practical work are used to deliver the content of metal cutting in-service training. Lectures, discussions, slide presentations, hand-outs, paperwork, and appropriate teaching materials are some of the strategies included in the theoretical aspect. Tests are then used by the instructors to measure the level of understanding of vocational teachers. For practical work, instructors prefer to demonstrate and apply types of metal cutting for vocational teachers to perform job-related metal cutting tasks based on specific evaluation of the training. Hence, vocational teachers acquire substantive knowledge and develop useful skills that can be taught to their students. In the end, the participants of metal cutting training will be awarded a certificate by the Skill Development Department, Ministry of Human Resources.

3.5 Selection of participants for further training in metal cutting

Places for in-service training (further training) are limited and thus the selection of teachers for training is very competitive. One of the criteria (in addition to length of service) is that teachers must show potential for developing advanced level competencies which means that they should have some form of certificate that is recognized by the Ministry of Human Resources. The teachers who participate in further training have to undergo the selection process within their respective vocational colleges. In general, vocational teachers who have more than five years of teaching experience have attended a metal cutting in-service training program at least once before.

3.6 Trainees to trainers ratio

The number of participants per training session is often limited to no more than 20 persons to ensure quality training. Thus, based on the focus group discussion, the ratio of trainees per instructor is approximately 20:1.

3.7 Training providers

The responsible departments or institutions that support the metal cutting in-service training programs are from government and private agencies. Among the agencies that work with the MOE in providing metal cutting training to TVET teachers in vocational colleges are the industrial training institutes, Department of Skills Development, Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), Department and the Advanced Technology Training Centre (ADTEC). Most of these agencies are under the Ministry of Human Resources. Thus, there is close cooperation between the MOE and the Ministry of Human Resources in providing training and developing competencies among metal cutting teachers of vocational colleges.

The selected metal cutting instructors for the in-service training programs are selected from amongst the permanent workers of those training providers. The highest level of academic achievement of instructors is usually bachelor degree level in mechanical engineering/technical skill, while others hold a diploma and/or certificate. Those who are recognized to have good job experiences in metal cutting also have the opportunity to share their knowledge and skills with the participants. Twelve out of the 16 vocational teachers proposed that ideally, there should be at least three instructors present to teach metal cutting during training to ensure that adequate attention can be given to the needs of the trainees to reach the desired competence. Generally speaking, the in-service training duration varies from as short as five days to as long as two years depending on the needs of the teachers, the location of the training (local or overseas) as well as the availability of budget.

3.8 Basic conditions for delivering the curriculum in practice

Trainers are selected from experts in the following categories: experts from industry; from existing instructors in other Ministries or from among teachers under the MOE. The trainers must possess the Malaysian Skills Certificate (SKM) that are at a higher level than the target level of the trainees. All trainers from the industry must possess SKM level 5. However, trainers from schools may not have the certificate but must give evidence that they have the right competencies, such as the Malaysian Vocational certificates. They are not required to be a degree holder. A training program is attended by around 20 trainees and ranges from 5 days to two years (full-time).

The training organization is hired on an “as needed basis”. They can be a private or a government organization. The main requirement is that the training organization has the appropriate facilities to run the training programs. Financing is provided by the MOE or the Ministry of Higher Education since these teachers are under their jurisdictions. Certifications are provided by the MOE or the MOE in collaboration with the training providers, or by the Skills Development Department depending on the terms and conditions of the training.

4 Conclusion

This paper discusses the outcomes of the evaluation of the curriculum for further training in occupational skills for vocational teachers in metal cutting in Malaysia, which is part of a larger study under the RCP research project. According to current practices, TVET teachers are provided with in-service training for further upgrading their competence in metal cutting or welding skills. The quality of in-service training is ensured by limiting the space and maintaining the ratio per training session to no more than 20 persons. The training provider must also fulfill several requirements relating to the physical equipment and trainer expertise in the area.Although, there is no standard curriculum for TVET teachers in the metal cutting occupation, continuous efforts through in-service training are made to support TVET teachers’ development of their occupational skills.

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Citation

Sulaiman, N. et al. (2014). Further training in occupational skills for vocational teachers: the case of metal cutting in Malaysia. In: TVET@Asia, issue 3, 1-13. Online: http://www.tvet-online.asia/issue3/sulaiman_etal_tvet3.pdf (retrieved 30.06.2014).