Assessment of capability, knowledge and skills of vocational school graduates a basis for enhanced industry academe cooperation

iii This is to certify that the research work / dissertation entitled: Assessment of Capability, Knowledge and Skills of Vocational School Graduates: A Basis for Enhanced Industry-Acade

i

ENHANCED INDUSTRY-ACADEME COOPERATION

_

A DISSERTATION Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School Southern Luzon State University, Lucban, Quezon, Philippines

in Collaboration with Thai Nguyen University, Socialist Republic of Vietnam

ii

iii

This is to certify that the research work / dissertation entitled:

Assessment of Capability, Knowledge and Skills of Vocational School

Graduates: A Basis for Enhanced Industry-Academe Cooperation, orally

defended/ presented under the DBA Program jointly offered by Southern Luzon State University of the Republic of the Philippines and Thai Nguyen University of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, embodies the result of original and scholarly work carried out by the undersigned

This dissertation does not contain words or ideas taken from published sources or written works by other persons which have been accepted as basis for the award of any degree from other higher education institutions, except where proper referencing and acknowledgment were made

Researcher/Candidate: Ha Xuan Quang (Smith)

Date Orally Defended: September 23, 2013

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In the completion of this study, the author has received significant support and collaboration from many organizations and individuals from the following:

Dr Tran Duc Quy, Rector of Hanoi University of Industry; Dr Dang

Vu Ngoan, Rector of Ho Chi Minh City University of Food Industry; Dr Phan

Chi Chinh, Vice Rector Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry; Dr.Cung

Trong Cuong, Rector of Hue Industrial College; Dr Duong Tu Binh, Rector

of Nam Dinh Industrial College; Mr Nguyen Duc Sinh, Vice Rector of Vietnam-Germany Industrial College; Mr.Ha Van Can, Rector of Industrial Economic – Technology College, Mr Dang Thanh Thuy, Rector of College of Industrial Techniques; Mr Luong Van Tien, Rector of Constructional and Industrial College; Mr Chu Duy Hoa, Rector of Vocational College of

Commerce, as well as Rector of Vocational College of Agricultural Mechanics (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) and Rector of Vietnam-Korea Vocational College of Engineering (Nghe An province), for sharing information and cooperating in the survey;

His colleagues and students at Hanoi University of Industry, for

helping him distribute and collect questionnaires from 230 enterprises Without their support, the researcher could not have gathered such huge database for research and analysis;

Leaders of Hanoi University of Industry, fellows and teachers at

Hanoi University of Industry, and Faculty of Business Administration,

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requirements to complete the DBA course and the final thesis on time;

Dr Dang Kim Vui, President of Thai Nguyen University and Dr Cecilia

N Gascon, President of Southern Luzon State University, for their cooperation in this training program which provides the researcher with an opportunity to participate in and conduct the project;

Dr Walberto A Macaraan, for his exemplary guidance, monitoring

and constant encouragement throughout the course of this thesis, and;

His family, for encouraging him throughout the duration of his studies

Ha Xuan Quang

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To my beloved wife,

two lovely daughters,

whose smiles are endless sources of energy to complete my work,

my heartfelt gratitude

HXQ

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TITLE PAGE ……… i

APPROVAL SHEET ……… ii

CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY ……… iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ……… iv

DEDICATION ……… vi

TABLE OF CONTENTS ……… vii

LIST OF TABLES ……… ix

LIST OF FIGURES ……… xi

LIST OF APPENDICES ……… xiii

ABSTRACT ……… xiv

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ……… 1

Background of the Study ……… 2

Objectives of the Study ……… 4

Hypothesis of the Study ……… 5

Scope and Delimitation of the Study ……… 6

Significance of the Study ……… 8

Definition of Terms ……… 9

II REVIEW OF LITERATURE ……… 10

Conceptual Framework ……….… 21

III METHODOLOGY ……… 34

Locale of the Study ……… 34

Research Design ……… 35

Population and Sample ……… 36

Research Instrument ……… 38

Data Gathering Procedure ……… 39

Statistical Treatment ……… …….…… 41

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RECOMMENDATIONS

Summary of Findings ……… 77

Conclusions ……… 80

Recommendations ……… 82

REFERENCES ……… ……… 85

APPENDICES ……… 88

CURRICULUM VITAE ……… 191

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2.1 B.Bloom’s Taxonomy of Knowledge and Skills ……… 23

3.10 Additional Variables for Business Database ……… 40

3.11 Additional Variables for School Database ……… 41

4.1 Number of Schools Selected ……… 42

4.2 Number of Schools with the Highest Level of Training …… 42

4.3 Number of Schools Classified into Region ……… 43

4.4 Number of Schools According to the Number of Students 43

4.5 Number of Enterprises Classified into Type of Ownership 43

4.6 Number of Enterprises Classified by Industry ……… 44

4.7 Number of Enterprises Classified by Number of Business Years ……… 44

4.8 Number of Enterprises Classified by Size (Number of Employees) ……… 44

4.9 Enterprises’ Assessment of Attitude and Capability to work of Graduates from Vocational Schools ……… 45

4.10 Enterprises’ Assessment of General Knowledge of Graduates from Vocational Schools ……… 47

4.11 Assessment by Enterprises of Foundation of Knowledge and Skills of Graduates ……… 49

4.12 Assessment by Enterprises on Mechanical Knowledge and Skills of Graduates ……… 51

4.13 Assessment by Enterprises on Electric/Electronic Knowledge and Skills of Graduates ……… 53

4.14 ANOVA Accreditation for the Relationship between C1.4 and C2, C3, C4, C5 ……… 55

4.15 Respondents of Conditions Ensuring Quality of Vocational Training Classified into Position/Title ……… 56

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4.16 Respondents of Conditions ensuring Quality of Vocational

Training classified into Number of Years of Working

4.17 Assessment of the Vocational Training Programs ………… 57 4.18 Assessment of Vocational Training Teachers ……… 58 4.19 Assessment of Facilities and Equipment for Vocational

4.20 Program Collaboration at Vocational Training Schools …… 62

4.21 Impact of Cooperating Activities on the Knowledge and

Skill of Graduates ……… 66 4.22 Assessment of Benefits of Cooperation by Vocational

Schools and Enterprises ……… 70 4.23 Desire/Willingness to cooperate of Enterprises ……… 71 4.24 Assessment by Vocational Schools of Factors Hindering

4.25 Assessment by Enterprises of Factors hindering

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2.1 Training Process and the External Factors Affecting the

Quality of Training ……… 25 2.2 Factors Affecting the Quality of Vocational Training ……… 26

2.3 Factors Influencing Quality of Graduates (Phan Chinh Thuc,

2.4 Impact of School-Business Cooperation in Vocational

Training Quality ……… 29 2.5 Framework for Analysing Collaboration between Enterprises

and Vocational Training Schools ……… 32 3.1 Research Design ……… 35 3.2 Process of Research and Data Analysis ……… 36

4.1a Enterprises’ assessment of attitude and capability to work of

graduates ……… 45 4.1b Enterprises’ Assessment of Attitude and Capability to work

4.2a Assessment by Enterprises of the General Knowledge of

4.2b Assessment by Enterprises of Different Ownerships of the

General Knowledge of Graduates ……… 48 4.2c Assessment by Enterprises of Different Industries of the

General Knowledge of Graduates ……… 48 4.3a Assessment by Enterprises of Foundation of Knowledge

and Skills of Graduates ……… 50 4.3b Assessment by Enterprises of Different Scales of

Foundation of Knowledge and Skills of Graduates ………… 50 4.4 Assessment by Enterprises of the Mechanical Knowledge

and Skills of Graduates ……… 52 4.5 Assessment by Enterprises of Electric/Electronic Knowledge

and Skills of Graduates ……… 53 4.6 Assessment of the Vocational Training Program ……… 57

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4.7 Assessment of Vocational Training Teachers ……… 59

4.8 Assessment of Facilities and Equipment for Vocational

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A Questionnaire - Research on Cooperation between

Enterprises and Vocational Schools (for leaders and managers of enterprises) ……… 89

B Questionnaire - Research on Cooperation between Vocational

Schools and Enterprises in Vocational Training (for leaders, managers and teachers of vocational schools) ………… 194

D Descriptive Statistics 122

E Statistic Tests and Regression ……… 144

`

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Title of Research : ASSESSMENT OF CAPABILITY, KNOWLEDGE

AND SKILL OF VOCATIONAL SCHOOL GRADUATES: A BASIS FOR ENHANCED INDUSTRY-ACADEME COOPERATION

Researcher : HA XUAN QUANG (SMITH)

Degree Conferred : DOCTOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Name and Address

of Institution

: Southern Luzon State University Lucban, Quezon, Philippines and Thai Nguyen University, Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Adviser : Dr Walberto A Macaraan

Year Written : 2013

In Vietnam, the quality of vocational training has not yet met the actual requirements of the enterprises One of the causes of this situation goes to the lack of efficient and close cooperation between vocational schools and enterprises

With the use of interview, survey and collection of expert opinions, the author has conducted a study on a sample of 233 enterprises for their comments on the knowledge and skills of graduates (majoring either in Mechanics or Electrics/ Electronics) A sample of some vocational schools has also been a part of the research to determine the conditions which ensures the quality of vocational training The author has also studied some current school-industry cooperation programs and their impact on the knowledge and skills of vocational school graduates On completion of the dissertation, the author has collected and analyzed the opinions from schools and businesses, about the benefits of cooperation, the factors hindering the development of cooperation and the desire/willingness of the enterprises to

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also proposed some solutions to the development of cooperating programs in order to improve the quality of vocational training (in terms of the knowledge and skills of graduates) The researcher found out that the capability, knowledge and skills of graduates from vocational schools do not meet the requirements of the job Businesses deliver the lowest assessment for such skills as organizing in production, communicating, team-working and problem-solving This situation also applies for graduates’ knowledge and skills in statistics, English, CNC, PIC, PLC programming, electric/electronic circuit designing and modern equipment operating Also, the current conditions at schools affecting capability, knowledge and skills of graduates include factors that ensure quality of vocational training Among these factors, the shortage of updated training content and teachers visiting business environment as well

as the lack in quality and quantity of technology equipment are most concerned

In addition to this, there are three groups of cooperating program between vocational schools and businesses, namely: information exchange, resources supply and exchange, and vocational training plan design Arrangement of internship for students at businesses is the most popular and most regular industry-academy cooperating activity Other activities are also done to encourage cooperation but not often Moreover, businesses and vocational schools share similar opinions about the benefits of cooperation in training Cooperation has a positive impact on knowledge and skills of vocational students Enterprises are willing to participate in cooperating programs with vocational schools Aside from these, factors hindering

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mechanism to encourage/force the cooperation, the lack of information about partners and the fact that one party does not assure the interests of the partner Finally, on the basis of the research findings, the researcher proposed solutions to enhance industry-academy cooperation and to improve the capability, knowledge and skills of vocational students

Chapter I

INTRODUCTION

High quality human resources is one of the factors that determine the growth of the economy To accomplish the goal of becoming an industrialized country by 2020, as well as to attract foreign investment, Vietnam should have good human resources

However, as cited in the ILO report (2013), Vietnam is in the group of countries with the lowest labor productivity in Asia Vietnamese productivity is only 1/15 of Singapore, 1/11 of Japan, and 1/10 of Korea The cause of this problem is that science and technology level is low, and the proportion of workers in agriculture remains high This problem may also be caused by poor-quality human resources and lack of skilled labor (Pham Manh Thuy, 2014) According to a survey conducted by the World Bank, over 80% of employers said that candidates for technical positions lack skills necessary for the job (Mori J, 2014)

Recognizing this problem, the government of Vietnam has been issuing

a number of policies to improve the quality of human resources and promoting the development of skills of workers To implement the requirements of the government, educational and training institutions conducted courses oriented

to the demand of the society (Decision No 296 / CT-TTg dated February 27, 2010)

However, the supply of high skilled human resources has not caught

up with the demand Graduates of vocational schools still lack knowledge, skills and training This is not only because TVET institutions are

incapacitated Unfortunately, vocational schools can not supply high skilled human resources without the support from businesses (Mori, J 2014)

Improving industry - school cooperation can be an appropriate solution

to the problem of lack of knowledge, skills, capability of graduates Some research on industry and academe cooperation has been done but they mainly focus on solving the problem in educational and traning institution and

do not consider TVET institutions and enterprises

This study aimed to analyze assessment of the business on the capacity of graduates, training conditions affecting the capability of graduates, and analyze the actual situation of the industry – academe coperation, and find out the factors that hinder the development of the partnership These are basis for offering solutions to enhance / develop industry - school partnership

Findings of the study became the scientific basis for the policy proposals on training and the solutions of developing vocational training of TVET institutions to contribute to the supply of human resources with enough knowledge, skills, capacity for Vietnam's industrialization and international integration

Background of the Study

“Rapid development of human resources, especially high-quality human resources is a breakthrough of the country for 2011-2020” (Strategy of Vietnam socio-economic development from 2011 to 2020) Human resource is the foundation and the most important component to develop the country in a sustainable way (Strategy of Vietnam Human Resources Development for 2011-2020)

Education and training is the determinant of human resources’ quality but the quality of education is low in comparison with the requirement of the country’s development in the new period; professional capacity of graduates has not met job requirements (Strategy for development of education and training for 2011-2020)

Attracting businesses to participate intently in human resources development, building regulations, mechanisms and policies to promote cohesion between training institution and businesses, expanding forms of training according to the orders of the business and attracting enterprises to participate more in human resources training, as well as institutionalizing the responsibility of businesses in human resources development is a must (Strategy of Vietnam Human Resources Development for 2011-2020)

The current quality of training institutions has not really met the need of the labor market There are many factors affecting training quality of schools

A major cause is the relationship between schools and businesses in the area

of education that limits participation of enterprises in the training process (MOIT, 2011)

Currently, there are 32 vocational schools under MOIT Almost all of them supply courses at many levels, from certificate to university degree In

2012, with a total of 450,000 students, the number of newly-admitted students are 210,000, graduates are 150,000 (MOIT, 2012) However, training quality

is very limited and can hardly enable trainees to handle new technology, national development demand and enterprises A survey of JICA in Vietnam with the enterprises’ feedbacks/comments on the graduates from some vocational schools under MOIT on such criteria as knowledge, technical skills,

attitudes at work, recognized that there are many criteria that have not fully satisfied the expectations of enterprises (under 3 points – Using 5-point Likert’s Scale) One of the main reasons is that vocational schools and enterprises do not cooperate well with each other In fact, enterprises are seldom allowed to take part in some stages of vocational training such as identifying the right jobs for training, designing curriculum, coordinating internship for trainees, etc

In this context, “Assessment of Capability, Knowledge and Skill of

Vocational School Graduates: A Basis for Enhanced Industry-Academe

Cooperation” was chosen as dissertation topic As a vice rector of a

professional university – Hanoi University of Industry, the author has recognized that research on the topic is realistic The research results will not only help the university to overcome the above problem but also provide a basis for solutions for the improvement of vocational training quality in Vietnam To collect data for this study, a survey with sample of vocational training colleges under Vietnam Ministry of Industry and Trade and another ministry have been implemented In addition, another survey with sample of enterprises was also carried out in order to get their feedbacks on quality of graduates from vocational training schools

Objectives of the Study

This study which aimed to analyze the capacity of graduates, training conditions affecting capability of graduates, analyze the actual situation of industry – academe coperation, and find out the factors that hinder developing the partnership has the following specific objectives objectives:

1 To assess competency, knowledge and skills of graduates of vocational schools with the requirements of the job

2 To find out the factors leading to the lack / insubstantial knowledge, skills and capacity of the graduates of vocational schools from the perspective

of conditions to ensure the quality of training in vocational schools

3 To Identify partnership activities now being applied in vocational schools, the level of cooperation and their effects to the knowledge and skills

industry-Hypotheses

Based on the research issues, the following hypotheses were outlined and tested by using statistical methods to achieve the research objectives:

H1 Enterprises are not satisfied with the working capability, knowledge

and skills of the graduates

H2 There are differences in the assessment of capability, knowledge

and skills of graduates between different types of businesses by ownership

H3 There are differences in the assessment of capability, knowledge

and skills of graduates between different types of businesses by industry

H4 Vocational schools are not satisfied with the conditions to ensure

the quality of vocational training

H5 Enterprises are willing to cooperate with schools in training

activities

H6 There is no difference between enterprises and schools in the

assessment of the benefits of school-enterprise cooperation

H7 There is a link between the assessment of conditions to ensure

training quality and school-enterprise cooperating activities

Scope and Delimitation

Scope of the study includes vocational training schools of MOIT Ministry of Industry and Trade is a specialized ministry that manages most schools in Vietnam (except MOET, MOLISA which manage education and training, thus, they are directly in charge of some schools) The total number

of schools under direct management of MOIT is 32 and those under the management of MOIT’s enterprises is 20 In school year 2011-2012, MOIT’s schools admitted a total of 42,000 official vocational students, accounting for 20% of all vocational students over the country (MOIT (2012), GDVT (2012))

The research instruments were mainly interviews and survey with questionnaires, along with in-depth research at vocational training schools (Hanoi University of Industry) and interviews with a number of experts in training management of MOIT, GDVT Ten large MOIT’s schools participate in the survey (accounting for 60% of the total number of students and 80% of all

vocational students), including universities, colleges, vocational schools located over of the country (in the North, Central and South) To compare the results, 2 more vocational schools under the management of another ministry and another province (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Nghe An province) were surveyed, too

The study focused on the development in cooperation between schools and enterprises to improve the quality of training (knowledge and skills of graduates) Two hundred thirty-three enterprises in partnership with MOIT’s schools have been surveyed to assess the responsiveness to current production requirement of graduates from vocational schools and to receive their opinions about the cooperating program and the benefits of school-enterprise cooperation In terms of graduates’ quality, their knowledge and skills (both foundation and professional one) play a part in the research To obtain specific evaluation results from the enterprises, the author chooses to survey the knowledge and skills of graduates in Mechanics and Electrics/Electronics There are 2 majors trained in all 12 surveyed schools as well as other vocational schools in Vietnam (GDVT, 2012)

The actual survey data (primary) was conducted from 9/2012 to 3/2013 The secondary data was based on national statistics and reports made by the MOIT, MOET, MOLISA, and GDVT between 2010-2012

Due to difficulties in identifying all enterprises using graduates from MOIT’s schools and other limitations, the sample of enterprises is mostly from the North of Vietnam so as to facilitate the process of data collection Therefore, the representative of the sample was limited

Significance of the Study

The significance of the research results were the following:

(1) To advance understanding of the cooperation between enterprises and vocational training schools in order to help the colleges under MOIT to improve the quality of graduates;

(2) To provide basis for improving cooperation with enterprises for other vocational training schools and colleges in Vietnam;

(3) To provide reference documents for policy makers in issuing regulations, policies, and laws related to vocational training in order to encourage enterprises to take part in vocational training;

(4) To help enterprises understand their roles and responsibilities in vocational training and contribute to human resources development of Vietnam In addition to that, the research results also show that enterprises might get more benefits if they participate in the training process with vocational training schools and colleges;

(5) To help students in vocational training schools and colleges recognize the necessity of practice and internship at enterprises The acquired knowledge and skills at enterprises during the practice and internship duration are of great importance to students when they join the labor market

(6) The research results will contribute to the rapidly developing literature

on vocational training and education, labor economics and human

resources management By examining and comparing different models

of cooperation, the author can offer more suitable vocational training in Vietnam and other developing countries

Definition of Terms

Industry-academe Cooperation All activities that businesses

participate (directly or indirectly) in the training cycle of schools from identification of training needs, design of training programs, preparation of training, recruitment, operation of training, training assessment, improvement

in training and job assistance for students during studying and after graduation

Quality of Graduates This refers to the level of knowledge, skills,

attitudes (capability) of graduates to satisfy employers

Vocational Schools under MOIT These include schools offering

vocational courses (universitie, colleges, vocational colleges) under the direct management of MOIT Schools under businesses of MOIT and schools which are under MOIT but do not provide vocational courses are not the subjects of this study According to recent the statistics, there have been 32 vocational schools under MOIT which became the subjects of this study

Chapter II

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Relationship between enterprises and vocational training schools has been an issue concerned by international and national researchers, learners and managers and also a heated topic in many international and national conferences Some relevant researches are as follows:

Educational researchers and and professionals have identified that vocational training is critical for the improvement knowledge and skills of gradutates and is essential if a firm wants to remain its competitiveness A number of authors have attempted to examine the collaboration between enterprises and vocational training schools

Wu Quanquan (2009) stated that although it had not been stipulated in law that businesses had to participate in vocational training, the continuous opening up of China had clearly led entrepreneurs to realize that human resources were the fundamental element for their sustainable development Therefore, more businesses are willing to invest in vocational education This

is a win-win situation for businesses and schools Businesses now participate

in the whole process of teaching: from collaboration in the analysis of demand, to course and curriculum development, including the implementation

of teaching, especially practical teaching and practice in enterprises For all of these elements, businesses have provided not only works but also living allowances for the students After graduation, the qualified students then have

a job with the firms Not only is the teaching quality of vocational education

ensured, but the enthusiasm of youngsters for learning vocational technology significantly improves

According to Se-Yung Lim (2009), in Korea, vocational education initially took place in vocational high schools at the secondary level, polytechnic colleges and junior colleges in tertiary level, and also in vocational training institutes as part of non-formal education under the Ministry of Labour Vocational technical high schools in Korea are confronting many problems: lack of motivation for middle school graduates, low rate of applicants employed after school, and a low level of recognition by industry regarding the quality of technical high school education To enhance student motivation and industry recognition, Korean technical high schools have tried

to implement new educational approaches that could strengthen the industrial orientation of the curriculum

In Germany, Zwick (2006) used data collected from the Institute for Employment Research establishment panel with a 5-year observation period

He estimated the impact of training intensity on the establishment of productivity The research result indicated that increasing the training intensity had a positive and significant effect on firm productivity in Germany This author also recommended that enterprises and vocational training schools needed futher cooperation in order to improve the quality of the graduates

Through the cooperation with the industry, the education programs in vocational schools should be updated For being able to fit present technological developments, and producing technology and knowledge, educational institutions and industry enterprises’ collaboration is one of the most effective elements for today’s communities With university-industry

cooperation, some solutions can be related to companies’ problems like product development, production problems, and well-qualified staff need Also, some sources suitable to universities researches, and educational improvement are provided As a result of this cooperation, common interests like educating students according to industries’ need, and providing working facilities in the industry are created (Isgoren at el, 2009)

When the university-industry communication is analyzed by its industry communication, and student industry communication subtitles, it is seen that both industry’s and the university’s given answers are condensed at deficient and prospering way This situation shows that both are interested in cooperation, and they both think that this will be useful when it is institutionalized When the mutual cooperations were analyzed, they were evaluated with knowledge transfer and technology transfer subtitles Both the industry and the university find the knowledge and technology transfer from industry to university and from university to industry as deficient This showed that they accepted that they are deficient at making contribution to the other

lecturer-on their own specialized areas Technical and financial support taken from industry subjects are evaluated as deficient by the university and the industry pointed this as prospering These findings show that both demand that support taken from the industry must be analyzed in the institution When university’s reply to industry’s demands are analyzed by its theoretical and practical courses and graduation projects subtitles, the industry commented that their demands are not met and the university insisted that their programs must be developed (Ayla et al., 2010)

Results indicate that a more practically inclined education, closer to industry requirements, is required and that participation of industry professionals in postgraduate courses and students’ internships in companies are the mechanisms which will create the greatest impact on employability

Participation of industry and private business professionals in university teaching has a positive impact in employment creation It improves courses’ contents contribution as more practical, labour market demanded knowledge Through this, the previously mentioned, lack of practical training in education

is reduced Additionally, throughout the course, the link between teachers and students tightens building relationships that can produce valuable results.Internships open the doors to employment, not only in the company where the internship is done but also in other companies They are one of the most effective tools for recent graduates’ qualification in the labour market

University training is posed with the challenge of adapting degrees, teaching contents and training methods in order to meet industry demands

To achieve this goal, a number of actions are required like encouraging students to choose the degrees that match the demand Information sessions for high school students, marketing activities, and adapting the number of places available in each degree to labour market demand, are some of them Adapting teaching contents requires industry cooperation and specialized training of teaching staff These can be encouraged by introducing incentives

to specialists’ exchange between university and industry and recognizing industry experience as a professional asset for academic staff

Adequate training methods also require industry cooperation to incorporate technical, behavioural and contextual competences to education

An efficient way to implement such cooperation is through facilitation of student’s internships in companies To increase the quality and improve the results of internship programmes, it is necessary to evaluate them through the participation of interns and mentors involved in the programmes in surveys Industry participation can be encouraged by making premiums available to companies that get involved (Afonso et al., 2012)

Sen Cong and Xiaomei Wang (2010), in China, stated that to adapt to the present technological developments, the cooperation between vocational schools and industry enterprises is one of the most effective methods for vocational education Practices and studies on workplace learning have received increased attention as a result of the increasingly significant role of professional skills and expertise in vocational education Cooperation makes them strengthen scientific, technological, and economical ways by creating a bond between school and industry The need of the enterprise is the core of the vocational education system Mass customization-oriented education is a low-cost and high speed style of cultivating talents with a certain amount of teaching to meet employers’ random and uneven demands It enables schools to personalize education for students On the other hand, the cost of education is under control and education resources are fully utilized Education customization enables the full use of education resources and knowledge resources that will help bridge the gap between teaching and practice Supply and demand do not match as well as the mode of instruction and the pace of development The flow chart of vocational education is shown

in figure 1 The following suggestions were: (1) Vocational teaching syllabus and course contents should be created with vocational school-industry

cooperation, and should be updated according to technological developments; (2) Invite representatives of the industry to teach professional courses; and (3) Vocational school should supply students with educational opportunity in industry enterprises The cooperation between school and industry is a tool that helps convert basic and theoretical knowledge obtained in schools into practices being used in various countries With this cooperation, the technological information needed by the industry enterprises was transferred from enterprises to school and in return the industry has been providing schools the opportunity of practical application This mutual cooperation has been spearheading the country’s economic development It is widely used in the United States, the United Kingdom, German, Japan and so on In the United States, students spend half of their time studying in vocational school, and the other working in enterprises In this way, theory can be applied in actual operation In Japan, in order to improve the efficiency of vocational education, enterprises and vocational school run jointly It makes the direction

of vocational education clear to follow the standard

A high level of professional teaching force is essential to ensure the quality of vocational education and ensure training qualified skilled workforce for enterprises So, the hirig of teaching staff is so important, and each teacher should always update his professional knowledge Vocational teachers are disproportionate with the growing number of students in China

In addition, skills and capabilities of the teachers need to be strengthened Practicality is an important feature of vocational education, and the cultivation

of teachers’ practical skills is a critical requirement for vocational education From the experience of the foreign well-developed vocational education

teachers’ training, teachers must accept practice training into the industry if they want to obtain a rich practical experience Vocational teacher training should take the initiative in cooperation with the industry It is easy to find the focal point of vocational education and industrial production Professional training can make the teachers hone their own knowledge and skills The introduction and cultivation of double qualified teacher has been valued in vocational school It requires and encourages vocational teachers to cooperate with industries

Compared with foreign developed vocational education, there is a big gap on the aspect of Chinese vocational education in teacher training Firstly, vocational teachers cannot get enough practice, especially practice in industries Secondly, they are understaffed and their usual teaching task is tight and practice time is limited Thirdly, they want to engage in the training, but they cannot get enough funds from government agencies Vocational schools need to be reformed These are the suggestions: (1) Teacher should establish self-awareness of professional development, and enhance the capacity of individual professional practice; (2) The school and government should raise funds through multiple channels, and carry out various trainings

of vocational teacher; and (3) The appreciation training method may be selected to improve pertinence and practicality of training mode

According to GIZ (2014), the key to success of Germany TVET and breakthroughs in quality training is a partnership between government, business and educational institutions In Germany, training at the company occupies at least 50% of training time, which is a part of a cooperative training with two locations as vocational schools and enterprises, and has coordinated

training regulations created between vocational schools and enterprises The benefits of the school – industry partnership are the following: enhancing needs-oriented training; reducing the effective cost; students become familiar with the world of work early; establishing the relationship between the students and future employers (GIZ, 2014)

The schools - businesses partnership benefit students, schools and companies The students get the necessary professional skills, increase employment opportunities, learn in real work environment, can look for work

at the company after the completion of training, and earn while studying The schools improve capacity of teacher through the exchange of knowledge with the instructors in the business by enhancing technical skills, work attitudes, motivation for students in the real work environment, increase training capacity, increase the attractiveness, interest potential students, and share training costs The company, which has interests in the partnership provides many training programs to fit the company's needs save cost to recruit and retrain, improve productivity, and product quality (GIZ, 2014)

Torres (2014) found out that in Thailand businesses have an important role in vocational training As customers are making demands of professional skills, participating management of vocational training, which develops skill of training for teachers, are involved in the development of vocational training programs (National Workshop: Participation enterprise in vocational training- 2014)

Also, in countries such as Malaysia, India, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Australia, England, Canada, there are mechanisms and policies to encourage business participation in vocational training and skills development Under

these, the Industry skills Councils (ISC), sector skills Councils (SSC) were established These councils are responsible for additional skills shortages, improvement of labor skills for the sector, improvement of workplace to help businesses involved in the program development, professional development, teaching, and assessment of skills

In Indonesia, there is state regulation of apprenticeship activities This was based on a written contract between an apprentice and businesses, which prompts participating businesses to receive vocational training apprenticeship to improve the quality, efficiency and relevance with actual production (Torres, 2014)

On the other hand, in Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, government regulations fees / taxes (skills development charges - SDL) are given when firms use labor to form the skills development fund (SDF) to support vocational training (Torres, 2014)

Apprenticeship is a form of vocational training in enterprises in many countries such as Indonesia, Philippines, England, France, Australia, India, and US Characteristics of the apprenticeship are carried out in the workplace under the supervision and guidance of skilled workers in the business The training is conducted in a systematic way, according to a predetermined plan

to achieve the purpose of the training It is governed by a contract between an apprentice and businesses (Torres, 2014)

The quality of the labor force is reflected (although imperfectly) through the level of education and training Although official statistics indicates that Vietnam is among the highest literate country in the region, there is evidence that the country’s education system fails to provide employers with the

needed qualified personnel, and poorly prepares students for the jobs they might hope to have in the future This may be explained in part by low returns

of investment in training and education Some economists found out that the private rate of return to education in Vietnam is low compared with international standards (Moock et al., 2003) This could be a reason why workers are not inclined to improve their skills

Thang & Quang (2007) addressed training and development in Vietnam This article reviews the general socio-economic background of the country, the high need for skilled labour, the structure of its educational system, the pitfalls at the high education level, and the strategy to overhaul the whole system in order to ensure quality from the input phase of the development process In this study, the author has also suggested that Vietnamese government needs to encourage the collaboration between enterprises and vocational training schools

Thang & Quang (2005) used data from a study of 137 cross-sector enterprises to estimate the impact of training on firm performance The survey was conducted in 2003 They found out that there was a positive association

of training with market share and organisational performance In a follow-up paper, Thang & Quang (2005) indicated that foreign investment enterprises tended to provide more on-the-job training than other types of enterprise However, off-the-job training was preferred less by foreign investment enterprises than by state-owned enterprises The study has also recommended that enterprises and vocational training schools need more cooperation in order to improve the quality of the graduates

Thang, Quang & Buyens (2011) studied the impact of training programmes on firm performance by using the data from the VESI 2007 From a survey of 196 companies, the major findings indicated that the companies which implemented training in 2006 had increased sales and productivity (by 0.18 percent) in manufacturing companies In addition, manufacturing companies which implemented training programmes after 2005 increased by 0.32 percent in total sales and productivity per year between

2005 and 2006 The survey result also showed that manufacturing companies had been solely focusing on training for technical engineers

Although vocational training is widely acknowledged to play an important role in the development of the human resources for the country, there is still no systematic data in Vietnam for vocational training system Therefore, according to recent statistics, there have been about 1000 vocational schools/centers in Vietnam, capable of educating 1.5 million workers a year Every year, the vocational training system provides training for 6.6 million people (1.14 million people on long-term training and 5.46 million people on short-term training) However, the quality of vocational training is posing a big challenge for Vietnam to improve its labor force

On-the-job trained labourers can easily meet a business’s practical needs The knowledge and vocational skills they obtain meet both labourer’s and employer’s interests Trainees can attain vocational theory and practice

on the equipment used in their factories Employers also do not have to send workers to outside training bases, so that their tasks are not interrupted, which

in turn reduces costs In addition, on-the-job training also includes sending trainees to factories to practice on the devices being used, so they may apply

the knowledge obtained and improve their skills at the same time This training cooperation has promoted understanding between vocational schools and enterprises Moreover, the vocational schools do not have to spend money on purchasing equipment for practice, and trainees, therefore learn more quickly As for businesses, they use the trainees to make new products and groom skilled employees for themselves in the future (Mac Van Tien at el., 2009)

In addition to the long overdue problems such as inadequate training curriculum, training methods, and facilities, the training of the vocational training schools has little connection with the business sector although the vocational training system is now moving towards a demand-based system In recent years, the vocational training sector of Vietnam has received much attention from the government as well as foreign and international organizations However, the author has not seen any studies in Vietnam about the assessment of capability, knowledge and skill of vocational school graduates and taking this as a basis for enhanced industry-academe cooperation Therefore, this study might play a part

in filling this gap

Quality assessed by "input"

Some people said that the quality of a school depends on the quality or quantity of its input This view is called "resources view", in other words:

RESOURCES = QUALITY

According to this view, a high-quality school is one that recruits outstanding students, prestigious teaching staff and enough financial resources to equip the laboratories, lecture halls and the best facilities

This view ignores the impact of the training process which last diversely and continuously for a long time in schools, especially the positive efforts of learners In fact, according to this evaluation, the training process is considered a "black box" based on the assessment of "input" and the conjecture of "output"’s quality This concept has moved from considering the quality to considering the conditions of forming it

Quality assessed by "output"

Another viewpoint about the quality of training claims that "output" is more important than "input" "Output" is the product of the training process which is shown in the degree of work completed by graduates There are two basic problems related to this approach Firstly, the relationship which is existing in reality between the "input" and "output" is not considered Secondly, "output" assessement of each school is highly diversed

Criteria for Assessing the Quality of Vocational Training

According to the concept of output quality, these following criteria are used to assess the quality of vocational training: social quality, occupation

(moral, awareness and responsibility); health status; knowledge and skills; capacity of practice; ability to adapt to the labor market; and capacity to research and develop learner after graduation

The criteria of knowledge and skills, according to B.Bloom (1956), are classified into 6 levels as shown in Table 2.1

Table 2.1

B.Bloom’s Taxonomy of Knowledge and Skills

Level of

Moderate Comprehension Formation of Initial Skills (as

directed)

Average Application Formation of Basic Skills

(independently) Fair Analysis/ Synthesis Skills Collaboration

Good Evaluation Formation of Techniques

Very Good Development/

Innovation Development/ Innovation

Factors Affecting the Quality of Vocational Training

External factors

Mechanism and policy affects the quality of training in the following aspects:

promote or inhibit competition in quality improvement; encourage or inhibit the mobilization of resources to improve quality; encourage or restrict the vocational institutions to expand their training cooperation with businesses; regulations about the responsibilities and relationships between training institutions and employers, between the school and the working place; policies on investment and financial facilities for vocational training institutions; and policies on labor, employment, wages of employees after vocational training, vocational teachers and vocational trainees

In summary, mechanism and policies affect all stages from input to the

training process and output of the vocational schools They include factors affecting the environment and environmental impact on vocational training

Environmental Factors

The environmental factors include: the trend of globalization and international integration affects all aspects of the country, including vocational training activities; development of science and technology requires employees

to catch the opportunities and study regularly to master new technology; and the development of socio-economic contributes to the changes in the perceptions of society about vocational training and the role of skilled labor

The external factors affecting the quality of training are shown in Figure 2.1 (Phan Chinh Thuc, 2003)