ISSUES IN CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT ANDDECENTRALIZATION OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION TO NATIONAL ECONOMIC GROWTH: THE CASE OF INDONESIA

ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) will be started next year 2015. ASEAN country members needbe ready toexchange, or even to compete their products or services. Skilled labor is essential to be possessed by all the country members to successfully participate in AEC. Vocational school is a strategic institution assigned to prepare its students to possess competence for work in certain occupation. Therefore, the curriculum of vocational education needs to be developed then consistently executed in such a way to gain expected skilled labors. This paper will cover two discussions. First, in macro level, how the development of vocational education curriculumrelevant to labor market as well as relevant to the national philosophy, and eight (8) National Education Standards.Second, in micro level,how the curriculum is to be implemented in school, especially in classroom and out ofclassroom settings. Furthermore, the roles and commitment of National and Local governments,in decentralization era, together with their stakeholders to support vocational education will also be analyzed. Summary as a conclusion will be provided at the end of this paper combined with recommendations especially for Government and people in business and industry. Keywords: curriculum development, vocational education, decentralization, national economy growth

Technical education teachers' perception of higher-order thinking skills and their ability to implement it in Indonesia

World Economic Forum’s report (2020) reported that the top five out of 10 skills needed by employers in 2025 are (1) analytical thinking and innovation, (2) active learning and learning strategies, (3) complex problem solving, (4) critical thinking and analysis, and (5) creativity, originality, and initiative. These skills thrive workers entering the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and are the core of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS). Parallelly, educationists conclude that teaching students with HOTS is a must, but the challenge is how to do it effectively. This study’s objectives were to know vocational and technical teachers’ perception of HOTS and their ability to teach HOTS in their classrooms. The study population was State Vocational and Technical Senior High School (SMKN) in Yogyakarta Special Region (DIY) and Central Java Province (CJP) in Indonesia. The sample was determined by quota technique sampling and came up with SMKN 2 Yogyakarta in DIY and SMKN 2 Klaten, and SMKN Magelang in CJP. Collecting data technique used closed- and open- questionnaires and documentation. Data analysis used statistical descriptive and qualitative description. Research findings revealed that teachers’ perception of HOTS was very positive, while their ability to integrate HOTS concepts in their lesson plans and to implement them in the classroom still has significant difficulties

A framework for measuring the level of achievement of vocational students competency of architectural education

The determination of work competence according to industrial needs that are expected by employers of new graduates in the department of architectural engineering in vocational high schools will help graduates to transit smoothly from the academic education environment to the real conditions of the construction industry in the workplace. This research identifies which group of competencies attributes that graduates should have in explaining appropriate competencies according to construction industry standards in Indonesia. The survey was conducted in 47 building construction companies consisting of 56 respondents using a questionnaire method. Multivariate analyses using the CB-SEM method used to validate the evaluation model. The research analysis used quantitative descriptive and factor analysis with the Explanatory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) methods. The EFA test shows ten factors so that it consists of 30 items of competency measurement. Overall, the CFA test has met the criteria for the goodness of fit statistics. The results of the study concluded that the instrument developed met good validity and reliability and two model frameworks for measuring the level of achievement of student competence in architectural techniques were feasible to usePeer Reviewe

Authentic Assessment Competence of Building Construction Teachers in Indonesian Vocational Schools

In the year 2020-2035 the number of productive citizen (15-60 years) of Indonesia will reach 70 percent over all citizens. It becomes a bonus when the citizen group possesses competence relevant to the era. Entering 21st century most important skills that a worker needs to acquire are: collaboration, creativity and problem-solving and character qualities like persistence, curiosity and initiative. In response to this issue, in 2013 Ministry of Education and Culture developed a new curriculum called “2013 Curriculumâ€. It emphasises on authentic-learning and assessment that promote higher-order thinking skills: creative, innovative, and problem solving in real life. This research focuses on teachers’ authentic assessment competence at the state vocational schools describing their understanding on the concepts and principles of authentic assessment and their ability in its planning and implementation. The findings show that teachers’ understanding and their ability to plan and implement authentic assessment are inadequate and furher training on authentic assessment is recommended