Sectoral Relations, Appropriateness, Supply-Demand Problem in the Post-Secondary Vocational Schools: Recommendations for Improvement

This current study aims to identify the problem areas of the post-secondary vocational schools and develop some possible actions that could be taken to improve them. In order to obtain information about the current status of these schools, a questionnaire was prepared and distributed to post-secondary vocational school employees and 167 industrial sector representatives. The answers of these respondents were analyzed by using factor analysis, and some indexes were generated. The results of this study suggest that the main problems of the post-secondary vocational schools are stated as the limited collaboration between the post-secondary vocational schools and the private sector firms, selection of inappropriate locations to open post-secondary vocational schools, limited social facilities, and the lack of job opportunities for some graduates of associate degree programs. Some institutional and educational recommendations are suggested by the participants for solving these problems. For example, to improve the institutional status of the post-secondary vocational schools, the duration of workplace training should be increased, machinery and equipment used in these schools should be enhanced, and employment demand projections should be taken into consideration while determining the student admission quotas. In terms of education and training, they propose that the education period should be extended for the students to gain professional skills and competences, and a preparatory class should be placed to improve the basic professional skills of the general high school graduates who enrolled in these schools.