WORK ESTEEM AND RE-BRANDING OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND VOCATIONAL TRAINING FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF PARENTS AND TEACHERS

Several issues were raised from previous studies of technical and vocational education: low pay, no clear career path, unable to get admission to university, and finally TEVT were perceived to be for school dropouts and special needs students (the disabled). Although various efforts have been undertaken by several agencies to encourage TEVT but the public, students and parents still prefer academic education rather than vocational education. Why does this phenomenon still exist despite the publicity given by many agencies? Do parents, students, teachers and school counsellors, and other various related parties understand the system and benefits of skill training? The main purpose of this article is to explore work esteem and re-branding of TEVT from the perspective of parents and teachers. Qualitative study was conducted in two zones, namely, the north (Kedah) and central zone (Selangor) and two schools were chosen from each zone; one school in the urban setting and one from the rural setting. A total of 10 parents and 27 teachers were informants of the study using focus group discussions for data collection. Results showed that there was a positive response from parents and teachers about the work reputation potentials and benefits, re-branding of TEVT has improved acceptance by teachers and parents. Technical and vocational fields are no longer targeted for weak students; on the other hand this study has shown that parents believe that girls also can become successful mechanics. Parents and teachers are beginning to encourage students to pursue their field of interest, and no longer judge them based on test results per se to take up tertiary education. The path of TEVT can lead to university level as well to continue abroad. There are suggestions that opportunities should also be given to students studying Arabic or Islamic studies to pursue TEVT. Openness to TEVT by parents and teachers can improve the image, work esteem and the re-branding of its career path to fulfil the needs of skilled worker in an industrialized nation in 2020. Some implications of the study are submitted to policy makers to take proactive steps in generating and enhancing the promotion of technical and vocational training.