DOI: 10.7763/IPEDR. 2014. V70. 11

Industrial Sectors’ Need of Cooperative Students with Desired

Characteristics

Supitcha Cheevapruk, Cholticha Nuchpong, Sittipong Sang-in, and Wannalak Laotaweesub

College of Industrial Technology, King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok, Bang sue, Bangkok 10800 Thailand

Abstract. In the era of globalization and technical advancement, the demand for cooperative education has been increasing rapidly. Even in the context of Thailand, universities aim to produce potential graduates to serve the industrial sectors’ to produce quality human resources for the development of the nation. The

Cooperative education courses have been offered in order to serve the knowledgeable and skilled graduate students to the industrial sectors. The Cooperative education courses for Bachelor Degrees in Thailand are under the standard of Thailand Qualification Frameworks for Higher Education (TQF) which relevant to 5 aspects; Work skills, Personality, Basic Knowledge, Specific Technical Knowledge and Specific Technical Skills. To prepare the students for the industrial sectors, universities need to know the necessary knowledge and skills needed for them to cope with the challenges and risks of globalization entrepreneurs’ necessary

needed skills. Therefore, this paper aimed to analyze the effective factors that influence the industrial sectors’

decision on receiving the cooperative students from the Department of Mechanical Engineering Technology. The findings revealed that industrial entrepreneurs needed the cooperative students with good personality the most. The students’ specific technical skills needed was classified into 3 specific fields that showed Machine Design and Manufacturing Engineering Technology students with the higher technical expertise followed by Polymer Engineering and Tool and Dies Engineering Technology respectively.

Keywords: Cooperative Education, Work skills, Industrial Needs, Technical Skills, Educational Qualification.

1. Introduction Nowadays Thailand’s industrial system aims to manufacture products with high quality. Industrial

entrepreneurs are trying to develop their technology and to systematize the way of working. Therefore, it is important for the industrial entrepreneurs to seek for graduates with technical knowledge and skills in order to enhance work efficiency. So it became the universities’ duties to produce qualified graduates which served

the industrial entrepreneurs’ desired. In order to reach the industrial entrepreneurs’ graduates with desired

characteristics, many universities introduced long term apprenticeship program into their curriculum for the students that can be called Cooperative education program. The program was established initially seal the gap between theory and practice in engineering education, meet the new developments in industrial needs, and make university education accessible to the growing number of potential students.[1]

The Department of Mechanical Engineering Technology, King Mongkut’s University of Technology

North Bangkok has its objective is to produce engineering graduates with specific technical skills. Hence, The Department has organized the Bachelor Degree in engineering in 3 specific technical skills which are Machine Design and Manufacturing Engineering Technology, Tool and Dies Engineering Technology and Polymer Engineering Technology. Before starting an undergraduate cooperative engineering education curriculum, the department conducted the survey to gather all data to identify the factors that influence the reception of the employment of the industrial entrepreneurs which is relevant to the 5 aspects of the standard of Thailand Qualification Frameworks for Higher Education (TQF). The TQF includes 1) Work skills, 2) Personality, 3) Basic Knowledge, 4) Specific Technical Knowledge and 5) Specific Technical Skills in order to be well-prepared to produce potential students who can work for the industrial sectors efficiently and acceptably. Therefore, this research aims to study the effective factors that influence the reception of the cooperative engineering students. Corresponding author. Tel.: + 66 92 269 0914. E-mail address: supitchac@kmutnb.ac.th, c.pitcha@gmail.com.

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2. Literature Reviews This research was conducted base on the literature study of Cooperative education and Thailand

Qualification Frameworks for Higher Education in order to reach to identify the factors that influence the reception of the employment of the industrial entrepreneurs.

2.1. Cooperative education

The concept of cooperative education was mention in M.L.Wessels & J.M. Jacobsz [2] that it was began in the United Kingdom (UK) in the late 1800s, in the United States of America (USA) in 1906 and in Canada in 1957 and it is now practiced in more than 60 countries around the world, and that it operates on most continents. Garavan and Murphy [3] mentioned that Co-operative education is defined as a unique form of education and experiential learning, which integrates classroom study with paid, planned and supervised work experience in the private and public sector. [4]Thailand’s context of cooperative education was

describe in P. Rupavijetra [5] that it is an instructional method that links classroom instruction and work by providing practical experience that is relevant to student’s career goals. Originally the cooperative education program in Thailand took place in the field of engineering, for example, King Mongkut’s Institure of

Technology Ladkrabang, Thonburi and North Bangkok in 1971. Prof. Dr. Srisaan, former Minister of Education, facilitated the cooperative education concept and spread it to many universities.

2.2. Thailand qualification frameworks for higher education

Thailand Qualification Frameworks for Higher Education is design to support implementation of the educational guidelines set out in the National Education Act, to ensure consistency in both standards and award titles for higher education qualification. The framework groups the kinds of learning expected of students into five domains and describes learning outcomes at each level in each of these groupings. The domains are: 1) Ethical and Moral Development: Development of: Habits of acting ethically and responsibly in personal and public life, 2) Knowledge, the ability to understand, recall and present information including: knowledge of specific facts, knowledge of concepts, principles and theories and knowledge of procedures, 3) Cognitive skills, the ability to apply knowledge and understanding of concepts, principles, theories and procedures when asked to do so, 4) Interpersonal skills and responsibility, the ability to work effectively in groups, and exercise leadership, accept personal and social responsibility and lastly 5) Analytical and communication skills, the ability to use basic mathematical and statistical techniques, communicate effectively in oral and written form, and use information and communications technology.[6]

3. Research Methodology

3.1. Population and samples

The populations and samples of this research were 164 relevant industrial entrepreneurs in Bangkok and suburban districts who had received the students from the Department of Mechanical Engineering Technology for the internship.

3.2. Research Instrument

To reach the aim of this research, the questionnaire was designed to address the factors raised by the literatures and expert consultation. 3.2.1. The design of research instrument

The questionnaire was designed and divided into 2 parts: the first part comprised of nine questions asking about type of business and second part was a list of seventy-three rating-scale questions about the factors that influence the cooperative students. A drafted questionnaire was created by interviewing instructors who teach specific technical skills subjects and also used all relevant information from the standard of Thailand Qualification Frameworks for Higher Education (TQF). The drafted questionnaires were distributed to the experts in order to validate and check the accuracy of the questionnaire. The rating scale for correction and validation of content and language was from 1 to 3. The questionnaires scored the range between 2.00-3.00 out of 3 that show their reliability and validity. 3.2.2. Data analysis

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The data of general information was analyzed by determining frequency and then the figure was expressed as a percentage. The factors that influenced the industrial sectors in receiving the cooperative students were emphasized on five aspects of the TQF: 1) Work skills, 2) Personality, 3) Basic Knowledge, 4) Specific Technical Knowledge and 5) Specific Technical Skills.

4. Findings and Discussion The study of the effective factors that influence the reception of the cooperative engineering students

revealed that the industrial entrepreneurs needed the cooperative students with Good personality the most, Work skills, Basic Knowledge, Specific Technical Knowledge and Specific Technical skills respectively.

4.1. Personality aspect

The industrial entrepreneurs emphasized the cooperative students’ personality the most that showed a

mean of 4.09. It was prioritized by work discipline, punctuality, morality and honesty, enthusiasm and adjustment with good interpersonal relationship respectively as shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 1: Desired characteristics in personality aspect.

4.2. Work skills aspect

The industrial entrepreneurs emphasized the cooperative students’ on work skills aspect with a mean of

3.92. The most important topic in this aspect is responsibility for the assignment followed by diligence, interest in learning and self-development, working self-independently and work creativity respectively see fig. 2.

Fig. 2: Desired characteristics in work skill aspect.

4.3. Basic Knowledge aspect

The cooperative students’ basic knowledge aspect was moderately expressed by industrial entrepreneurs

as a mean of 3.25. The most important topic in this aspect is using Thai language for communication followed by Human and Society, English language, Psychology for work and Mathematics for engineering respectively as shown in fig. 3.

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Fig. 3: Desired characteristics in basic knowledge aspect.

4.4. Specific technical knowledge aspect

The students’ specific technical knowledge aspect was moderately expressed as a mean of 3.23. The most important specific technical knowledge is Engineering Drawing followed by fundamental of mechanical design, manufacturing process, material engineering and lastly fundamental of tool and die, the result showed in fig. 4.

Fig. 4: Desired characteristics in specific technical knowledge aspect.

4.5. Specific Technical Skills Aspect

The students’ specific technical skills can be divided into 3 majors as follows: 1) Machine Design and Manufacturing Engineering Technology was moderately expressed as a mean

of 3.59. The most important specific technical skills for Machine Design and Manufacturing Engineering Technology are machine tools skill, machine design skill, mechanical drawing skill and Computer Aid Design respectively as shown in fig. 5.

Fig. 5: Machine design and manufacturing engineering technology in specific technical skills.

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2) Polymer Engineering Technology was moderately expressed as a mean of 3.44. The most important specific technical skills for Polymer Engineering Technology are machine tools skill, fundamental of maintenance in polymer forming machine, polymer preparation for work and Computer Aid Design and simulation respectively see fig. 6.

Fig. 6: Polymer engineering technology in specific technical skills.

3) Tool and Dies Engineering Technology was moderately expressed as a mean of 3.23. The most important specific technical skills for Tool and Dies Engineering Technology are fundamental of maintenance in dies and also proper dies operation followed by the ability of basis performance to adjust assembly tolerance and fit, CAD/CAM/CAE application and machine tool skills respectively as shown in fig. 7.

Fig. 7: Tool and dies engineering technology in specific technical skills.

The research revealed that industrial entrepreneurs needed the cooperative students with good personality the most. The students’ specific technical skills needed was classified into 3 specific fields that

showed Machine Design and Manufacturing Engineering Technology students with the higher technical expertise followed by Polymer Engineering and Tool and Dies Engineering Technology respectively. It is shown that the industrial entrepreneurs need person with good personality aspect and also qualified knowledge and specific technical skills. Therefore, it is an important for the institutions to prepare program or curriculum to produce graduates with qualified knowledge and skills based on the standard of Thailand

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Qualification Frameworks for Higher Education in order to reach the industrial entrepreneurs’ expectation and also to enhance students’ profit on their future work career.

5. References [1] M. Haddara and H. Skanes. A reflection on cooperative education: from experience to experiential learning. Asia-

Pacific Journal of Cooperative Education. 2007, 8(1), pp. 67 -76.

[2] M. L.Wessels and J. M. Jacobsz. Views of Industry and higher education on cooperative education in the Gauteng province of South Africa. [Online]. Available: http://www.waceinc.org/papers/madrid/Marius%20Wessels.pdf

[3] Garavan and Murphy. The co-operative education process and organizational socialization: a qualitative study of student perception of its effectiveness. International Journal of Education and Trainning. 2001 43(6), pp. 281 -302.

[4] L. Braunstein and M. Loken, (2004). “Benefits of cooperative education for employers,” In R.K.Coll & C.Eames (Eds.), International Handbook for Cooperative Education, Boston: World Association for cooperative Education.

[5] P. Rupavijetra. Linkage between Higher Education and Labor Market in Thailand: Collaboration between Higher Education Institutions and Workplace to Develop Students and Personnel’s Skills. [Online]. Available: http://www2.gsid.nagoya-u.ac.jp/blog/anda/files/2011/08/1-phetcharee_rupavijetrae38080.pdf.

[6] Office of the Higher Education. National Qualifications Framework for Higher Education. [Online]. Available: http://www2.gsid.nagoya-u.ac.jp/blog/anda/files/2011/08/1-phetcharee_rupavijetrae38080.pdf.

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