Unveiling the Vocational Landscape of New Mechanical Engineering Students: A Case Study

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-360-3_108How to use a DOI?

Keywords

vocational skills; Mechanical engineering students; Curriculum development; Practical training

Abstract

This research aims to determine the abilities, weaknesses, and obstacles in the vocational skills of mechanical engineering students at the start of their studies. The research method uses a quantitative survey approach. The research sample was 140 students. Data analysis techniques used descriptive statistical analysis. The test results show the Manufacturing Engineering study program received the highest score, followed by the Mechanical Engineering Education study program and the Mechanical Engineering Diploma study program. Vocational abilities in machining received the lowest score, followed by metrology, design, and fabrication. These results also show that the vocational skills in the engineering field of the Mechanical Engineering Education Department are still lacking, with a score below 50%. The machining sector received a low score due to the lack of knowledge of conventional machines and their parameters. Most students come from high school graduates, so many have never seen these machines and practiced. The findings indicate an urgent need for curriculum development in mechanical engineering programs, particularly in enhancing practical training for machining, metrology, design, and fabrication skills. Institutions should consider incorporating more hands-on experiences with conventional machines into their programs, especially for students transitioning from high school to higher education. Additionally, targeted interventions and support mechanisms should be implemented to bridge the gap in vocational skills and ensure students are better prepared for industry demands.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Sutopo Sutopo
AU  - S. Munadi
AU  - B. R. Setiadi
AU  - B. T. Sasongko
AU  - T. A. Prasetya
AU  - C. T. Harjanto
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/04/02
TI  - Unveiling the Vocational Landscape of New Mechanical Engineering Students: A Case Study
BT  - Proceedings of The 8th International Conference on Education Innovation (ICEI 2024)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 1261
EP  - 1276
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-360-3_108
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-360-3_108
ID  - Sutopo2025
ER  -