The Influence of Work-Based Learning (WBL) in the Automotive Service Workshop Production Unit on Vocational High School Students' Readiness for the Workforce
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12928/joves.v9i2.12346Keywords:
Work-Based Learning, Production Unit, Job Readiness, Automotive Service WorkshopAbstract
Vocational High School (SMK) graduates in Indonesia, particularly those from the Automotive Light Vehicle Engineering (TKR) programme, continue to experience high unemployment, highlighting the need to improve graduates’ work readiness. This study examined the influence of Work-Based Learning (WBL) implemented in the Automotive Service Workshop Production Unit on students’ work readiness at SMK YPPT Garut. A quantitative survey was conducted with 58 Grade 12 students and recent graduates who had participated in WBL for at least six months. Data were collected using a validated and reliable Likert-scale questionnaire and analysed through simple linear regression. The findings revealed that WBL significantly improved students’ technical competence, soft skills, and psychological readiness for employment (p < .001). The coefficient of determination (R² = .603) indicated that WBL explained 60.3% of the variance in work readiness. These results demonstrate that production-unit-based WBL effectively prepares vocational students for successful workforce transition.
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