INNOVATION IN TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

Recent Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) studies have indicated that a gap exists between the students’ skills acquired during school study and the skills required by industrial companies in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Based on the study's results and the modern industrial requirements, a new project 'General Secondary Vocational Education Certificate' (GSVEC) to develop the TVE system in Bahrain was started in 2006. The project was sponsored by the Ministry of Education in coordination with the Department of Education in Australia.

This paper presents the main outcomes of a seven years of implementing the new developed project. Its aim is to improve the quality of graduates coming out from the TVE system in Bahrain. So, the students would be equipped with the skills, knowledge and work ethic required for various engineering industries. Furthermore, its objectives are to provide an appropriate type of technical and vocational education that suits students, upgrade skills of young Bahrainis, and design an educational system that focuses on providing students with the skills that industry needs.

To maximise the output from TVE system, specialised modules were designed and developed. This was to ensure that TVE students receive the necessary training required by industry before they go in work placement which would enable them to perform at a very high level; within the industrial environment. The modules design was based on the user-centered approach and included necessary elements to satisfy the requirements of employability skills including cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains. The learning activities included, challenged the students to recognise, make informed responses, and work comfortably with the diverse requirements of learning environment.

The new project adds a major contribution to the improvement of TVE system in Bahrain because it challenges students and teachers to be capable of recognising, making informed response towards, and working comfortably with the diversity they encounter in learning environment.