Abstract:

Manufacturing industry in Libya has suffered from a shortage of skilled and semi-skilled manpower. During 1990s, a network of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) was introduced for the purpose of enhancing the supply of skilled manpower needed for the socio-economic development plans. The aim of this paper is to develop and link the outputs of TVET with the needs of the manufacturing industry, and the extent of interaction of these disciplines with the community and cultural legacy as well as the important relationship between these factors for the development process of higher education in general. To achieve this goal a questionnaire has been designed, and distributed to students in institutes of higher education; and engineers and technicians in manufacturing industry in Libya to explore their views in this regard. The study indicated a direct relationship between the needs of the industrial sector and technical disciplines, where education is the output of the most important technical inputs to the manufacturing industry. The results also indicated how to improve technical programmes which will help serve the community by providing students with adequate technical information. This will ensure that the resources are available and appropriately used in their local environments.

Keywords:

Engineering Education, TVET, Partnership with Industry, Libya.