(1)A Study on the School-Industry Cooperation Network of Secondary Vocational Education Institutions

A Study on the School-Industry Cooperation Network of Secondary Vocational Education Institutions. Researcher-in-charge: Su Jung Choi. Abstract: School-industry cooperation in vocational education is a key factor that affects the purposes, courses, and results of the education. However, vocational high schools and Meister high schools are having a hard time finding and building partnerships with companies for school-industry cooperation while the quality and content of the cooperation is limited. This research sees school-industry cooperative relationship of secondary vocational education institutions as a network. It finds that many schools have one-to-many networks with many companies. In terms of the depth of such partnerships, most school-company relationships are temporary and weak. In addition, industrial settings and characteristics of schools heavily affect the school-industry cooperation network. Based on the results, it proposes key policy actions such as establishment of national level strategies to vitalize school-industry cooperation in secondary schools, reinforcement of school-industry cooperation capabilities of schools and companies, and building supporting infrastructure.. I. Background and Objectives of the Research. 1. Background of the Research □ The necessity and importance of school-industry cooperation in vocational education programs has continuously been stressed. The importance of school-industry cooperation was especially emphasized in the policy for advancement of high school vocational education and the Korean Meister high school initiative of the Lee Myungbak administration. □ However, vocational high schools and Meister high schools are having a hard time finding and building partnerships with companies for school-industry cooperation while the quality and content of the cooperation is limited. In that context, it is necessary to grasp the current state of the creation, maintenance, and reinforcement of school-industry cooperation partnerships in secondary vocational education institutions.. 2. Objectives of the Research □ It approaches the school-industry cooperation in secondary vocational education institutions with the perspective that different entities including schools and companies establish relationships with each other for different purposes and interests and sees.

such relationships as a network. The approach that focuses on the network in the school-industry cooperation is expected to enable to analyze the types and functions of the network at a macroscopic level. □ In particular, it focuses on in-depth analysis of the structure and content of the schoolindustry cooperation network in secondary vocational education institutions.. II. Main Findings. 1. Analysis of the surface layer of the school-industry cooperation network: focusing on job placement network □ The surface layer of the school-industry cooperation indicates that the content of exchange between the two entities is limited to student employment and recruitment; their relationship is rarely official and has not been solidified. □ Many schools have ‘one-to-many’ networks with many companies. Most of the schools have established job placement networks with companies near the schools. In most cases, specialized studies of the schools are similar to the business type of the companies. □ Vocational high schools and Meister high schools show differences in the structure of the job placement network. Vocational high schools of engineering mainly send their students to companies in their neighborhood.. 2. Analysis of the deep layer of the school-industry cooperation network: focusing on the solidified school-industry cooperation partnership □ The deep layer of the school-industry cooperation network indicates that the content of the exchange between the two entities is more than employment, including various cooperative activities(advisory and scholarship supports), their relationship is official has been solidified. □ In the deep layer of the school-industry cooperation network, which represents the solidified relationship, many schools have ‘one-to-many’ networks with many companies, same with the surface layer of the network. □ The characteristics of the companies are different depending on types and categories of the schools partnered with them. □ Incheon area and Chungnam(South Chungcheong) area have different industrial bases; such different industrial settings heavily affect the structure of the school-industry cooperation network.

□ Both areas lack external organizations as a medium between companies and schools to build the cooperation network.. 3. Case study on the formation of the school -industry cooperation partnership □ For an in-depth study of the school-industry cooperation network, which was previously researched quantitatively, school-industry cooperation cases in actual schools were analyzed. □ The size and conditions of schools vary in Incheon and Chungnam areas. As Incheon has many small sized companies, the schools in the area are faced with finding companies to build such partnerships. Although Chungnam area has many large sized companies, some schools in small districts still have a hard time in finding partner companies. □ Most of the schools have a similar degree of awareness of school-industry cooperation. However, the infrastructure in the schools to run a school-industry cooperation programs is very inadequate and poor. □ Schools contact companies through various channels. Some schools go through an official procedure to establish a school-industry cooperation partnership such as signing an MOU, whereas others form such relationship without going through official procedures. The ways to strengthen the school-industry cooperation partnership vary by school.. III. Policy Suggestions. 1. Establishment of national level strategies □ First, a basic plan for promoting school-industry cooperative vocational education focusing on nurturing talents should be set and implemented to establish national-level master plans for related matters. In addition, interagency measures to reinforce and vitalize school-industry cooperation also need to be organized and executed. □ Second, roles and content of 「Promotion of Industrial Education and IndustryAcademia Cooperation Act」 and 「Vocational Education and Training Promotion Act」 need to be reviewed and revised to propose school-industry cooperation programs for secondary schools. □ Third, to establish governance to vitalize school-industry cooperation, the Presidential Committee on Academic-Industry Cooperation(tentative name) should be formed and operated. In addition, a system that decentralizes power to the committee, ministries,.

local governments, unit institutions(schools/companies) needs to be set up along with the formation of a council of local companies.. 2. Strengthening school-industry cooperation capabilities of schools and companies □ To strengthen the expertise of responsible people, teacher training programs on reinforcement of school-industry cooperation capabilities needs to be invigorated. Along with stable supply of school-industry cooperation professionals, special positions(vice presidents for school-industry cooperation programs) for school-industry cooperation should be created and a stable budget for related work should be ensured. □ Second, a process to find companies and operate school-industry cooperation programs needs to be established along with expansion of the department in charge of the cooperation and building cooperative systems with other departments to engineer school-industry cooperation systems and processes within schools. □ Third, a joint council of companies and schools needs to be established to engage a bilateral network between the two entities. □ Fourth, systems that can facilitate network cooperation at one-on-one, regional, and business level to diversify the mechanism of school-industry cooperation.. 3. Building infrastructure to facilitate school-industry cooperation □ First, the incentives for companies participating in school-industry cooperation programs should be increased while transforming the evaluation criteria for results of school-industry cooperation programs of schools from a quantitative to qualitative system. □ Second, a medium organization that can cooperate with many companies and schools needs to be designated to have a central agent to facilitate school-industry cooperation programs. □ Third, comprehensive DB on school-industry cooperation programs should be created along with a platform to leverage such DB..