Instilling Innovative Related Skills as a Top Cluster Skills
in Higher Educational Institutions and Its Contribution to Economic Development
Nur Shaliha Mohd Kahar, Noraisyah Mat Nor, Amirmudin Udin
Department of Technical and Engineering Education,
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai 81310, Johor Malaysia
Abstract.
The evolution of the technological based on innovation
and invention swept rapidly eventhough the effect varies for each country.
Graduates and workforce who have ability to think innovatively are seen will
contribute to major implications in improving the living standards of society and
economy growth as a whole. Additionally, most of the countries acknowledge Higher
Educational Institutions (HEIs) is a key role in providing skills supply to
fulfill growth and dynamically jobs demand. In general, HEIs graduates need to
adapt with current market needs that constantly evolve with knowledgeable and
innovation driven growth. Therefore, this paper is necessary to know about the
importance of innovation skills in ensuring proper and effective higher
educational institution as one of technical and vocational education training (TVET)
provider in Malaysia. Other than that, this paper also discuss about the
challenges in strengthen innovation as a top cluster skills in HEIs to enhance
the nation’s economy development.
Keywords: Skill,
Innovation, Higher Educational Institution, Economy, Knowledge-based Economy,
Research and Development
1.0
Introduction
Over the last decade, the
evolution of the technological based on innovation and invention swept rapidly.
Although the effect varies for each country, but it has major implications in
improving the living standards of society (UNESCO, 2012). Apart from that, it
also improves the diversity in the industrial and services based on innovative
workforce. The progress made in industry is due to the capacity of the high
skilled workers. The importance of developing human capital increase the awareness in providing
opportunities to increase skills development and it recognized as a key to
achieving the country's development agenda. An individual's capacity to
innovate are initiate by aims to achieve a better living staindards and
sustainability. Innovative efforts resulting to provide skills that will
contribute to a competitive society and increase their living standards
specifically and enhance the nation’s economic status generally. Besides
that, it seen the world economy seems to
depend entirely on the development of knowledge-based skills. Therefore, in the
HEIs context, the increasing demand to provide graduates in particular fields
of TVET which known as job-oriented education is critical to develop an
innovative thinker who took the initiative in contributing to the nations’s
economic development. Therefore, the country not only requires a workforce who
are highly trained in the technical skills but also individuals who are
competent in the skills of innovation, particularly for research and
development. So
that, technical, vocational education and training (TVET), has been used by
several developed countries as an instrument of development. To enhance
productivity, stimulate competitiveness, and bring about economic development,
skill development is important. Technical vocational training and education
(TVET) is the provision of skills, knowledge, attitude, and values needed for
the place of work. This should be directed towards research and development
(R&D), acquisition of appropriate and up-to-date equipment and tools and
general maintenance and management of TVET institution.
Apart from that, according to
Lin (2012), for the introduction of new technology, developing countries can
make their lack of technological innovation to become as advantages by
borrowing or adapting the matured technology from the more advanced economies.
Malaysia as one of the developing countries also were not left out in facing
the main economy challenges which are to generate innovation, adaptation, and
commercialization of new technologies at a high rate. These efforts can be seen
from the Malaysia’s initiative to achieve developed nation status by developed
Vision 2020 agenda includes action plans to turn Malaysia into a
knowledge-based economy which resulted in innovative products and services at
the global technology frontier. The initiative is also purified in the Tenth
Malaysia Plan (2011-2015) through the creation of a new structure which known
as Special Innovation Unit (Unit Inovasi
Khas - UNIK) to oversee the integrated innovation policy and entrusted to
commercialize research findings from research institutes and HEIs (Thiruchelvam
et.al., 2011).
Other
than that, there is supporting evidence in relationship between the HEIs and
skills level with the increasing of demand and supply of technical and
organizational innovation. At its most basic, it has been shown that investment
in innovation and human capital are complementary and mutually reinforcing to
help the country to face on current innovation-based and knowledge-based
economy (Toner, 2011). Additionally, most of the countries acknowledge HEIs is
a key role in providing skills supply to fulfill growth and dynamically jobs
demand. In general, HEIs graduates need to adapt with current market needs that
constantly evolve with knowledgeable and innovation driven growth. Therefore,
this paper is necessary to study the importance of innovation skills to ensure
proper and effective higher educational institution as one of TVET provider in
Malaysia.
2.0 Conceptual
Definition of Skills and Innovation
According
to Toner (2011), skill generally refers to productive assets of workforce
acquired through learning activities. Skill acquisition activity is a
combination of education, training and experience. While according to the World
Bank (2012), states that the skills can be divided into three main categories
which are academic skills, generic skills and technical skills. Academic skills
acquired through formal education such as literacy and numeracy. Meanwhile,
generic skills acquisition can be found across from education to employment,
such as attitude, discipline, life-long learning and others. Lastly, the
technical skills are considered as a combination of individual’s specific
knowledge and skills closely related to job profession and interest.
While
for the innovation is considered as the key to economic growth (Wu, 2011) and
designed to meet the challenges of a knowledge-based economy. Therefore,
innovation skills can be conveyed through the person way of
"knowing". Toner (2011) divided innovation into four categories which
are (1) product innovation, (2) process innovation, (3) marketing innovation,
and (4) organizational innovation. All of these categories are the introduction
to the new features, implementation, and approaches that use a combination of
existing knowledge and technology for continuous improvement. Apart from that,
the aims of innovation are to reduce costs and time as well as to improve or
increase the quality, market, performance, productivity and gratification.
Innovation involves activities such as design, research and development
(R&D), patents and property right (BISC, 2011; Toner, 2011). Thus the
innovation activities can be defined as "a new implementation and new
functionalities that includes products, services, processes, marketing methods,
and methods of organization in business practices, workplace organization and
external relations". While, the R&D is a part of the activities and
key elements of innovation activities. Again, the R&D activities usually
carried out in the data collection which undertaken on a systematic basis to
increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of human culture, society,
and the use of the stock of knowledge to devise new applications (OECD, 2003). Innovations play an increasingly
important role as a driving force for economic growth and hence many developing
countries in East Asia have taken research and development more seriously,
especially when governments in the region have realized the national
competitiveness is no longer dependent upon cheap labour for manufacturing
sector (Brokel and Binder, 2009).
This paper also contruct the term of
knowledge based-economy. The knowledge based economy is an expression coined to
describe trends in advanced economies towards greater dependence on knowledge,
information and high skill levels, and the increasing need for ready access to
all of these by the business and public sectors (OECD, 2005). Besides that, the context of knowledge and
technology have become increasingly complex, raising the importance of links
between firms and other organisations as a way to acquire specialised knowledge.
A parallel economic development has been the growth of innovation in services
in advanced economies. In the information age, knowledge is power. The
k-economy is based on a paradigm that focuses on intellectual capital as a
prime mover. With knowledge replacing physical and natural resources as the key
ingredient in economic development, education and human resource development
(HRD) policies require rethinking.
3.0 Innovation
and Skills Delivery Related Issues
The HEIs graduate’s employment
becomes more competitive in the job market. It has been an issue now where the
current HEIs graduates now do not match the needs of the industries (Kamal,
2006). Thus, it shows that HEIs need to review their quality in delivering
skills and knowledge through teaching and learning process has become a top
priority because of its involvement in judgments of the educational
institutions quality. From this perspective, the qualities are not underpinned
as an end process itself, but it requires continuous process for performance
and quality enhancement. (Anton and Jordan, 2002) . The success of an HEI is
highly dependent on how staff managing their educational and institutional
sustems. It is because the staffs are pivotal elements in delevering certain
skills (Zita, 2011) especially related with the culturing the top cluster
skills which contributing to innovative and creativity minds.
There
are some consensus states that HEIs is the precursor to economic growth and
increase the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the countries regardless of their
level of development. Many countries began to aware the significant of skills
development contributions in innovation and productivity of nation’s economic
growth. As this is the case, the country are suggested to invest substantial
amount into R&D sector and stressed the importance of HEIs as a source of
scientific, technical, and analytical expertise. This is supported by World
Bank (2012) stating there is a positive relationship between R&D,
innovation with the economy development of the nations. Other than that,
country’s expenditure on R&D also known as metric that provides reading on
the nation’s acquisition in innovative technology and their economic capacity.
Kapur and Krawley (2008) also pointed out that a skilled, flexible,
productivity, well-trained, well-educated that using existing technology and
engage in innovation workforce as a way to enhance and adapt in the
competitiveness and growth.
In
addition, the main determinant in ensuring the future of nation’s innovation,
productivity and competitiveness is constantly evolving, the HEIs need to
nurture a life-long learning practices into the society. This effort will
create a "learning societies" that wholeheartedly to support the
nation’s growth. Apart from that, in the context of globalization, each country
needs to be active in regional integration especially in the integration of
technological innovation of industries with the educational institution to
ensure the educational system is able to develop a workforce that is not only
highly skilled, but also have certain generic skills, for example, can adapt to
the technological changes thus increase their career mobility. Some researchers
also emphasize the importance of generic skills such as "curiosity",
"proactivity" and "creativity" contributed to the success
of the R&D innovation and educational activities (World Bank, 2010). As
this is the case, higher education should produce graduates who are skilled and
innovative aligned with the rapidly technology advancement. The presence of
research HEIs such as UTM, UKM, USM, UM and UPM in Malaysia also a major
priority and effort done by Malaysia for nation’s growth. To ensure the skills
are in line with current demand, a close co-operation and integration between
HEIs and industry is needed. Access to education and training system requires a
balanced investment between employers and HEIs to both parties benefit
accordingly. Furthermore, research allows HEIs to generate ideas for the
business community, thereby contributing to the knowledge and technological
innovation based on research and technology transfer (World Bank, 2012).
The use
of technology and innovation is also associated with a higher skill level. In
this context, have adequate skills are very important for innovation and
competitiveness. For HEIs, the challenge in improving the quality of
educational system and increase the effective curriculum delivery, the HEIs
need to start with high critical input such as upgrading facilities, and
infrastructure, support periodic assessment and accreditation testing policies
to monitor and evaluate the quality, and incorporate strategies to enhance
adaptation to the labor market (World Bank, 2010a). Therefore, to ensure that
the country can benefit from consistent and sustainable long-term investment in
R&D or known as innovation activities, it is very important to the
university receive adequate funding in large scale from either government or
private sector to support research. In
addition, the emphasizing of the curriculum innovation in information and
communication technology (ICT) are needed to assist in the development of the
potential students to ensure the acquisition of other skills is relevant and
practical to the needs of the current job which depends on the technology as a
medium of teaching and learning (UNESCO, 2012a). Furthermore, the HEIs that
providing research facilities also will gain some benefits such as image and
reputation of the institution and thus attracting students from within and
outside the country to furthering their study in the educational institutions. Students and
faculty who are involved in research also can foster a successful collaborative
learning and research with the economy development (Zaman, 2004).
4.0 The
Challenges in Strengthening Innovation Skills Education
There
are numerous barriers to innovation for instance reported by (World Bank,
2010a), firms that conduct innovative activities expressed that the constraint
to strengthen the innovative practices are caused by the difficulty in
recruiting workers from abroad, the weak protection of intellectual property
rights, lack of international exposure, language barrier, low of commercial
research output from HEIs and industry and financial constraints.
Other
than that, several recent studies stated that the main obstacle in the
development of research capacity is due to lack of innovation research budgets,
qualified researchers and supporting infrastructure such as research or
facilities and laboratory (HRINC, 2010). Apart from that, resource constraints,
lack of incentives to continue research in the universities and the lack of
incentive to continue research also is a major cause of unsuccessful innovation
research in an educational institution (World Bank, 2012). Besides that, more
than a quarter of firms who carried out innovation activities stated that the
shortage of highly skilled personnel, either from the local and international
markets as a constraint on their innovation capacity. Although there are other
factors have been identified as barriers to innovating and non-innovating firm
innovation such as highly direct costs, excessive risk and small market size.
It is clear that the lack of innovating and creativity skills is seen as a
major constraint on the ability of firms to innovate (ABS, 2006).
While in
the context of TVET which also known as one of educational activities that
leading to employment also need to be more responsive and transparent to rapid
change economy based on knowledge, technology and innovative. TVET institutions
also should take a more autonomous role in helping to shape the country's
educational system able to adapt in socially contribution by identifying ways
to train marginalized or disadvantaged group able to survive in the challenges
of innovation and knowledge-economy era (UNESCO, 2012). TVET transformation
also requires a better knowledge and innovation-related information by give
special attention in providing essential foundation education in workforce
capabilities since primary and secondary. It is because of the previous study
shows a significant constraint towards innovation skills which are most of the
country still lacking in basic literacy and numeracy skills which represent as
a foundation to capacity for innovation skills (Blau and Kahn, 2003).
5.0 Conclusion
As we
know, Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) in Malaysia continues
to play an important role in providing highly skilled labour to fulfil the
needs of industry. In the context of a rapidly changing global economic
scenario, the research and development of knowledge and skills is critical in
maintaining the competitiveness of various industries and sustaining the growth
of a country as a whole. The key competences that young people should possess
by the end of their formal education to equip them for their working life,
further learning, and skill development in the knowledge-based economy.
Besides, the current focus is increasingly upon preparing knowledge workers to
meet the challenges posed during the transition from the industrial age to the
information age, with its concomitant post-industrial human-resource
requirements and the changing world of work.
TVET is currently
faced with the challenges posed by the displacement of the traditionally strong
focus upon manual work in favour of mental work, or at least the changing
mixture of competencies required in the workplace. The boundaries between
manual and mental work are fading away, as many traditional forms of work and
the respective preparation processes for learning to work undergo change. It
show that the instilling innovative related skills as a top cluster in HEIs is
very important in economic development of our country to become a dynamic and
knowledge-based economy country. Recognizing innovation and creativity is the
lifeblood in the knowledge-based economy, promotion of innovation and knowledge
transfer is becoming increasingly popular among the Asian countries. It is
against this context that HEIs are encouraged to move beyond the ivory tower to
reach out to the industry, business and community to develop new synergy for
promoting innovation and entrepreneurship.
6.0 The
Strategies in Strengthening Innovation Skills Education
Today more than
ever the role of technical and vocational education is critical because of the
changes taking place in the world. Rapid technological changes and
globalization have made training of the workforce a prerequisite in any nation
that wishes to survive. Rapidly changing technologies involve a whole set of
individual, organizational and societal factors. Changes in technology emphasis
the need for more complex cognitive skills, ‘a strong back and a weak mind will
not permit any nation to compete in today’s market place,’ (Goldstein and Ford,
2001). Goldstein and Ford argue that it is not simply a matter of literacy
skills but the need for complex thinking skills. So, there are several
strategies that should be taken to strengthen innovation skills education.
This paper
suggests that for the foregoing discussion which are there is need for
increased funding towards TVET in Malaysia country. This should be directed
towards research and development acquisition of appropriate and up to date
equipment and tools and also general maintenance and management of TVET
institutions. Besides, in recognizing that R&D is a critical factor in a k-economy, smart
partnerships between the public and private sectors should be established. In
particular, the private sector must play a greater role in technical and
vocational training in order to complement the efforts of the government. The
government should continue to assist the private sector in training and
retraining workers, but there must be a continued commitment from employers to
encourage and provide incentives for their workers to acquire new knowledge and
skills. There
also should have direct involvement in industries in TVET sector and making an
industrial linkage policy with TVET sector in research and development program.
Establish a national TVET policy introducing upward
mobility of TVET programmes at different skill levels and introduce a system
for unified certification to meet industry need especially in innovation
(research and development). Also establish
two main training paths ways as the entrepreneur skill development system in
research and development and the skill training system while introducing skill
standards at different skill training levels.
There is also a
need for greater alliances between HEIs and the private sector to encourage
industrial placements and internships. Greater attention must also be given to
training workers in the small and medium industries (SMI). Most of the SMI
firms can’t afford to invest in training, retraining, and R&D. The another
strategy is the school systems at all levels should include entrepreneurship in
their curriculum. It should focus on creating new and innovative ideas by the
students and converting them into full-fledged business plans for future use.
We know that the new economy is about the power of ideas and knowledge, which
is why it is important to encourage entrepreneurship in Malaysia. Entrepreneurship
is a collaborative effort. It may be easy to generate ideas, but hard to
provide a conducive environment to allow the ideas to kick-start and grow.
7.0 Acknowledgements
The authors are like to
express a gratitude to Dr. Amirmudin Bin Udin, the lecturer, who has give his
guidance and cooperation in preparing
this conceptual paper.
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