Taryaningsih, Ibnu Syamsi, Muhyadi Muhyadi
The unemployment rate among graduates of special education high schools indicates that the relevance of special education to community needs remains low. Students' readiness for entering the workforce needs to be addressed, particularly through transition programs, so that graduates can meet the demands of the workforce. This study aims to develop a skills learning management model that is integrated with industrial work practices in an inclusive and work readiness-based manner in Special Senior High Schools in East Java Province, Indonesia. This study uses a Research and Development approach that refers to the 4-D framework with stages consisting of Define (preliminary study), Design (model development), Develop (validation and testing), and Disseminate (model refinement and dissemination). The preliminary study involved 30 participants who were evaluated through questionnaires, observations, interviews, and focus group discussions. The development phase involved experts in education management and special education. The model's pilot phase included a limited pilot with 30 participants, a small pilot with 45 participants, and an expanded pilot with 53 participants. The results showed that the addition of collaborative functionality was proved to support increased job readiness in students with disabilities. Collaboration enabled schools not only to teach technical skills in the classroom but also ensure the relevance of learning to workplace needs by placing students in a work environment. One of the novelties of this model is its explicit emphasis on student job readiness as the final outcome. This model combines hard skills (technical skills relevant to the vocational field) and soft skills (discipline, communication, work resilience, and quality orientation) to support student success in real-world work environments. © The Authors.
Yogyakarta State University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
