The Industrial Training Process Management Essay

According to Davis Industrial training is a kind of experiential learning which students take the chance to apply learned theories and knowledge from education institutional into the real world situation. At the same time, it also provides an opportunity for students to learn new theories and skills from industry. According to Tony (2010) industrial training programme have the potential to help students to learn in two ways. First, students can develop practical skills through activities during the period of industrial training such as dealing with customers, using software, and experiencing work procedures. Second, they can acquire supervisory and managerial skills by practice and observation.

As stated by Hughes (2012) several studies have explored the learning outcomes of industry training programme for intern students. The most common conclusion is that industrial training programme plays an important role in developing transferrable soft skills such as communication skill, customer relations, team work, leadership skill and problem solving skill. However, he also further explains that industrial training programme also provides learning benefits that extend beyond the development of skills and knowledge. Some students have reported that their industrial training experience has resulted in increasing of student’s confidence. Lee (2006) also support the viewpoint by proposed that the benefits of industrial training programs is significant which includes improved student self development, social skills and increased practical knowledge and skills of students. Besides that, he also identified new learning outcomes for students who participate in industrial training programme. The new outcomes are including increased understanding of how organizations function, increased ability to view career expectations realistically, increased interpersonal skill, increased ability to take initiative, increased ability to adapt to change, increased leadership skills and increased financial management skills.

2.2 Career exploration

Hughes (2012) observed that industrial training programme had provided an opportunity to students to have an intensive, work-based exposure to a broad range of operations within an organization. He further states that those students will develop a better understanding of how organizations function if they have gone through the industrial training process. Beggs and et al. (2008) stated that a successful industrial training programme produces graduates with high quality learning, knowledge, skills, and the ability to meet the needs of the industry. An industrial training will provide an opportunity for students to examine career or occupancy possibilities in a realistic and ‘real world’ environment and to explore a possible fit with a particular workplace. It is an excellent way to acquire transferable both soft and hard skills and the specific detailed knowledge necessary in today’s workplace. Paulins (2008) agreed that industrial training programme will prepare students with realistic expectations of their future careers and to provide them with opportunities to polish career skills.

According to Hsu (2012) in the industrial training process, the students can realize that the learning knowledge from their education institutional whether applied in the workplace or not, so that he/she can gain expertise in the novice field. At the same time, intern students can also learn the way to establish interpersonal relationships either with customers, colleagues or the head of department. Industrial training programme not only aim to provide students with real world working experiences through their industrial training programme but also to enhance professional skill development by practice operation in the workplace. Feldman (1999) agreed by highlighted three benefit of industrial training programme. First, industrial training programme will help to crystallize students career interests, values, and choice of vocation. Second, industrial training may help lessen the entry shock of the real working environment. Third, industrial training may help increase students opportunities of getting hired upon graduation either by their industrial training employer or by other companies that look on their industrial training experience.

Bao and Fang (2012) proposed that students increasingly demand in well-organized industrial training programs so that they can acquire professional skills, test career choice and gain a greater understanding of the industries’ requirements so that they are well prepared and get ready for the future career. Chin and Jen (2012) proposed that attending industrial training programme is the most credible way to experience work reality since students could receive valuable training along with hands-on experience during the industrial training programme. Besides that, when students has pass through the industrial training programme, it might decrease the chance of reality shock when the graduates students are first in jobs. Chin and Jen (2012) also perceive that the higher the level of students satisfaction on industrial training programme, the greater the possibility of students returning to the industry after their graduation. Paulins (2008) also noted that students whose industrial training experiences are satisfying will have more positive feelings toward the career search.

According to Muhamad (2009) industrial training programme is perceived as the most effective strategy for the employment opportunity. Practical experience and exposure gained during the industrial training programme are found to be helpful in improving career decision making as it is the best way for students to explore the suitability of a particular job. Industrial training programme may smooth the way for permanent employment upon graduation as well as providing an in-depth understanding of actual operation practice. It was found that graduates students who have gone through an industrial training programme tend to be receiving a great number of job offers and faster gain their first jobs than those students without industrial training experience.

2.3 Mentorship

According to Phoebe (2010) mentorship is the most important ingredients of a successful industrial training programme. (Liu, 2011) define mentoring is a degree to which the supervisor(or mentors) assigns challenging tasks to the intern students, provides proper assistance in completing the tasks, and purposefully helps to build the positive impression of students towards the organization. Kamler (2006) noted that mentoring has been proven effective to help students in understanding organizational culture, function of operation and natural of job. In addition, mentoring also providing access to informal and formal networks of communication, and offering professional stimulation to both supervisors and interns. (Liu, 2011) further explained that supervisors are critical figures in interns students’ work lives. Supervisors are responsible in determine the types of tasks assigned to interns students and responsible for evaluating students performances for future recruitment decisions. Hence, the most effective way for students to impress their future employers is to impress their immediate supervisors and establish good relationships with them since they are in short duration of industrial training. Therefore, a positive relationship between supervisors and intern students is a critical factor in determining the success of industrial training programs.

Shimoni(2007) suggested that mentoring can consist of emotional and psychological support, direct assistance with career and professional development, and role modeling for intern students. According to Kay (2008) psychosocial functions is a critical component in mentorship that will influence emotional responses of intern student toward their workplace. Supervisors serve to delineate of students work responsibilities and offer strategies for managing conflicting of the job. Psychosocial support allows students to hold positive attitudes toward the work environment and overcome with the stress of career management. Mentoring will equips the students with improved problem solving skills in managing problems and conflicts. Students who gain a sense of satisfaction and achievement in performing and accomplishing their tasks, they are more likely to continually learn with increased competence, and gain greater recognition than those who lack mentors.

Kutsyuruba (2012) suggested that supervisors providing mentoring support such as coaching, guiding and counseling to supporting their intern students will have personal benefits for students, such as stronger self-confidence, self development, and developed sense of responsibility and increased motivation. David (2000) agreed that the interns students is usually visits the mentor at the job site to learn first-hand activities, responsibilities, problems, and lifestyles associated with the mentor’s profession. The main purpose of mentorship is the growth and development of the student beyond intellectual and skill areas. The benefits of mentorships are recognized as providing high-level learning experiences, providing opportunities for talent development, promoting psychosocial development in areas of responsibility, self-directed learning, feelings of competence, sense of identity, and highlighting the connections between students’ interests and the larger world.

2.4 Conclusion

In a nutshell, industrial training programme is a very important component in an education institutional for students. Industrial training programme provides a learning platform for students as students can develop practical skill, managerial skills and soft skills. Those skills include dealing with customer, use the latest software, enhance in communication skill and others. Besides that, students can gain learning benefits beyond the development of skills and knowledge as students can gain self confidence, self development through industrial training programme. Furthermore, new learning outcomes are defined for students who participate in industrial training programme including increased understanding of how organizations function, increased ability to view career and others. On the other hand, industrial training programme also provide an opportunity for students to examine career possibilities in a ‘real world’ environment and to examine whether or not they are fit with a particular workplace. The advance working in a realistic will allow them to polish their career skill. Moreover, industrial training programme will help to crystallize students career interests, values, and choice of vocation. Industrial training may also help to lessen the entry shock of the real working environment and increase students opportunities of getting hired upon graduation since they have working experience. Practical experience and exposure gained during the industrial training programme are found to be helpful in improving career decision making as it is the best way for students to explore the suitability of a particular job.

Besides that, mentorship is also a critical component in an industrial training programme. Mentorship help students in understanding organizational culture, function of operation and natural of job. Besides that, psychosocial functions is a critical component in mentorship that will influence emotional responses of intern student toward their workplace as it allows students to hold positive attitudes toward the work environment and overcome with the stress of career management. In the case, problem solving skill and sense of job satisfaction will increase so that students would like to continuously learning. Mentorship which mentor provide guiding, counseling will benefit students from develop self-confidence, increase motivation and so on. In addition, mentorship is a platform that allows growth and development of the student beyond intellectual and skill areas such as development in areas of responsibility, self-directed learning and other benefits as well.