Collaboration between Lecturers and Industry in Implementing Career Transition Programs for Students with Abilities

Abstract

Students with abilities often face challenges in finding employment after graduation. The collaborative network between community college lecturers and the industry is crucial in providing exposure to successful transitions for these students. As implementers, lecturers are crucial in understanding the career transition process, guiding, and effectively implementing career transition programs. This understanding is crucial for their cooperation with the industry to gain insights and perspectives on the career transition process of students with abilities. While this collaboration can be challenging, lecturers must devise strategies to ensure the industry's expectations and requirements align with the career transition program. Overcoming the challenges related to the transition program is crucial for reaching a consensus between the two parties. The purpose of the study is to explore the implementation of lecturers in carrying out collaboration with industry for career transition programs. A qualitative method was used through a case study of six Northern Community College lecturers. The interview protocol instrument and results were analyzed using Atlas Ti to obtain themes. The two resulting themes are i) Collaboration with the industry and ii) Employer Attitudes. The findings show that Community College lecturers take the initiative by establishing collaboration with the industry, but problems arise during implementation. Therefore, Community College lecturers need to increase collaboration with the industry to deal with issues and challenges encountered during the successful transition program. The implications of this study can be significant for lecturers in organizing strategies and discussing the needs of the industry in accepting students with special needs to achieve the goals of the career transition program and ensure the marketability of students with special needs. This aligns with SDG 4, which is equal education for people with special needs.