Strategies to Manage Vocational Education to Excellence

This research aimed to develop strategies to manage vocational education to excellence using the Research and Development (R&D) methodology. The study included two phases. Phase 1 involved analyzing fundamental data and needs for vocational education management. The sample was 206 school directors from eight types of vocational institutions under the Office of the Vocational Education Commission. The researchers determined the sample using Taro Yamane’s formula (stratified random sampling) and interviews with experts from three selected model vocational institutions. Phase 2 involved creating strategies through discussions with experts from nine higher education and vocational institutions. Data analysis included percentages, means, standard deviations, and the modified Priority Needs Index (PNImodified). Results showed that the current status of basic data was at a high level overall, while the expected status was at the highest level, with a PNImodified of 0.179. The strategies for vocational education management towards excellence included: 1) Enhancing professional management efficiency; 2) Developing competency-based curriculum quality to international standards; 3) Improving teaching and learning quality; 4) Developing teacher and staff quality to specialized expertise; 5) Building comprehensive human resource development networks; and 6) Enhancing graduate quality to high-competency human resources. The evaluation of these strategies indicated that they were highly appropriate and feasible.