Abstract
With the advent of COVID-19 and trying to survive to prevent the spread of this disease, the Primary Health Care sector has come into the spotlight. Primary Health Care (PHC) is a programme offered by the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector. Currently, many graduates still struggle to find occupation in PHC. This prompted the researchers to explore students’ experiences in the vocational subjects of Primary Health Care at a TVET college in order to understand why there were limited employment in the field of PHC for graduates at this college. A The study uses Sen’s (1980, 1999) Critical Capabilities Approach (CCA) which focuses on working opportunities, skills, and intervention. The case study research design was used in this study, which was based on the qualitative approach. 30 students in their third- and fourth-year level were purposively sampled. To capture the participants’ experiences on the relevance of vocational subjects at a TVET college, semi-structured, and focus group interviews were conducted. Findings indicate that programme is more academically inclined rather than being vocational, students need for practical work was ignored and there was a lack of resources to cater for vocational activities. The implication for this study is to highlight the plight of the PHC students in order to improve the offerings of the programme. Future research endeavours include exploring the actual practical experience students derive from the PHC programme.
Presenters
Safura MeeranAssociate Professor, Curriculum and Instructional Studies/College of Education, University of South Africa, Gauteng, South Africa
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Primary Health Care, Vocational Subjects, Vocational Practice, Practical Work
