Work and Entrepreneurship Readiness through 21 st Century Skills in Vocational School Students

Other skills that students need to develop beside their expertise fields are 21st century skills. What is needed in preparing students for work and entrepreneurship are, among others, communication, critical thinking, and collaboration skills. The purpose of this research was to see the effect of 21st century skills on job and entrepreneurship readiness, partially and simultaneously. This research was quantitative using multiple linear regression analysis. Respondents in this study were vocational high school students with a total of 445 respondents. The results of this study were the partial or simultaneous influences of communication, critical thinking, and collaboration skills on work readiness and entrepreneurship. The results can be used as consideration materials for educational institutions and the industry to increase the importance of 21st century skills for students and employees. The more improvement of these skills increases job and entrepreneurial readiness of vocational high school students. Students who master other skills would find it easier to find work or develop entrepreneurship because academic skills could not keep up with the situations and conditions when they are about to graduate from vocational high schools. The industry is looking for workers who can see the situation and conditions when they are working, and also stated that academic potential or vocational abilities could be developed over time.