TVET 360°: Empowering Politeknik Students through Lifelong Learning, Digital Technology, and Industry-Aligned Competency Development

Abstract

This study is intended to examine the influence of lifelong learning attitudes and readiness to use digital technology on developing competencies in alignment with industrial demands among the student population at Politeknik Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin. Along with the efforts of the TVET institution to produce graduates ready to face the future, the ability of students to apply the knowledge and adapt to the ever-changing digital environment becomes increasingly important. The study is guided by three research questions: (1) To what extent do students demonstrate lifelong learning attitudes? (2) What is the level of students’ readiness to use and apply digital technology? and (3) What is the relationship between lifelong learning attitudes, digital readiness, and perceived industry-aligned competencies? The present study employs a quantitative research design, whereby the data were collected via a structured questionnaire survey distributed to final-year students from various academic departments using stratified sampling. The statistical data analysis will involve descriptive statistics, reliability testing, correlation, and regression to determine the strength and significance of the relationship between the constructs. The empirical findings demonstrate that lifelong learning attitudes and digital readiness significantly influence the development of learner competency aligned with industry needs. This study is expected to balance the interventions' needs, which can nurture a culture of continuous learning and digital skills among the polytechnic students. In line with the constructive framework of TVET 360^o empowerment, this research study has the potential to contribute to transforming of the technical and vocational education system, offering practical implications for educators’ administration and policymakers.