The Role of Referral Vocational High Schools in Developing Regional Potential

Abstract

Indonesia, especially South Sulawesi province has excellent regional potential. Processing of such excellent potentials requires skilled workers so the potential can provide economic benefits for the community. The government needs to prepare Vocational High School that is able to support the regional potential. Therefore, Vocational High School is required to develop based on the characteristics and advantages of each region because South Sulawesi has diverse and abundant natural resources and the plural of development sectors i.e. primary sector (agriculture, plantation, fishery), secondary sector (industry, company), direct services sector (bank, transportation) or indirect service sector (consultant, advisor). The nature and characteristics of Vocational High School provide a unique challenge for schools and the managers. Vocational High School requires workshops, equipment, tools and materials. The development of Vocational High School direction in South Sulawesi SMK needs to pay attention to the following matters: (1) the development of the Vocational High School need to take into account the competency skills, it aims to meet the needs of the labor market with the main priority is the local labor market so that it can spur growth in the regional. Support for regional potential in South Sulawesi provides a great opportunity for the development of Vocational High School in South Sulawesi as a user of Vocational High School graduates especially in the provision of skilled workforce considering that many of the regional potential have not been fully managed properly; (2) it is necessary to integrate the regional potential with schools in this case the curriculum and its implementation in learning. The regional potential can be developed effectively through educational or learning processes of various types and levels of education. Especially Local Excellence Based Education in Vocational High School is an educational process implemented in the learning program held on Vocational High School in accordance with the needs of the region, by utilizing various natural resources, human resources, geographic, cultural, historical and other regional potential that useful in the process of developing competencies in accordance with the potential, talent and interests of learners. Learning development based on the regional potential and its implementation in learning in Vocational High School either in the form of individual subjects (monolithic) or integrated in the subjects.