Title: An approach to enhancing the human capital of enterprises associated with cooperative education

Authors: Ratapol Wudhikarn

Addresses: College of Arts, Media and Technology, Chiang Mai University, 239, Huay Kaew Rd., T. Suthep, A. Muang, Chiangmai, 50200, Thailand

Abstract: This study aims to prioritise the required knowledge of students participating in cooperative education (co-op) programmes, and the obtained results are applied to improve a study approach in direct response to enterprises' requirements, as well as to enhance the enterprises' human capital under the limited resources of academic institutions. In this research, analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is applied to generate a ranking of considered knowledge. The obtained priorities and improved opportunities are visualised in a simple map that considers knowledge importance and study intensity. In the case study, an academic institution still improperly manages a co-op programme. There are several areas for improvement that should be addressed. In conclusion, this study offers a new approach to enhancing the human capital of organisations participating in co-op programmes. The prioritised knowledge can be used to improve education programmes, and to optimise the limited resources of academic institutions.

Keywords: cooperative education; human capital; intellectual capital; analytical hierarchy process; AHP; work integrated learning; WIL; work experience; university-industry cooperation; industrial collaboration; higher education.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLIC.2015.067840

International Journal of Learning and Intellectual Capital, 2015 Vol.12 No.1, pp.61 - 81

Received: 13 Oct 2014
Accepted: 16 Dec 2014

Published online: 18 Mar 2015 *

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