Vocational Education Principal of Leadership: A Case Study in East Nusa Tenggara

This paper proposes 5 principles of leadership reinforcement intervention for developing their leadership in the vocational education. The principles are drawn from a qualitative study in twenty-two (22) private and public vocational schools located in the province of East Nusa Tenggara. A total of 40 principals and senior school teachers participated in the study. The principles draw from their understanding and perception of leadership reinforcement. The leadership reinforcement requires the principals to have a clear vision in producing ready-to-work graduates. Principals reinforce their leadership by (1) enhancing the understanding of local wisdom, (2) benchmarking, (3) involving professional training, (4) instilling the beliefs, and (5) having a strong character with high integrity. The activities that mostly do are carrying out activities related to East Nusa Tenggara regional culture at school, involving directly the industry partners in the planning, process and distribution of graduates, participating the seminars or workshops related to strengthening leadership and management, giving good ethical examples and exemplary in actions and words, applying openness and transparency in making policies and decisions.