The Role of Technical Drawing in Enhancing Vocational Skills within Higher Education Programs (A Case Study of the Civil and Hydrotechnical Departments, Construction Faculty, Jawzjan University)
Technical drawing is a fundamental component of engineering and technical education, serving as an essential foundation for engineers, architects, and vocational professionals. It plays a critical role in developing spatial thinking, graphical literacy, and vocational competencies required for effective learning and professional practice in technical fields. This study aims to examine the importance of technical drawing in higher education curricula and its role in enhancing vocational skills and spatial cognition among university students. The research is applied in purpose and adopts a descriptive–analytical design. The statistical population consists of 70 undergraduate students enrolled in 2025 from the Industrial Construction, Civil Engineering, and Hydrotechnical Construction departments of the Faculty of Construction at Jawzjan University. Data were collected through educational document analysis and structured questionnaires, and subsequently analyzed using descriptive statistics and graphical representations. The findings reveal that prior exposure to geometry, trigonometry, and other graphical subjects at the secondary school level, as well as achieving high scores in the national university entrance examination (Kankor), significantly influence students’ performance in technical drawing courses. Students with adequate graphical preparation demonstrate stronger learning outcomes, while those lacking such preparation face noticeable difficulties. Moreover, the results indicate that technical drawing education contributes substantially to the improvement of vocational skills, spatial thinking, and students’ engagement in practical activities. The study concludes that effective instruction in technical drawing plays a vital role in enhancing the quality of technical and vocational education. The integration of modern educational technologies, along with strengthening students’ foundational knowledge before entering higher education, significantly improves learning outcomes. Therefore, technical drawing should be regarded as a core subject in technical curricula and continuously updated to meet the demands of the contemporary technological era.