<![CDATA[Applied Physics learning in higher education is still predominantly theory-oriented, limiting the development of students' applied competencies and employability skills required by industry. This study aimed to implement Project-Based Learning (PjBL) based on an electric welding machine to enhance students' applied physics competencies and employability skills through contextual and authentic project-based learning. The study employed a Research and Development (R&D) approach combined with a quasi-experimental design during the implementation stage. The research stages included needs analysis, model design, instructional material development, expert validation, implementation, evaluation, and model refinement. Data were collected through observations, interviews, tests, questionnaires, project assessments, and documentation, and analyzed using descriptive quantitative and qualitative techniques. The findings revealed that the developed instructional materials achieved a very high validity score of 95.43%. The implementation demonstrated excellent learning implementation (95.68%), student activity (95.86%), and lecturer activity (96.18%). Students' applied competencies improved from a mean score of 63.20 to 87.85, with an N-gain of 0.72 (high category), while employability skills reached an average of 95.48% (excellent category). These findings indicate that electric welding machine-based PjBL effectively improves applied physics competencies and employability skills, making it a promising instructional model for vocational higher education aligned with industry demands.]]>
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