Employability in Malaysia Selected Works PDF

EMPLOYABILITY
IN MALAYSIA :
SELECTED WORKS
Advisory Editor:
Datin Paduka Ir. Dr. Siti Hamisah Tapsir
Edited by:
Alice Suriati Mazlan
Zuraidah Abd Manaf, PhD
Nobaya Ahmad, PhD
Dahlia Zawawi, PhD
Compiled by:
Nik Zainun Nik Mood
Ministry of Higher Education

First Printing, 2017
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Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
EMPLOYABILITY IN MALAYSIA : SELECTED WORKS / Advisory Editor,

Siti Hamisah Tapsir; Edited by Alice Suriati Mazlan, Zuraidah Abd Manaf, Nobaya Ahmad,
Dahlia Zawawi;
Compiled by Nik Zainun Nik Mood
ISBN 978-967-11157-9-4
1. Employment--Malaysia. 2. Career development--Malaysia.
I. Siti Hamisah Tapsir. II. Alice Suriati Mazlan. III. Zuraidah Abd Manaf. IV. Nobaya Ahmad.
V. Dahlia Zawawi. VI. Nik Zainun Nik Mood. VII. Malaysia.
Kementerian Pendidikan Tinggi. Jabatan Pendidikan Tinggi.
331.114409595
ISBN 978-967-11157-9-4
Reprint of :
Geografia - Malaysian Journal of Society and Space, Volume 12,

No. 3, 2016 : 154-167
Geografia - Malaysian Journal of Society and Space, Volume 11,
No. 11, 2015 : 129-143
School of Social, Development and Environmental Studies,
Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Kebangsaan
Malaysia and the UKM Press
Malaysian Journal of Sport Science and Recreation, Volume 10,

No. 1, 2014 : 25-39
Faculty of Sports Science and Recreation, Universiti Teknologi
MARA and UiTM Press
Asian Academy of Management Journal, Volume 19, No. 1, 2014

: 93-111
Asian Academy of Management (AAM) and USM Press
Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, Volume 22,

No. 3, 2014 : 845-860
Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, Volume 24,
No. 1, 2016 : 359-374
UPM Press
Malaysian Journal of Economic Studies, Volume 45, No. 2, 2008

: 41-55
Faculty of Economics & Administration, University of Malaya
and Malaysian Economic Association
Journal of Surveying, Construction and Property, Volume 3, No.

2, Sp. Issue, 2012 : 1-13
Faculty of Built Environment, University of Malaya
Malaysian Journal of Learning & Instruction, Volume 11, 2014 :

147-170
UUM Press
Jurnal Pendidikan Malaysia (Malaysian Journal of Education),

Volume 40, No. 2, 2015 : 111-117
UKM Press
Contents
Foreword 7
Preface 9
Introduction 11
Employability skills constructs as job performance predictors for 15

Malaysian polytechnic graduates : a qualitative study
Normala Rahmat, Abdul Rahman Ayub and Yahya Buntat
Graduate employability and preparedness : A case study of University of 35

Malaysia Perlis (UNIMAP), Malaysia
Nooriah Yusof and Zakiyah Jamaluddin
Self employability of Malaysian Public Higher Education Institution 61

graduates nationwide
Tan Chee Hian, Tham Yin Choong and Rahim Md Sail
Employability skills development approaches : an application of the 77

analytic network process
Mohamad Shukri Abdul Hamid, Rafikul Islam and Noor Hazilah Abd Manaf
Assessing graduates’ generic skills: an indicator of employability 99

Parmjit Singh, Roslind Xaviour Thambusamy and Adlan Ramly
Employability, mobility and work-life balance: how do they relate for MBA 119
holders in Malaysia?
Samuel, R. and Ramayah, T.
Feasibility of early identification of low employability graduates in Malaysia 139

Hock-Eam Lim
Importance of soft skills for graduates in the real estate programmes in 165
Malaysia
Yasmin Mohd Adnan, Md Nasir Daud, Anuar Alias and Muhammad Najib
Razali
The effectiveness of finishing school programmes from the perspectives of 183

graduates and employers
Jamal Ali, Lim Hock Eam, Russayani Ismail, Fauziah Abdul Rahim, Filzah Md
Isa and Ismi Arif Ismail
Students’ perception of the programme offered by the school of biosciences 209

and biotechnology, faculty of science and technology, UKM
Ainon Hamzah, Kalaivani Nadarajah, Mahanem Mat Noor and Arina Anis
Azlan
Foreword
Employability among Malaysian graduates has always been the subject of great
societal interest (and concern). As technology rapidly advances and changes the
way we conduct our personal and professional lives, the demand for higher quality
graduates rises in tandem. Greater industry expectations of graduates, from soft
skills to communication, and from problem solving skills to entrepreneurial traits,
have necessitated higher learning institutions to revisit their curriculum, rethink
their teaching, and reimagine the learning process. In short, there is a need to
redesign higher education to enhance our graduates’ employability.
The Ministry of Higher Education’s commitment towards enhancing the

employability of our graduates is unparalleled and as such, to ‘produce holistic,
entrepreneurial and balanced graduates’ is the first shift in our Malaysia Education
Blueprint 2015-2025 (Higher Education). The best interest of the student must
always prevail in whatever we do within our higher education system.
This publication is timely as it provides us with vital insights into graduate

employability issues. I believe the findings of these studies will help guide the
formulation of relevant government policies and initiatives in the effort to create
better outcomes. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Malaysia
Citation Centre for initiating and editing this compilation of selected works on
employability issues. I would also like to express my gratitude and appreciation to
all the editors and authors for their contributions in making the publication of this
book a reality.
DATO’ SERI IDRIS BIN JUSOH

Minister of Higher Education
Preface
Graduates form the backbone of professional human resource for the country.
Hence, graduates employability have been a great concern of many countries.
Many factors influenced employability of graduates amongst them are internal
factors related to the lack of soft skills and external factors like the labour
markets and organizational practices. However, some researches are in view of
low employability rate as a result of mismatch between what the universities are
teaching and what is required of the skills based on the needs of the industries.
It is very important that all of us understand the employability issues in line with
the aim of Malaysia to achieve the developed status by 2020. Therefore, research
in employability issue should be an ongoing effort to monitor the situation and
find corrective and preventive measure to ensure unemployment rate is kept at a
reasonable figure.
The effort of the Ministry of Higher Education to compile journal articles based
on research on employability is a good effort to kick start a better understanding
of employability issues amongst graduates. It is hoped that this selected readings
will provide a better understanding of what is needed to ensure that graduates are
equipped with the skills needed to fulfill the needs of the industry.
TAN SRI DR. NOORUL AINUR MOHD. NUR

Secretary General
INTRODUCTION
Guest Editors
Dahlia Zawawi
Universiti Putra Malaysia, MALAYSIA
dahlia@upm.edu.my
Nobaya Ahmad
Universiti Putra Malaysia, MALAYSIA
nobaya@upm.edu.my
We would like to welcome you to this compilation of selected works of current

research in Malaysia on employability issues. This compilation brings to light in-
depth discussions on the employability concerns of graduates in Malaysia from
various perspectives. Below is the brief overview of the contributed papers that are
responsive to filling this knowledge gap.
The first article is entitled ‘Employability skills constructs as job performance

predictors for Malaysian polytechnic graduates: A qualitative study’ by Normala
Rahmat, Abdul Rahman Ayub, and Yahya Buntat. This study explored and factorized
the constructs and dimensions of employability skills which can predict the job
performance of Malaysian graduates suitable for the electrical and electronics
industry. Results of the analysis revealed that skills such as communication,
personal qualities, teamwork, critical thinking and problem solving, technology,
organizational, and continuously learning are essential as predictors of job
performance.
The next paper, ‘Graduate employability and preparedness: A case study of

University of Malaysia Perlis (UNIMAP), Malaysia’ by Nooriah Yusof, and
Zakiyah Jamaluddin highlights the graduate employability and unemployment
issues that have given rise to many policy implications for higher education in
many developing countries such as Malaysia. This study examined the nature of
Malaysia’s undergraduate proactive actions in employment preparedness prior to
entering the job market. The results suggested that the need for interventions at the
University level for the students are crucial to enhance their employability.
Another article by Tan Chee Hian, Tham Yin Choong, and Rahim Md Sail entitled
‘Self Employability of Malaysian public higher education institution graduates
11
Employability In Malaysia : Selected Works
nationwide’ investigates the perceptions of PHEI graduates on the level or readiness
and employability. The conclusion stated that personal readiness of PHEI graduates
should be highly emphasized in the university delivery system especially when the
undergraduate programmes are concerned.
In addition, the fourth article on ‘Employability skills development approaches:

An application of the analytic network process’ by Mohamad Shukri Abdul Hamid,
Rafikul Islam and Noor Hazilah Abd Manaf works on identifying the important
employability skills and the corresponding employability skill development
approaches in the Malaysian setting. The results of the application of an analytic
network process (ANP) show that the ‘ability to speak fluently in English’ is the
most important skill, followed by the ‘ability to write effectively in English’ and
the ‘ability to think critically.’
Parmjit Singh, Roslind Xaviour Thambusamy and Adlan Ramly had written an
article entitled ‘Assessing graduates’ generic skills: An indicator of employability.’
This concept paper seeks to discuss the issues of the measurement of Malaysian
university graduates’ generic skills as an indicator of their employability in the real
world job market. Despite the heated discussions and arguments among stakeholders
on the problem of rampant unemployment of fresh university graduates, there is
still a distinct absence of a valid screening tool to test the level of work readiness
of the university students before they are awarded their scrolls.
The next paper is ‘Employability, mobility and work-life balance: How do they
relate for MBA holders in Malaysia?’ by Samuel, R. and Ramayah, T. This study
examined the relationship between employability, mobility and work-life balance
among 152 MBA graduates in Malaysia. A positive relationship was found
between employability and mobility and this relationship was stronger when work-
life balance was higher. Hence, organisations should realise the high importance
placed by individuals on work-life balance and would need to draw up policies and
procedures to enhance this balance among the employees.
Hock-Eam Lim in his paper, ‘Feasibility of early identification of low employability

graduates in Malaysia’ examined the feasibility of early identification of low
employability graduates using statistical profiling models. The discussion moves
towards suggestions of the university authorities to implement programmes for
the early identification of low employability graduates, and for the government to
consider using statistical profiling as a tool in the allocation of the limited places in
the re-training programmes for unemployed graduates.
12
In another article entitled ‘Importance of soft skills for graduates in the real estate
programmes in Malaysia,’ Yasmin Mohd Adnan, Md Nasir Daud, Anuar Alias, and
Muhammad Najib Razali attempts to highlight the key soft skills that have been
identified by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), Malaysia in its move to
enhance graduates’ employability in the real estate industry. The paper also states
the importance to get views from the industry to provide an indication of the key
soft skills in the real estate area.
The ninth article is written by Jamal Ali, Lim Hock Eam, Russayani Ismail,
Fauziah Abdul Rahim, Filzah Md Isa, and Ismi Arif Ismail on ‘The effectiveness of
finishing school programmes from the perspectives of graduates and employers.’
Although graduates had positive perceptions on the effectiveness of Finishing
School programmes, in terms of the marketability outcome, Finishing school
programmes currently being offered were seen as ineffective.
The last article is entitled ‘Students’ perception of the programme offered by the
School of Biosciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology,
UKM’ by Ainon Hamzah, Kalaivani Nadarajah, Mahanem Mat Noor, and Arina
Anis Azlan. This study was conducted to gauge students ‘competency and
satisfaction in employment preparation within programmes offered by the School
of Biosciences and Biotechnology, at the Faculty of Science and Technology,
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). The results inferred that the curricular
contents need to be reviewed to improve the quality of the programmes offered in
order to prepare students for demanding expectations of the job market.
13
EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS CONSTRUCTS AS JOB
PERFORMANCE PREDICTORS FOR
MALAYSIAN POLYTECHNIC GRADUATES :
A QUALITATIVE STUDY*1
Normala Rahmat1, Abdul Rahman Ayub2, Yahya Buntat3
1
Department of Technical and Engineering Education,
Faculty of Education, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia,
81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia,
2
Faculty of Technical and Vocational Education,
Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris,
35900 Tanjung Malim, Perak, Malaysia,
3
Department of Technical and Engineering Education,
Faculty of Education,
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia,
81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Correspondence : Normala Rahmat (email : normala74@gmail.com)
Abstract
The acquisition of employability skills that match and fit the employers’
requirement would enhance employees’ job performance. This study explored and
factorized the constructs and dimensions of employability skills which can predict
the job performance of Malaysian electric and electronic polytechnic graduates
in the electrical and electronics industry. A qualitative approach was used in the
development of the research Employability Skills Work Performance Prediction
(ESWPP) constructs and dimensions starting from relevant document analysis and
expert interviews. The ESWPP constructs and dimensions were then validated by
content experts from academic institutions. Finally, the findings were analyzed
using the Fleiss Kappa reliability analysis to determine the overall approval index
* Reprint of: Geografia - Malaysian Journal of Society and Space, Volume 12, No. 3, 2016 : 154-167 School
of Social, Development and Environmental Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti
Kebangsaan Malaysia and UKM Press
15
for each of the ESWPP constructs and dimensions. Results of the analysis revealed
an overall Kappa coefficient value of 0.989 which indicated a very good level of
agreement . The ESWPP constructs and dimensions which were found to be job
performance predictors were communication skills, personal qualities, teamwork
skills, critical thinking and problem solving skills, technology skills, organizational
skills, and continuously learning skills.
Keywords : Electric and Electronic Polytechnic graduates, employability skills,

ESWPP constructs, Fleiss Kappa Reliability, job roles, qualitative approach
Introduction
Markets today are increasingly concerned about globalization, rapid changes in

technologies and highly intense and competitive industry. As a result, employers
nowadays are more concernedabout findingsuitable employeesnot onlywith
technicalskillsbut also equippedwithhigh level of employability skillsandability
to adjust with rapid changes in the industry (Stiwne & Jungert, 2010; Howieson,
Mckechnie & Semple, 2012; Mohd Sahandri GB et al., 2012; Mohamad Sattar et
al., 2012; Yahya et al., 2013; Fong et al., 2014).
There are specific employability skills that employers would like to see in an
engineering graduate and these can vary according to type of role to cope with the
job market scenario (Raybould & Sheedy, 2005) and has significant effects on the
job performance (Rosenberg, Heimler & Morote, 2012). Employability skill refers
to work readiness withthe possession of the attributes, skills and knowledge of the
technical asrequired for a job; also to ensure they have the capabilityto be effective
in the workplace; could also assist to adjust themselves towards various changes
suit with the working environmental needs and could eventually enhance careers
through the acquisition of those skills (Normala et al., 2014a).
Sustained concerted effort on the employabilitystudy is requiredso that the

academic institutionwill be able to capturethe employability skills variation mapped
to the job requirements apart from strengthening theefforts toprovidequality
engineering graduates. Many researcher have proven that there are contradiction
in the importance of employability’ skills for employees (Archer & Davison,
2008; Mustafa et al., 2008; Lowden, 2009; Shukla, 2012). However, through the
ample evidence, there are certain limitations in previous employability studies.
16
Most employability studies used adapted constructs and dimensions Employability
Skills from Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANs, 1991)
and Model Employability Skills 2000+ by The Conference Board of Canada’s
Employability Skills Forum Board of Canada (The Conference Board of Canada,
2000). Therefore, due to the differences in research scope, purpose and situation,
the main objective of this study was to identify and validate the constructs and
dimensions of Employability Skills Work Performance Prediction (ESWPP) that
will be used to forecast the work performance of Electronic Polytechnic graduates
in Electrical and Electronics Industry.
Problem statement
Since half century ago, employers and industry stressed that graduates were
lacking in certain employability skills as required by the employers. Employers
were in opinion that graduates are not ready to enter and confront the complexities
and challenges of the world of work (Freudenberg B, Brimble M & Cameron,
2011; Tymon, 2011; Marais & Perkins, 2012) and the resulting unwillingness of
graduates who are not proficient in the implementation of work task (Tetreault PA,
1997).
Employers believe that the educational institutions are the most responsible to
equip graduates with the employability skills. However, the skills, behaviors and
attitudes required by the prospective employees are different from what is taught
during the study and what was dominated by graduates Jackson & Chapman, 2012;
Rohaizat, Shahrin & Zubaidah, 2012) resulting in increase of the unemployment
rate. Tracer Study Report 2011 issued by the Ministry of Higher Education
shows that the percentage of Polytechnic engineering graduates who are still
unemployed in 2011 was 63.8% (Ministry of Higher Education, 2012b). The issue
of unemployment in Malaysia and also throughout the world is not because of
lack of employment opportunities, but is mainly due to poor quality of graduates
(Howieson, Mckechnie & Semple, 2012; Zaliza & Mohd Safarin, 2014; Normala
et al., 2014). Yahya (2004) viewed that graduates good technical skills, without
having employability skills are considered not to be of quality.
This has happened because there has been no consensus on the exact inventory of
employability skills needed by graduates for the industry electric and electronics
because even though various companies are in the same industry sector,they have
17
their own specific employability skills needs (Pillai et al., 2012). Industrial demand
will not be satisfied as long as the clear specification of graduate properties is not
established or the characteristics of workers is not specified (Ministry of Higher
Education, 2012a). Shweta Tiwari (2012) mentioned that the gap in terms of
ensuring the quality workers need of the industry will be met by the continued
development of the skills of the workforce andshould be implemented contextually
(Jackson, Sibson & Riebe, 2013).
Therefore, this study aims to explore and to factorizethe constructs and dimensions
of Employability Skills that can predict the job performance (ESWPP) of the
Electric and Electronic Polytechnic graduate in Electrical and Electronics Industry
in addition to provide exact inventory of employability skills needed by graduates
for the electric and electronicsindustry. The findings will be used to further
empowering the Polytechnic Collaboration, Industrial Services and Employment
Centre (CISEC) functions by providing training on the employability skills
to polytechnic engineering graduates that are actually required by the potential
employersin addition to the most significant effect of the job performance to reduce
the unemployment rate among the engineering graduates of the Polytechnic.
Research question
The research questions are as follows :
a) What are the constructs and dimensions of Employability Skills required by

the employers in electrical and electronics industry in Malaysia based on the
analysis document.
b) What are the constructs and dimensions of Employability Skills which can
predict the job performance of an employee in the electrical and electronics
industry in Malaysia from the employers perspective.
c) What are the constructs and dimensions of Employability Skills which can
predict the job performance of an employee in the electrical and electronics
industry in Malaysiaas validated by content expertsfrom the academic
institutions.
18
Methodology
A qualitative approach was used in the development of research constructs and

dimensions for ESWPP starting from the document analysis and expert interview
protocol from the electrical and electronics industry. In this research, experts are the
individuals who have the expertise to be appointed to give opinions and advice in
their respective fields of expertise and has extensive experiences in the relevant field
(Policy and Regulatory Section, Human Capital Management Division, Office of
the Registrar & Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2010). Document analysis and data
interview theme was then analyzed by using the frequency matrices tables. Then
the construct and dimension ESWPP was validated by the contents expert from
the academic institution. Finally it was analyzed by using Fleiss Kappa reliability.
Fleiss Kappa reliability analysis is used to determine the overall dimensions of
the approval index for each ESWPP construct. The finding of the overall Kappa
coefficient value at 0.989, which indicates the level of agreement, is considered as
very good. The results showed that the constructs and dimensions ESWPP were
found to be communication skills, personal qualities, teamwork skills, critical
thinking skills and problem solving, technology skills, organizational skills and
continuously learning skills. Scale for Fleiss Kappa agreement are as shown in
Table 1 (a).
Table 1 (a). Scale for Fleiss Kappa Agreement
K Interpretation
<0 Poor agreement
0.01 - 0.20 Slight agreement
0.21 - 0.40 Fair agreement
0.41 - 0.60 Moderate agreement
0.61 - 0.80 Substantial agreement
0.81 - 1.00 Almost perfect agreement
Source : Landis and Kosh (1977)
19
Result and discussions
Document analysis and expert interviews construct of employability skills

based work performance prediction development
Based on the comments and literature citations as shown in Table 1(b), the
researcher has a list of the main constructs that are frequently mentioned among
the famous model of employability skills throughout the country as constructs of
ESWPP are Communication Skills, Personal Qualities, Teamwork Skills, Critical
Thinking and Problem Solving Skills, Technology Skills, Organizational Skills and
Continuously Learning Skills (Normala Rahmat, Yahya Buntat & Abdul Rahman
Ayub, 2015).
Table 1 (b). Document analysis comparison for constructs of employability skills based work
performance prediction development
Table 1(c) shows a result from the interview sessions with five Electric and
Electronic Human Resources Officer in Malaysia regarding their opinion about
which construct of employability skills that they were concerned of and really
need to be acquired by graduate especially the Polytechnic graduate in electric and
electronic.
20
Based on the findings of the analysis of documents and expert interview protocol,
it can be stated that the constructs Employability Skills Based Work Performance
Prediction (ESWPP) include Communication Skills, Personal Qualities,
Teamwork Skills, Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills, Technology
Skills, Organizational Skills and Continuously Learning Skills. Therefore, the
development of these elements may be continued to establish the dimensions of
theESWPP constructs (Normala Rahmat et al., 2015).
Table 1 (c). Comparison of constructsof employability skills based work performance

prediction development from the employer expert perspective
Document analysis and expert interviews for construct and dimensions of

employability skills based work performance prediction development
From a documents analysis in Table 1 (d) it is shown that the list of the 27 main
dimensions that are frequently discussed in famous model of employability skills
throughout country and used as formation dimensions for development of the
constructs for ESWPP. Suitable dimensions for Communication Skills construct
are effective reading strategies, effective writing strategies, using numeracy
effectively, effective listening skills, effective speaking skills and share information
using a range of information and communications technology. Dimensions for
Personal Qualities construct are responsibility, self-esteem and self-management.
Meanwhile the dimensions for Teamwork Skills are work independently and as
part of a team, coaching and mentoring skills, serves clients or customers, exhibits
leadership, flexibility and works with cultural diversity.
21
Applies creative, innovative and practical solutions, applies decision-making
strategies and recognises and solves problem are formation for Crictical Thinking
and Problem Solving Skills. Technology Skills contruct consists of select
technology and applies technology to task. Dimensions for Organisational Skills
construct are utilizing resources such as manages time, manages money, manages
materials facilities, manage human resources. Planning process, adapt to changing
requirements and information and continuously monitor the success of project or
task and identify ways to improve are also dimensions included in Organisational
Skills construct. Lastly dimensions for Continuosly Learning Skills construct
are having enthusiasm for ongoing learning, managing own learning and assess
personal strengths and areas for development.
Table 1(e) have shown a result from interview sessions with five Electrical and
Electronic Human Resources Officer in Malaysia regarding their opinion about
the dimensions construct of employability skills that Polytechnic graduate should
acquire in order to make sure they can do the work. Majority of them agreed with
27 dimensions of construct for ESWPP and suggested the dimension sociability,
honesty and high integrity for Personal Qualities construct. They also suggested
maintain and troubleshoot technology, having information technology skills for
Technology Skills construct. This skills are also listed in Employability Skills
from Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANs, 1991) and
finding research by Rasul, Rauf, Mansor, Yasin & Mahamod (2013).
22
Table 1 (d). Table comparison of document analysis construct and dimensions of
employability skills based work performance prediction development
23
Theme : Personal qualities
HR1
‘... We need employees that can be trusted ... in fact it’s the most important thing
above everything else…… it’s very important for every employee should keep
company secrets’.
‘….We needs new workers who quickly adapt to the workplace ....’
HR2
‘... .Honesty was expected of an employee because they are responsible for ensuring
that the keeping company secret ...’
HR3
‘... .Graduate has properties of high integrity that is acutely needed by industry... ..’
‘... The employees were friendly and courteous ensure harmony sense at work ....’
HR4
‘... The competition between companies is very high ... .employee can’t bring out
any documents and equipment out of the company ... they must have a sincere and
loyal to the company.’
HR5
‘... .Industry urgently needs a faithful worker, honest and trustworthy in carrying
out their duties ...’
‘... They must be polite to colleagues and mutually help each other ....
Theme : Technology skills
HR1
‘…we seek for employees with at least an understanding to procedures how to
operate the machines, especially how to program the machine code…’
HR2
‘…they should know how to setting and program the computer in the line…
according the task or project’
HR3
‘…It’s crucial to understand and maintain the system. Technician should know
how to repair and maintaining the system ‘
24
HR4
‘Every process of electric and electronic industry uses technology. It is always
changing and employees have to seek for skills very fast…..they responsible to set
up the machines and checking what is the problem when the machine get stuck’
HR5
‘ They must have a basic skills how to used computer…mostly machine in the line
production using programming code…’
25
Table 1 (e). Summary of expert insight interviews for construct dimensions based work
performance prediction development from the industry perspective
26
Based on the analysis and opinion from the experts that were conducted as
described above, researchers have identified a finding that led to the formation of
31 dimensions contained in the seven constructs .
Through the process of analyzing these data, the constructs and dimensions of
the Employability Skills Based Work Performance Prediction required by the
electrical and electronics industry in Malaysia which can improve the graduate job
performance can be recognized and confirmed.
Content expert validation for construct and dimensions of employability skills

based work performance prediction development
Table 1(f) shows a result from interview sessions with five content experts
from university,polytechnic division, and polytechnicinstitutes regarding which
construct and dimensions of employability skills the graduate especially the
Polytechnic graduate in electric and electronic should possess for a job.
The elements and dimensions have been reviewed by five experts whereby
validation has been granted as shown in Table 1 (g). It is also based on the
Fleiss qualitative research whereby the five people involved are specialized in
the qualitative research methods and the content of the study. In this study, the
equation obtained is
K = (Pa-Pc) / (1-Pc)
K = Kappa Value
Pa = Observed Agreement
Pc = Chance Agreement
27
Table 1 (f). Summary of the constructs and dimensions of employability skills based work
performance prediction development validation by the academic experts
28
Table 1 (g). Academician expert opinian Fleiss Kappa result
The finding of the overall Kappa coefficient value is at 0.989, which indicates that
the level of agreement is considered to be very good.
29
Conclusion
It was shown in this study that the analysis and opinion from the experts led
to the formation of 31dimensions consisted in seven constructs. It was also
further shown that through the process of analyzing those data, the constructs
of the Employability Skills Based Work Performance Prediction required by the
electrical and electronics industry in Malaysia which can potentially improve the
job performance can be recognized and confirmed as constructs for the ESWPP.
The equation obtained in this study also showed that the equation obtained with
the Fleiss Kappa coefficient values as a whole at0.989 indicating a very good level
of agreement. In overall, the findings from the tringular approach which involved
the analysis of documents and the expert perspective garthered form the industry
and validated by the content experts from the academic institutions demonstrated
that the construct protocols for the Employability Skills Based Work Performance
Prediction are Communication Skills, Personal Qualities, Teamwork Skills,
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills, Technology Skills, Organizational
Skills, and Continuously Learning Skills.
Acknowledgement
The author also gratefully acknowledges the contribution of Tang Chee Kuan
(Ministry of Education), Dr Azman Hasan (UTHM), Prof Dr Ramlee Mustapha
(UPSI), Dr Ahmad Esa (UTHM), Dr Mohamad Sattar Rasul (UKM), Dr Seri
Bunian (PUO), Suzalina Chu (OSRAM), Jamaludin Johar (ST), Zulkepli Md Som
(OPTO DOMINANT), Zulkifli Yatim (SHARP), Rosita (PIONEER), Adenan Che
Mat (SHARP), Asif Azwan Amdan (FUJITSU), for completing this manuscript.
30
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33
GRADUATE EMPLOYABILITY AND PREPAREDNESS :
A CASE STUDY OF UNIVERSITY OF MALAYSIA
PERLIS (UNIMAP), MALAYSIA*2
Nooriah Yusof1, Zakiyah Jamaluddin2
1
Geography Department, School of Humanities,
Universiti Sains Malaysia,
11800 Minden, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia,
2
Psychology & Social Work Department,
School of Social Development,
Universiti Utara Malaysia, 06010 Sintok, Kedah
Correspondence : Nooriah Yusof (email : nooriah@usm.my)
Abstract
Graduate employability and unemployment are issues that have given rise to
many policy implications for higher education in many developing countries
such as Malaysia. The employability of graduates depends on individual factors,
the labour market and organizational practices. Individual factors refer to the
graduate’s proactive attitude and behaviours with respect to the desired career
opportunities. This study examined the nature of Malaysia’s undergraduate
proactive actions in employment preparedness prior to entering the job market.
The actions evaluated pertained to the employability potentials of 171 Universiti
Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) final year engineering undergraduate respondents as
demanded by the market upon leaving the education system. The primary data
were gathered from questionnaire surveys. Results showed that several forms of
proactive actions taken by the undergraduates fell short of the clear and focused
planning and strategy essential to fulfil the market needs of their potential careers
upon finishing study. Thus interventions at University level for the students are
crucial to enhance their employability.
* Reprint of: Geografia - Malaysian Journal of Society and Space, Volume 11, No. 11, 2015 : 129-143 School
of Social, Development and Environmental Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti
Kebangsaan Malaysia and UKM Press
35
Keywords : employability, higher education, labour market, proactive actions,
undergraduates, unemployment
Introduction
Huge government expenditures are allocated annually to develop higher learning

in Malaysia. Beside monetary grants, the steadily rising number of higher learning
institutions is an important indicator of the country’s efforts in providing greater
opportunity for its citizen’s access to higher learning. However, graduates
unemployment problems and difficulties in getting employment are issues that give
rise to negative perception of the country’s higher education development policies.
In terms of human capital development, the rise of monetary spending as well as
growing number of higher learning institutions are positive indicators for creating
greater opportunities for the people to get tertiary education and hence the growth
of human capital accumulation of the country. However, unless the increase in the
number of the graduates is in line with job opportunity of the same level of their
education and field of learning, it could mean that the country’s higher education
is less than successful in producing matching manpower to market needs.This is a
dilemma Malaysia shared by similarly developing countries when the increase of
highly educated students is not able to meet the needs of the available job market.
This disparity in supply to the graduate’s labour market demand given rise to many
issues and not least the role of higher learning institutions and studies programme
offered but also the quality of the graduates. The main objective of this article is
to discuss the views of the undergraduate’s students on the issue of employment
employability, strategies and their proactive actions on the issue of graduate’s
employability. The UniMap case study involves engineering students will be
able to come up with pertinent information crucial to assessing the aspects of
development of employability practices for graduates of higher learning institution
in accurately meeting job market needs.
Literature reviews :
Factors determining graduate’s employability
Employability is a difficult concept to measure and to define (Harvey, 2001; Pegg,
Waldock, Hendy-Isaac & Lawton, 2012; Sewell & Dacre Pool, 2010). Employability
concept appears to grow in line with the changes in work pattern and manpower
model. McQuaid and Linda (2005) stated that although employability was a
36
vague concept in the past decade, it now plays an important role in determining
the UK labour market policy, in some European countries and other countries
also. Employability now is looked upon as the main target in most labour market
policies and manpower strategies in most country especially for the employability
of graduates. University graduates hold a high position in the economy and many
countries deemed them as social elites and consequently as the work group to
access high income with the potential to fulfil the career of knowledge worker.
Nevertheless a disparity exists among the graduates as to their labour market
outcomes. Figure 1 shows the relationship between the individual’s factor and
market factor affecting particular individual’s employability. The employability
of graduates are not just determined as the outcome of discipline specific study
programme or professional studies, but also the graduates ability to promote wider
skills like communicative, problem solving, interactive skills, showing initiative
and efficiency. Furthermore, employability also includes the aspect of attitude and
personal attributes of loyalty, commitment, honesty, punctuality and integrity. It
follows that employability encompasses aspects of proactive actions, personal
management attitude and career management aptitude of the individuals as efforts
to acquire desired career (Clarke, 2008).
Individuals’ Factors
1. Academic background
- Specialisation, CGPA,
Quality of study program
2. Skills and Experience
3. Demography Factors
- age, gender, ethnicity,
EMPLOYABILITY
Physical traits, marital status

4. Attitude and aptitude
Acquire and
Labour Market Factors
- demand and supply maintain job
- job location
- skill changes
- competition
Organisational Factors
- job categories
- technologies
- organisational practices
Figure 1. The relationship of individual factors, the labour market and organisations that
affects employability
37
Saterfiel and Maclarty (1995) said that graduates employability refers to those
skills graduates need to get and keep Jobs (in Litisha and Surina, 2010) through
learning new skills for different functions as demanded by employers or industry
(Koo et al., 2009). Whereas according to Hillage and Pollard (1998), employability
is having the ability to get the first job, keep it, and acquiring new job if needed.
Harvey (2001) defines graduate employability as the ability of graduate to display
the qualities needed by the employer for the organisations future requirements.
Employability skills is a set of achievement, understanding, and personal attitudes/
qualities that mark the individual as potentially more able to get desired job and
successful in career choice. Generally, employability skills are those aspects
of skills and knowledge students need to have to equip them to fulfil various
employment demands in the labour market after they have completed their studies.
The development graduates employability aspects is an important core in higher
learning to enable them to be gainfully employed in the job market.
In addition to the knowledge skills, employers also demand good personality from
graduates. Among the important factors to be considered are the ability to adapt
to the culture of the firm and the desire to learn continuously (Cai, 2012; Bui &
Porter, 2010). Eric, Serge & Karim (2015) explored the gaps between industry
expectations and perceptions of engineering graduates’ skill sets in the Middle
East and North Africa region. They measured the importance that managers of
engineers placed on 36 skills relevant to engineers. Results showed significant
gaps between managers’ expectations of and satisfaction with all 36 skills. The
managers felt that graduates needed most improvement of communication, time
management, and continuous learning. Managers reported that recent engineering
graduates exhibited low overall preparedness for employment.
Yee Ting Ngoo, Kui Ming Tiong, Wei Fong Pok (2015) found that employers
demand a more independent and leader instead of a follower, and a more
management prone graduates. The soft skills of communication skills, critical
thinking and problem solving skills, ethics and professional moral skills, leadership
skills, lifelong learning and informational management skills, and teamwork, while
the technical skills of financial accounting, management accounting, taxation,
auditing, and information system are suggested. The graduates are urge to adjust
themselves in meeting the market needs of the increasing important of both soft and
technical skills for better job opportunities. The competitive labor market required
the collaboration and understanding between firms and universities. In response,
universities could develop curriculum in nurturing leadership prone graduates
under the deliverance of well-informed academics on the current market needs.
38
Employability skills play a significant role in current job trend. However, all the
studies evaluate graduates and those who have graduated. There is very little
research that looks into the problems at the undergraduate level. In order to fill the
vacuum of the situation, this study will look into the problem in reference to the
undergraduate as the units of analysis as the problems of graduates employability
engulfs the rise in the rate of graduates unemployment and negatively affects the
image of universities as the countries higher learning institutions, human capital
development, economic development and investments in higher learning.
Development of higher education and

graduate labour market in Malaysia
Currently today the important role of higher education and universities is viewed
favourably. With the advent of contemporary economics and the increase of
competitiveness, demands for higher education rocketed. Many countries have
duly acceded by allocating resources and efforts to develop education level
and people’s skills to respond to competition pressures following globalization
(Organisation for Economy Cooperation and Development (OECD), 2007). In
Malaysia, higher education increasingly receives the governments attention for the
ultimate success of the nation’s development process depends living on the ability
of Higher Institutions of Learning (IPT). This is evidently obvious by increasing
annual government grants for the purpose of education development and trainings
through the various Malaysian Plans. The government allocation for IPT for the
year 2001 of RM3.5 billion rose sharply to RM14.1 billion in 2009 and even more
again to RM38.7 in 2013 (The Country’s Annual Budget 2001- 2013) showed an
increase of almost 91% compared to 2001.
The annual number of IPT graduates coming out of learning institutions showed
an increasing trend. In 2000, the overall graduates by the Malaysian IPT consists
of those from IPTA, IPTS, College Tunku Abdul Rahman (KTAR), Polytechnique
and Community Colleges are 116 673. The figure rises every year. The latest data
in 2011 recorded as many as 198 625 graduates (Ministry of Higher Learning,
2012).
39
Table 1. Percentage of IPTA’s graduates in Malaysia, 2005 -2011
Universiti 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Total

Universiti Malaya (UM) 7.8 8.3 7.6 7.7 6.8 6.7 7.5 7.4
Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) 7.3 8.7 8.4 7.4 6.9 5.8 5.7 7.1
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 8.6 8.0 8.0 7.1 6.5 5.8 6.5 7.1
(UKM)
Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) 13.0 8.7 9.3 8.4 7.2 6.7 6.7 8.3
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia 7.8 7.8 9.8 9.7 7.1 6.6 5.0 7.6
(UTM)
Universiti Islam Antarabangsa 3.7 4.5 4.4 7.6 6.3 7.2 4.1 5.5
Malaysia (UIAM)
Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) 7.7 7.1 5.0 4.3 7.5 8.1 7.7 6.8
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak 1.7 1.5 1.8 1.7 1.5 1.6 1.5 1.6
(UNIMAS)
Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) 3.3 4.5 4.9 3.5 3.8 4.2 3.5 3.9
Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris 2.2 4.5 4.4 4.4 4.1 5.2 4.1 4.2
(UPSI)
Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia 0.5 0.7 0.7 0.3 0.6 0.8 1.6 0.8
(USIM)
Universiti Teknologi MARA 31.3 30.1 29.0 29.0 33.4 33.3 36.7 32.1
(UiTM)
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu 1.4 1.6 1.8 1.7 1.5 1.4 1.7 1.6
(UMT)
Universiti Teknologi Tun Hussein 2.9 1.7 1.8 2.1 2.3 1.9 2.2 2.1
Onn Malaysia (UTHM)
Universiti Teknikal Malaysia 0.6 1.2 1.6 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.3
Melaka (UTeM)
Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) 0.1 0.2 0.8 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.7
Universiti Malaysia Perlis - 0.1 0.7 0.7 1.0 1.1 1.2 0.7
(UNIMAP)
Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin - 0.8 - 1.5 1.0 0.8 1.1 0.8
(UniSZA)
Universiti Malaysia Kelantan - - - - - - 0.3 0.04
(UMK)
Universiti Pertahanan Nasional - - - 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.7 0.3
Malaysia (UPNM)
Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
Source : Malaysia (2012a). Adaptation from Malaysia Higher Education Statistics, 2005-2011.
Malaysia. 2005 - 2011. Malaysia Higher Education Statistics, 2005-2010. Putrajaya : Ministry
of Higher Education, Malaysia.
40
From the total output of graduates from either public or private universities in
Malaysia from 2000-2011, it was found that the number of graduate of literary
fields outnumbered greatly those of the science and technical disciplines. However,
the output of the IPTA technical fields showed an increasing trend (Figure 2 and
3). This is in line with mainstreaming government strategy for technical and
vocational training as stressed in the 10th Malaysia Plan to provide alternatives for
individuals to realise their potentials fully based on their tendencies and talents.
The figure for technical fields students output as of 2010 are 28,171. The intake
for technical and vocational public institutions rise 1.5 % annually, following the
building of 10 new skill training institutions and the upgrading of 16 existing
institution (Malaysia, 2010).
Source : Higher Learning Statistical Yearly Various Data, 2000 - 2010. Malaysian Higher
Learning Statistics 2000 - 2010. Putrajaya : Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia.
Figure 2. Malaysian Higher Learning Public Output According to fields of learning,

2000 - 2010
41
Source : Higher Learning Statistical Yearly Various Data, 2000 - 2010. Malaysian Higher
Learning Statistics 2000 - 2010. Putrajaya : Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia.
Figure 3 : Malaysian Higher Learning Private Output According to fields of learning,

2000 - 2010
To date, 20 Public Higher Institutions of Learning (IPTA) and 437 Private Higher
Institutions of Learning (IPTS) (The Ministry of Higher Learning, Malaysia,
2011) have been establish to provide skilled manpower needed in the context of
knowledge based economy. The increase in the number of Universities in Malaysia
has led to a bumper output of graduates being dumped into the labour market. In
terms of quantity, each year sees an increase in the number of graduates (Table 2).
However, it was found that only a small part of the populace possessing tertiary
level of education as compared to those with secondary level of education in
Malaysia, whereas the populace with only the tertiary education continues to rise
annually (Table 3). Hence only 23% of Malaysians are equipped with tertiary level
education as compared to the average level for the OECD of 28% and approaching
35% in Singapore and Finland (Malaysia Government, 2010).
Additionally, in terms of quality, the graduates generally are not able to fulfil the
needs of industries. This is evident based on the study of graduate’s employability
that found most graduates of higher learning institutions are unable to fulfil the
needs of employer in terms of soft skills and workability.
42
Table 2. Demand and supply in Malaysian labour market, 2002 - Jun 2012
Supply
Year Demand
Graduates (Degree level) Unemployment
Public Private Total Manpower Manpower rate
Year
(million) (million) (million) (million) (million)
2002 36.8 20.3 57.1 9,886.2 9,542.6 3.5
2003 50.2 17.8 68.0 10,239.6 9,869.7 3.6
2004 43.8 18.4 62.2 10,346.2 9,979.5 3.5
2005 51.8 20.3 72.1 10,413.4 10,045.4 3.5
2006 55.5 27.2 82.7 10,628.9 10,275.4 3.3
2007 59.5 23.6 83.1 10,889.5 10,538.1 3.2
2008 59.8 26.6 86.4 11,028.1 10,659.6 3.3
2009 65.8 40.5 106.3 11,315.3 10,897.3 3.7
2010 66.4 80.6 147.0 11,517.2 11,102.6 3.4
2011 66.3 54.3 120.6 12,825.9 12,440.3 3.0
Until
June
2012 12,912.6 12,524.0 3.0
Source : Malaysia (2012a; 2011d). Adaptation from Higher Learning Statistical Yearly Various
Data and Department of Statistics, Malaysia, 2002 - 2012.
43
Table 3. Percentage of working population based on economic status in Malaysia,
2002 - 2010
No formal Primary Secondary Tertiary

Year
education (%) (%) (%) (%)
2002 5.4 23.9 54.1 16.6
2003 4.8 22.7 55.0 17.5
2004 4.7 22.2 54.8 18.2
2005 4.6 20.9 55.4 19.0
2006 3.8 20.7 56.2 19.2
2007 4.0 19.6 56.2 20.1
2008 4.5 18.6 55.9 21.1
2009 3.9 17.6 55.1 23.4
2010 3.6 16.7 55.5 24.1
Source : Malaysia (2012b; 2011d).Adaptation from Department of Statistics, Malaysia

Various Data, 2002 - 2010. Malaysia. 2011. Investigation on Labour workforce time series
data, 1982-2010. Retrieved on 27th September 2011 from http ://www.statistics.gov.my.
According to National Economic Advisory Council or Majlis Penasihat Ekonomi

Negara (Majlis Penasihat Ekonomi Negara, 2010), the lack of skills (coupled with
complaints of lack of creativity and English language skills) are consistently the
main resisting factors faced by firms. The issue of the graduates bumper being
dumped in the labour market are not only due to lack of soft skills and workability
of graduate, but also relates to the country’s manpower structure that focuses more
on jobs not requiring tertiary level of education. During the period of 2000 and
2009, only 23.1 % manpower at tertiary level from workgroup of senior officers
and managers, professionals and technicians and associated professionals (Table 4).
The need for new jobs for graduate certificate holders is minimal. This transpired
from the ratio of the number of new jobs and students output numbers as recorded
for the year 2008 and 2009 (Table 5).
44
Table 4. Manpower based on major working groups, 1995 - 2009
Major working
2000 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
groups
Manager and 639.9 871.6 903.9 832.1 810.4 906.4
Senior Officers
Professional 537.9 680.9 613.8 649.7 671.4 697.2
Associate 1,112.9 1,430.5 1,417.2 1,515.9 1,620.7 1,650.1
Professional and
technicians
Total manpower 9,274.6 10,894.8 11,159.0 11,398.0 11,576.5 11,620.5
Source : Malaysia (2005) Ninth Malaysia Plan (2005-2010) and Malaysia (2010b) Tenth
Malaysia Plan (2011-2015).
Table 5. The needs for new jobs for graduates and graduates output, 2008-2009
2008 2009
Graduates Working Graduates Working
Number of output ratio : Number of output ratio :
Graduates
Occupation (IPTA & graduates Occupation (IPTA & graduates
IPTS) output IPTS) output
Degree 12,222 72,066 1:6 13,284 106,294 1:8
Source : Malaysia (2011b; 2011c). Adaptation data from Higher Education statistics and
Ministry of Human Resource statistics.
The numbers of graduates entering the job market was 231,800 in 1982 as
compared to 2.10 million in 2010. The trend continues for the demand of the
graduate manpower for the same time period. Being an increase from 228,100 to
2.03 million (The Department of Statistics, Malaysia, 2011). The unemployment
rate is highly susceptible to current economic situation. In 1987, the economy
crashed. And with it the same year saw the highest rate of unemployment for the
period 1982 to 2010 being 5.0 %. The rate decreased steadily afterwards as the
economy recovered. As of 2010, the unemployment rate stood at 3.1% a much
lower rate from the previous years (Table 6).
45
Table 6. Primer Statistics of Graduates Manpower, Malaysia, 1982-2010
Years No. of Manpower No. of working (‘000) Unemployment rate

(‘000) (%)
1985 281.8 271.0 3.8
1990 391.6 382.5 2.3
1995 572.8 563.1 1.7
2000 1,039.2 1,006.4 3.2
2005 1,637.2 1,574.3 3.8
2010 2,096.1 2,030.6 3.1
Source : Malaysia (2011). Manpower Investigation, Department of Statistic.
The graduate’s unemployment rate according to the highest level of certificate

achieved can be seen based on the graph in Figure 4. Based on the Malaysia
Statistical Department, the rate of unemployment graduate holder in the 1980’s
was much higher from the diploma holder. The scenario was reversed in the 2000’s
where diploma holders was more of them being unemployed compared to the
graduates. This may be due to market demand of that time that preferred those
with higher degree of certification compared to demands in the early 1980’s. Up to
2010, Malaysia has an overall graduates’ unemployment rate of 27.6 %.
This is much smaller figure as compared to the rate of unemployment recorded per
universities in general. Out of the five main universities then i.e. UM, USM, UKM,
UPM and UTM, only UKM showed a decreasing unemployment rate from 49.6 %
in 2006 and thence a consistent drop in the following years to 29.9 % in 2010. The
other four universities were inconsistent in their unemployment rate. And all of
them except UM recorded an unemployment rate of less than 32% in 2010 (Table
7). Meanwhile, new universities like UniMap and Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin
(UNISZA) recorded a high rate of unemployment in excess of 50.0 %.
46
Source : Manpower Investigation, Department of Statistics, Malaysia, 2011.
Figure 4. Malaysian graduates unemployment rate according to higher certificate, 1985 - 2010
47
Table 7. First degree graduates unemployment rate according to IPTA in Malaysia,
2006 -2010 (percent)
IPTA 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

UM 41.5 26.0 28.6 28.6 31.7
UKM 49.6 37.4 33.0 32.6 29.9
UPM 30.4 26.5 15.9 23.7 20.3
UIAM 31.7 22.0 18.2 22.3 23.7
UiTM 33.4 26.2 21.3 27.0 24.6
USM 34.7 25.6 23.7 24.8 25.3
UTM 22.1 28.9 19.6 23.0 20.6
UUM 52.1 38.3 29.5 35.1 32.6
UNIMAS 55.2 53.0 43.3 41.2 40.9
UMS 58.3 54.0 51.7 44.4 40.9
UPSI 1.6 3.2 3.4 3.9 4.9
UTHM 31.9 27.7 31.9 37.1 27.2
UMT 60.2 51.5 64.1 50.9 49.9
UTeM 49.4 45.8 33.5 29.2 35.8
USIM 56.2 45.8 32.2 58.6 48.0
UMP 31.7 16.8 19.6 36.4 33.6
UniMAP 67.9 55.7 44.7 49.9 54.9
UnisZA 64.0 58.6
MALAYSIA 37.3 30.3 26.2 29.1 27.6
Source : Malaysia (2011b). IPT Graduates tracer study,

Ministry of Higher Education of Malaysia.
48
Conceptual framework of the study
Based on the literature that focuses research on employability, it was found that
many factors affects graduates employability. To be employed immediately upon
graduating depends on many factors that could be controlled or outside the control
of the graduate. Outside factors not within the control of the graduate includes
economic growth that is in direct relationship with the creation of job opportunities,
the fluctuation in the demand and supply of the labour market, the quality of and
reputation of the universities, as well as organizational factors involving the
employer’s practices in employee selection. Figure 5 shows the framework for
conceptual research focusing on to analyse intervention at individual’s level of the
undergraduate to increase their employability during their term at the university. The
unit of the analysis (the undergraduate) remains largely untouched by researchers
in discussions of undergraduate’s employability. It is important matter because the
individuals (students) are involve in increasing their employability level in the job
market except those who aims to be self-employed or being an entrepreneur. Being
sensitive to job market needs and a good career planning do assist the students to
be more competitive in the job market. Employability then has potentials that the
graduates should seek to develop to land and succeed in a suitable employment in
the context of the current labour market (Clarke 2008).
The increasing on The increasing on

Intervention by Graduates
Government’s graduate’s
government training
expenditure on unemployment scheme
higher learning
Intervention on IPTA Entrepreneurship

level Decreasing
unemployment
rate
Employability
Individuals - University
undergraduates
curriculum
Proactive actions
Graduates
to increase
employability
marketability
Figure 5. The conceptual framework of the study
49
Methodology
This study involves the collecting of primary data from final year engineering
undergraduate of UniMap. The respondent sampling (the undergraduates) was
initially done based on faculty/centre of the university using the systematic
sampling method to get enough number of respondents for the purpose of the
research. However, the target size of the sample was not achieved as the researchers
were only allowed access to certain faculty/program at UniMap fixed campus.
The other respondents from different faculty/program became inaccessible for this
study. The instrument used to gather information was via questionnaire distributed
to the students during the visit by the researchers to the campus. The data was
analysed descriptively and showed through tabulated and diagrammatized form to
discuss the findings of the study.
Results : UNIMAP case
Universiti Malaysia Perlis [UniMAP] was previously known as Kolej Universiti

Kejuruteraan Utara Malaysia (KUKUM) is the 17th public university establish
in 2001. As an engineering based university, it was tasked to produce the human
capital for the field in engineering specialising in electronic engineering to support
the country’s industrial development plan. UniMAP is based in Perlis. It offered
higher education in the engineering field with emphasis on practical experience
in learning. Graduates are produced with the remit to excel academically and
skilled in the related engineering discipline as well as equipped with soft skills for
communication, ICT and leadership. It offered eight engineering faculties catering
for undergraduate and post graduate students.
Questionnaires were executed at the Pauh, Perlis, fixed campus involving 171
respondents from four faculties of study. Respondent’s profiles are shown in Table
8. The discussion in this section refers to the result of fieldwork of December
2011. Data was analysed using Statistical Packages for Social Science (SPSS)
and discussed descriptively but also critically to see engineering undergraduate’s
students perception on the issue of employability and competition in graduates
labour market. The actions taken by students to ready them for labour market
competitions upon completing their study is also identified. The discussions
hope to get better picture and understanding on the student’s sensitivity level on
employability.
50
Table 8. Profile of the respondents [N=171]
PROFILE TOTAL %
Male 87 50.9
SEX
Female 84 49.1
Malay 119 69.6
Chinese 42 24.6
ETHNICITY
Indian 7 4.1
Others 3 1.8
20 - 25 years 162 94.6
AGE 26 - 30 years 4 3.0
31 - 35 years 1 0.6
MARITAL Single 167 97.6
STATUS Married 3 1.8
Bio medical 1 0.6
FACULTY/ Mechanical 8 4.7
CENTRE Mechatronic 130 76.0
Manufacturing 32 18.7
Less than 2.00 1 0.6
Cummulative 2.00 - 2.49 23 13.5
Grade
2.50 - 2.99 78 45.6
Values Mean
(CGVM) 3.00 - 3.49 51 29.8
3.50 - 4.00 16 9.4
51
PROFILE TOTAL %
HOMETOWN
Johor
Kedah 13 7.6
Kelantan 33 19.3
WP Labuan 22 12.9
Melaka 5 2.9
Negeri Sembilan 3 1.8
Pahang 5 2.9
Perak 21 12.3
Perlis 8 4.7
Pulau Pinang 20 11.7
Sabah 2 1.2
Sarawak 7 4.1
Selangor 10 5.8
Terengganu 2 1.2
WP Kuala Lumpur 7 4.1
As manpower in the field of engineering is a source of human capital much needed

by the market so UniMap was created and tasked to make huge contribution
to fulfil this needs. Of the 171 respondents involved in this study, it was found
that 51.3% stated UniMAP was their university of choice. Meanwhile, 48.5%
stated otherwise. Nevertheless, 70.4% respondents stated their current field of
specialisation were those they chose. Table 9 showed factors that affected this
group in choosing university.
52
Table 9. Factors of university’s selection by respondents
Factor’s of selection Frequency (person) Percent (%)

University’s image and reputation 13 14.6
Lecturer’s quality 4 4.5
Studies quality/ program/courses 34 38.2
University’s location 11 12.4
Suggestion by Family/teacher/ 14 15.7
friends
Others 13 14.6
Total 89 100

On overall observation, the respondents viewed the study program they followed
has given them sufficient exposure to prepare them to face the working world as
well as increasing their level of soft skills and big job prospects upon completion
of study (Figure 6).
The strategies and proactive steps taken by graduates are displayed in Table 10.
More than 90% of respondents prioritised employability skills development in
line with employers’ similarly high expectation for higher skills for current time.
Although efforts are planned and taken to increase employability, nevertheless the
respondents are apprehensive of some factors they feel might jeopardize their career
objective (Figure 7), namely low academic achievement and no job experience.
Although they are engineering students, 49.1 % stated they lack technical skills
that would affect their employability (Figure 7).
This situation obviously creates many UniMap graduates employability and

marketability issues at the end of their study, more so of 66 % of them plan to
search for work and be employed compared to 18.1% of them wishing to further
their studies (Figure 8). The problems above are supported by unsatisfactory
academic achievement (low CGPA grades) that cuts into their competitiveness in
the labour market. Nevertheless, it was found that graduate level of confidence
remains high, as 63% are confident to get job upon completing study as compared
to 36% who have less confident to get job.
53
Figure 6. Respondent’s opinion on the program of study
Proactive actions Frequency (person) Percent (%)

Enhancing employability skills 155 90.6
Plan to further studies 118 69.0
Gaining information related to work and 136 79.5
labour market needs [guidebook]
Building relationship (contact) and network 137 80.1
Attending and following workshops to 118 69.0
enhance effectiveness during interview -
guidance and advice
Gaining information about career and training 132 77.2
program for the graduates
Attending workshops/career expo to enhance 128 74.9
information/knowledge
Gaining information about program and 104 60.8
financial assistance for entrepreneurship
program
Have begun to make the search profile of 116 67.8
company / organization that has the potential
to build a career after graduation
Table 10. Strategy and proactive actions taken to gain career goal needed
54
Figure 7. Deprived factors that influenced career goal attainment
Figure 8. Final year Unimap’s engineering student’s planning after completing their studies
55
Conclusion
The results of this study showed that more than 50 % of respondents do not
have planning and strategies to reach the objective of their employability upon
completion of study. This is mainly due to the lack of information on the prospect
and potential of their career despite the specificity of their field of study. It was
found that 58.2 % of the respondents have not done any attempt to search for
job although having the end of their study period. They are left without a good
plan to identify job opportunities and economic sector or organisation that could
be targeted for job application. By this stage, the students should already have
completed their portfolio and resume as well as having good network with
organisations and prospective employer to avail them for the desired career, to
build self-worth, and employment skills.
Further, academic excellence is a key factor in an ever competitive environment.

The employability of the graduates in terms of their employability is ultimately their
responsibility individually to equip themselves with the planning and strategies
to be gainfully employed. Have employability of graduate for employment is a
human resource development issue that merits attention as it affects each graduate
differently. Furthermore, the relationship of the employment- employability is still
little understood as it is closely related to not only the individual factor but also
other factors such as the labour market and organizational practise.
Although this study is an exploratory study, nevertheless its findings are useful
as a guide for higher learning institutions and also a crucial input for formulating
policies at the Malaysia Education Ministry level as well as Economic Planning
Unit that monitors the unemployment issue of graduates. Government intervention
programmes at the agency level, for instant the agency with the private sector
is too limited in its scope. Intervention programs at HEI level are seen as
important beginning to address the problem or the shortcomings of HEI graduates
employability. Whereas the government venture of government agencies and
the private sector are the second stage intervention to equip graduates needing
exposures to the real world working environment. Further studies to explore the
concept and the management of employability need to be increased to understand
the dynamics and the relationship within the graduate’s labour market to address
the unemployment.
56
Acknowledgement
This article is partly based on the Research University Grant, Universiti Sains
Malaysia funding’s (RU- USM) [1001/PHUMANITI/816167].
57
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59
SELF EMPLOYABILITY OF MALAYSIAN PUBLIC
HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION
GRADUATES NATIONWIDE*3
Tan Chee Hian
Faculty of Sport Science & Recreation
Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam.
Tham Yin Choong

Universiti Teknologi MARA, Arau, Perlis.
Rahim Md Sail
PPPL, FPP Universiti Putra Malaysia
Abstract
This study was mainly to investigate the level or readiness which consisted variable
like personal attributes and personal quality of PHEI graduates’ perception on
their employability. In order to justify the objectives in elaborating this dimension
in the overall Graduates Employability Questionnaire (GEQ, 2010) was adopted
and the result showed every dimension of the GEQ with a) level of employment
circumstances/learning was with mean score of 3.35; b) level of self- attitude towards
responsibility which statement of self willingness to take up responsibility without
interference of third part as well as other characteristic showed mean score of 3.89;
and c) level of soft skills in work life showed significant mean score of 3.99. As far
as determination of relationship or between selected factors and the employability of
these graduate were concerned, statistically graduates’ personal readiness factor was
positive, moderate correlation with the employability of graduates (r = .500, N = 184,
p < .05); Guilford’s rule of Thumb was applied indicating supportive that personal
readiness of graduates could influence the employability of one; the correlation
between personal attributes and personal qualities also showed contributive results (r
= .608, N = 184, p < .05 and r = .428, N = 184, p <.05) respectively. This concluded
that personal readiness of PHEI graduates should highly emphasize on constructional
proficiency programme in the university delivery system especially for undergraduate
programme concerned.
* Reprint of: Malaysian Journal of Sport Science and Recreation, Volume 10, No. 1, 2014 : 25-39 Faculty of Sports
Science and Recreation, Universiti Teknologi MARA and UiTM Press
61
Keywords : Graduates Employability Questionnaire (GEQ, 2010); Readiness
(personal attribute and personal quality); Public Higher Education Institutions (PHEI)
Introduction and Problem Statement
Generally, the graduates of one Public Higher Education Institutions (PHEI)

would still momentum establish their delivery of knowledge and skills to their
clients but it is investigate further research in social psychological perspective as
far as scientific and systematic research study is concerned. As far as extension as
a process, it links subjects on a continuous basis with evolving research-based and
tested knowledge, technologies, procedures and perspective that may be in own
purposes (Boone, 1989; Rahim Md Sail, 1995).
The extension mission eventually is to help people to develop their capacity and
potential to manage and to cope with changes in their environment especially
universities’ graduates in this study and their contribution to their clients after
graduated. On top of that this study would even venture into factors that influence
employability level with social psychology perspective. Products of public higher
education institutions are treated as human resource that the outcomes of planned
programmes. In the planned programme, a point to bear in mind would have been
the avoidance of human resource wastage and this is a very critical issue and is
fundamental matter in extension education which it was focus on Human Resource
Development (HRD). This study focuses particularly on human resource that been
produced by PHEI would reacted as human resource as far as graduates concerned.
In reality, the conceived programme may not achieved their planned objectives
and this could be due to many factors such as the without exclusive of extension
in practice especially when doubtful of graduates capabilities in the work place
and they were indirectly became an unemployable human resource or the low
employability among PHEI end product to practice in actual work place as human
resource because as present, there are many jobless of diploma holders and degree
graduates of public higher education institutions. For instance, in 2012 there were
approximately comments about local graduates not up to mark, who were out in the
work place with their respective documents but, because of their own lacking of
readiness or low in the employability were unable them to obtain a job (Graduates
of IPT Jobless. 2006. April, 4 & Star, March 5, 2012). Why is this happening
constitutes as a major problem that is the main concern of this study?
62
Problems arise especially regarding the level of employability of the graduates that
significantly contribute to the fundamental human resource problem that have been
major concern for a long time. More to the point is the question about important
indicators that could address shortcomings in the present system of education.
How successful are “tailored” programmes of particular public higher education
institution and/or what are the other factors such as the graduates’ self-readiness
that could influence the employability of one’s graduates?
However, from the human resource view of point, this self-equipped (graduates of
PHEI) disposition should develop in the university setting. In the context of a wider
range of global experience, in terms of people and future economies, it would be
necessary for an employee to be sensitive to cultural sensibilities and local politics.
This social science perspective is strictly becoming important reference points and
a source of human resource concepts especially in the areas of training subjects or
the human resource development implemented. On top of that, it is philosophically
HRD had been defined as helping individuals to develop their full potential and
readiness, although the question remains as for what ends (Hargreaves & Jarvis,
1998).
Factors Influencing the Graduates’ Employability
A survey of the related literature from the 1950s until the present has identified
macro and micro factors that influence graduates’ employability. The macro factors
would be liked : changes in science and technology, the globalization process,
structural changes, geographical changes, economic changes, wars, riot and others
which could give rise to changes in the social economy or changes in the social
culture (Hills, Robertson, Walker, Adey & Nixon, 2003). As far as this study is
concerned, these macro factors are not able to be controlled and are part of its
delimitations. However, in the related literature review, what come firmly across
are the micro aspect factors that had significantly attracted many researchers from
the 1950s until 2012 to venture into the exploration of attributes that influence
graduates employability. These factors covered personal readiness as main
factor and also the perception graduates toward their programme attended. The
interpretation of their relationships with graduates’ employability would enhance
the total growth of a nation. Thus, there is a significant need to further investigate
these micro aspects especially independent factors which would give impact of
added value to graduates.
63
Methodology and Design
This study was a descriptive and correlation research design which was undertaken
by means of a mail survey method (Baumgartner & Hensley, 2006; Best & Kahn,
2003; Kerlinger, 1973). A correlation design study determines and describes the
relationship between independent and dependent variable that happened as the way
things are (Baumgartner et al. 2006). In terms of scientific research, this study has
two research objectives to be examined the differences, and relationships between
the selected independent factors and the employability of graduates.
Non-experimental in nature, correlation design research utilizes a wide variety

of methodologies to collect data such as survey, interview, direct measurement
and observation being prevalent techniques (Baumgartner & Hensley, 2006). This
study used the mail survey method to collect data from graduates in the workplace.
They had graduated from their respective public higher education institutions and
had been working between six months to a year. They were in the age group of 19
to 28 years old.
Population and Sampling
The term population referred to an entire group or aggregate of people or elements

having one or more common characteristics. In this study, the population was
graduates who had the experience of six months to one year time involvement in
the workplace and aged between 19 and 28 years old.
The population of graduates who been selected according to the criteria listed
above, a total sample size of 300 graduates was calculated proportionate according
to the subtotal population produced by selected respective PHEI and it came to
appropriately around 27 percent to the whole population in limitation concerned
period of time in this study to generate of the results of overall, and it was considered
the appropriate sample size that genuine accepted from the help of application
from statistical package G-Power (Faul & Erdfelder, 1992).
Based on the principle of mathematical measured with proportionate sample

method which obtained the subtotal of each PHEI were drawn liked. As a result,
after the application of the procedures in calculating with electronic measuring
tool and the following samples size with a total of 300 respondents selected. The
samples of 300 appropriately proportion from population and they were selected
64
among samples randomly from a name list that was obtained from the respective
alumni unit, student welfare departments or faculty and single sample was chosen
according to the table of random numbers (R.A. Fisher & F. T. Yates, 1995) in
order to be well and equal chances given for every potential graduates throughout
the nation and this protocol would represented appropriateness for this study
especially the results of this study would be valid and reliable to generate the
overall cohort on the investigation regarding the employability of graduates among
PHEI.
The samples of 300 to whom the adopted questionnaire (GEQ) was distributed
according to the number of graduates produced in each selected PHEI. This
resulted was protocol appropriate in measure the cohort employability which was
regarding the selected sample size in percentage of the subtotal as : UTM with
total 50 respondents (27.2 percent), UM, 38 respondents (20.6 percent), UiTM,
60 respondents (32.6 percent), UKM, 18 respondents (9.8 percent) out of the
population and UPSI with 18 respondents (9.8 percent). As the result of the process
of collecting data with mail survey method, a overall total of 61.33 percent or 184
of the selected samples responded to the final GEQ (Table 1, p.29).
Table 1 : Proportionate Stratified Random Samples from the Population of Malaysian

Graduates Who Graduated from the Selected PHEI.
No. of GEQ No. of Percent of

University
Populations Distributed to Responses samples from
Responses
Samples From Samples population
UTM 350 96 50 7.2
UM 277 72 38 20.6
UiTM 218 60 60 32.6
UKM 150 41 18 9.8
UPSI 113 31 18 9.8
Total 1108 300 184 61.33%
65
In this study, the samples were formulated to generate representation of the
population of this group of graduates with a significant alpha level of .05, in three
factors of independent and one entity of dependent variable as the graduates’
employability. As far as the G-power statistical tool concerned, the statistical
power was .95. This was considered with the F-test on means in the ANOVA
test because of comprises of nine demographical profiles in measure a graduate’s
employability, a priori analysis as varies demographical profiles such as monthly
income, length of time to obtain first job and age of respondents on employability
as far as an accuracy mode and scientific to appropriately sample size concerned to
generate the result of this study.
Demographic profiles were collected as part of this study and the items included
: age, gender, ethnic, status of employment, sector of employment, university
attended, monthly income, job searching mechanism and length of time obtain
first job.
Readiness - Personal attributes and Personal qualities
In this dimension, it consisted of 27 factors and which were divided into 15

statements or factors of personal attributes and 12 statements or factors on personal
qualities respectively and they were highly reliable of Cronbach’s alpha .882 and
.831 which compiled in Part B of the adopted questionnaire. Moreover, the overall
personal readiness was with the Cronbach alpha of .856 and this means that this
factor was highly reliable and valid to consider as the independent factor in this
study.
Reliability of the Instrument Used
In terms of the reliability of the constructed variable’s questionnaire after the EDA
process, Cronbach’s Alpha was .882 and .831 respectively as showed in Table 2
Table 2 : The Cronbach’s Alpha Values of the Personal Readiness
Factors Cronbach’s Alpha Items

Readiness .856 B1 - B27
Personal attributes .882 B1 - B15
Personal qualities .831 B16 - B27
66
Demographic Findings
A total of 184 respondents from five public higher education institutions graduates
responded to the formulated questionnaire in this mailed survey. The demographic
profiles consisted of nine factors which were included in the final questionnaire in
order to gather demographic data as stated in the research questions formed. The
demographic data were summarized in Table 3 on page 31.
Table 3 : Demographic Profiles of Respondents (n= 184)
Variables Frequencies Percent

UiTM 60 32.6
UTM 50 27.2
University UM 38 20.6
UKM 18 9.8
UPSI 18 9.8
Males 113 61.4
Gender
Females 71 38.6
Malay 142 77.2
Chinese 17 9.2
Ethnicity
Indian 14 7.6
Others (Bumiputera) 11 6.0
Status of Employed 174 94.6
Employment Unemployed 10 5.4
Government 117 63.6
Sector of
Private Company 57 31.0
Employment
Freelance 10 5.4
Master Degree 83 45.1
Lifelong Learning Others 1 0.5
None 100 54.4
Advertisement 44 23.9
Internet 31 16.8
Friends/Family 25 13.6
Offered during 22 12.0
Job Search
internship
Mechanism
HR Department 13 7.1
Univ.Career Unit 8 4.3
Career Agency 5 2.7
Others 36 19.6
67
Graduates of UiTM were represented by about one third (32.6 %) of the
respondents, followed by 27.1 percent of UTM graduates, 20.6 percent of UM
graduates and 9.8 percent each for UKM and UPSI.
Males and Malay graduates formed the highest percentage of the respondents with
61.4 percent and 77.2 percent respectively. The majority of respondents (94.6%)
were employed with government sector and private companies. 45.2 percent had
pursued and acquired master degree. In terms of job search mechanism used
by graduates, advertisement was the most popular way to enhance job (23.9%),
followed by internet (16%) and friends/family (13.6%). This means that the
newspaper advertisement or other word was the written information would be
preference for this group of respondents
Employability among Graduates of PHEI
The first objective of this study was to determine the employability among
graduates and this descriptive results were presented.
Measuring the employability of among the public higher education institutions

graduate was a useful and meaningful study. It had been widely researched
especially from different perspectives within different time frames and by different
countries since the 1950’s until 2012. However, this study was considered as the
most recent research with initiative afford in determining the employability of
graduates among PHEI.
68
Table 4 : Overall the Employability of Sports Science Graduate (n = 184)
Level Freq Percent Mean S.D

Graduates Employability 3.84 .33
Low (1- 2.33) - -
Moderate (2.34 - 3.66) 55 29.9
High (3.67 - 5.00) 129 70.1
Employment Circumstance/ 3.53 .37
Learning
Low (1- 2.33) - -
Moderate (2.34 - 3.66) 132 71.7
High (3.67- 5.00) 52 28.3
Self attitude towards 3.89 .37
Responsibility
Low (1- 2.33) - -
Moderate (2.34 - 3.66) 49 26.6
High (3.67 -5.00) 135 73.4
Soft skills in Work life 3.99 .36
Low (1 - 2.33) - -
Moderate (2.34 - 3.66) 32 17.4
High (3.67- 5.00) 152 82.6
Table 4 p. 32 was summarized the data on the employability of graduates. Overall,

the respondents indicated the choice of very strongly agreed on each statement
or element for the item D1 to D45 with the characteristic concerned. The overall
mean score was 3.84 with a .33 standard deviation and this indicated that overall
graduates were at a high level of employability with 70.1 percent respondents
showing a high level above 3.67, and only 29.9 percent of the respondents showing
a moderate level of employability.
In conclusion, these graduates showed highly employability in the workplace

and they were able to obtain employment in whatsoever environment and they
were definitely not the group that contributed to unemployment or unemployable
youth as extension human resource nationwide. In other word, the self assessment
69
of these graduates were giving result of positively as well as capable to self-
sufficiently into and within the workplace, managed to fulfill self potential through
sustainable and accessible employment who had been employed depends on the
soft skills they possessed and their self-attitude. The way self- equipped to present
in the employers and this showed the human resources were highly value added
and could performed their employability wherever there went at in whichever the
involved this would consider an added value extension human resource.
Level of Soft Skills in Work Life
Graduates’ soft skills in work life were a serious consideration with statements
about abilities that these respondents present such as : they could focus on the
problem, never give up and be innovative and creative, identify problem and
evaluate them on one’s own, create vision, mission and accomplishment of work,
be a good listener, uphold work ethic, sustain own career after attending a course,
establish networking easily, be a very particular and practical person if needed,
utilize resources for organizational improvement, manage global advantages to
improve own organization, use communication skills well with all parties and fully
used evaluation results to improve further for the organization.
The mean score for this factor was 3.99 and with a standard deviation of .36 and
there was total of 82.6 percent respondents who strongly agreed that they were at a
high level of soft skills in work life and only 17.4 percent of the respondents were
at the moderate level (Table 4, p.32). Graduates’ soft skills equipped them to be
employed as well as to be employable into the workplace and this means soft skills
played a major role in development of employability. This variable as shown in
the National Training and Education Target (United Kingdom) and defined as soft
skills for achieving and was equivalent of National Vocational Skills Quadrant 3
(NVQ3) factors of self-reliance, adaptability and a broad range of skills, as well as
knowledge and experience.
These non-technical or tactical skills were the capabilities that highly perceived
and wanted by employers in terms of consideration especially under training and
development of an organization or work place and these were very critical issues.
These phenomena persist and remain as critical issues until today. As the conclusion,
the statistically described that the employability of PHEI graduates in term of soft
skill in work life presented well and high level of soft skills especially facing their
70
actual work life or workplace. They could easily solve their own problems as well
as the organization problem with their equipped soft skills without any critical
problem and this factor would contributed in the Sports Science graduates as an
entity of extension as well .
Relationship between selected factors and the employability of graduate is to

determine the relationship between selected factors : Personal Readiness and the
employability among graduates. Table 5 (p.34) showed that the results of this study
statistically on personal readiness factor was positive, moderate correlation with
the employability graduates (r = .500, N = 184, p < .01) and according to Guilford’s
rule of thumb, this indicated that this result supported personal readiness could
influence the employability of graduate among PHEI. Therefore, the better the
personal readiness level of those graduates, the higher would be the tendency of the
level of graduate employability to face the workplace requirement or employment.
Regarding to the findings of Louise Grogan and Gerald J Van den Berg (1999) that
the result was with R = .45 in the 230 respondents supported the present study that
the personal readiness characteristics were influence the employability of PHEI
graduates as far as employment was concerned. The correlation between factors
of personal attributes and personal qualities showed a contributive statistic : (r =
.608, N = 184, p < .01; and r = .428, N = 184, p < .01) respectively that this result
indicated they had a moderate correlation or influence on a graduate employability
at the .05 level of significance.
Table 5 : Correlation Coefficients between Selected Variable and the

Employability of Graduates (n = 184)
Variables r p
Readiness .500 .000
personal attributes .608 .000
personal qualities .428 .000
71
In conclusion, this independent variable was moderately correlated with the
dependent variable. They had substantial relationship and positive direction
leading to the conclusion that the better level of personal readiness of a graduate,
and the higher level and would significantly correlated to the employability level of
them in the workplace. These findings were in line with past research. Therefore,
this finding was considered significantly contributed to the body of knowledge,
especially HRD in Sports.
Conclusion
The adopted GEQ could identify the employability of PHEI graduates holistically
through self assessment questionnaire in within 38 minutes. It was relevant for
graduates of public higher education institutions and this was the early initially
empirically constructed questionnaire. It was adaptable and adoptable for the use
of the whole nation public higher education institution graduates were concerned.
It was contributing to the body of knowledge especially to the human resource in
general.
At the same time, this study measured that the different levels of the employability
of graduates with personal readiness as well as determining the relationship factors
between them in order to profile of the employability level of graduates among
PHEI as far as an added value extension in contributing to the nation’s Gross
Domestic Product.
As the conclusion of this study, findings of this study found that PHEI graduates
were fully equipped with personal readiness to react as an added values human
resource to present themselves to employers as well as to obtain employment in
the workplace within shorter duration so that they would not be categorized as
a contributor to unemployable and this would not increase the unemployment
rate throughout the nationwide or even global the recommended there is a need
to highly emphasize on constructional proficiency programme in the university
delivery system especially for undergraduate programme concerned.
72
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Corresponding Author :
Dr Tan Chee Hian

Faculty of Sport Science and Recreation
Universiti Teknologi MARA
Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
tanchee@salam.uitm.edu.my
75
EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
APPROACHES :
AN APPLICATION OF THE ANALYTIC
NETWORK PROCESS*4
Mohamad Shukri Abdul Hamid1, Rafikul Islam2*
and Noor Hazilah Abd Manaf3
1
School of Quantitative Sciences,
Universiti Utara Malaysia
06010 Sintok, Kedah, Malaysia
2,3
Department of Business Administration
Kulliyyah of Economics and Management Sciences
International Islamic University Malaysia
Jalan Gombak, 53100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
*Corresponding author : rislam@iium.edu.my
Abstract
Institutions of higher learning need to re-evaluate their teaching-learning

approaches to develop the necessary employability skills for their graduates. The
main objectives of this study are to identify the important employability skills and
the corresponding employability skills development approaches in a Malaysian
setting. The results of the application of an analytic network process (ANP) show
that the ‘ability to speak fluently in English’ is the most important skill, followed by
the ‘ability to write effectively in English’ and the ‘ability to think critically’. On the
other hand, the most effective employability skills development approach is found
to be ‘work-integrated learning’. The other effective approaches are identified as
‘stand-alone subject model’, ‘academic support programme’, ‘embedded subject
model’, ‘non-academic support programme’ and ‘campus life activities’.
Keywords : Employability skills, analytic network process, Malaysia
* Reprint of: Asian Academy of Management Journal, Volume 19, No. 1, 2014: 93-111 Asian Academy of
Management (AAM) and USM Press
77
Introduction
Every year, the number of graduates entering the labour market grows. However,
debate has surfaced over whether these graduates possess the employability skills
required by their prospective employers. Some critics contend that higher education
institutions are falling behind the times in meeting the relevant job requirements of
organisations (Parry, Ruthford, & Merrier, 1996). According to Salina, Nurazariah,
Noraina Mazuin and Jegatheesan (2011), employers are complaining that graduates
are unable to fulfil their needs in the uncertain environment of the current market.
These complaints are supported by Harvey, Moon and Geall (1997), who found a
skills gap between employer requirements and the graduates from the educational
system. Sahney, Banwet and Karunes, et al. (2004) revealed that higher education
institutions (HEIs) often fall behind in meeting employer requirements because
changes in industry move faster than the evolution of programmes offered by
educational institutions. Higher education simply does not always keep pace.
Industry is becoming more flexible, technology is changing, and there are demands
for new skills and expertise. Additionally, Willis and Taylor (1999) stated that
universities have been criticised as providing inadequate education. Shukran,
Hariyati Shariman, Saodah and Noor Azlan (2006) support this finding, revealing
that recent graduates are not equipped with up-to-date knowledge and technology.
As a result, this deficiency has affected graduates’ competencies, their ability
to join the workforce, and also contributes to unemployment among graduates.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Higher Education in Malaysia, the
number of jobless graduates rose from 65,500 in 2010 to 71,600 in the first quarter
of 2011.
The above facts should be taken into consideration by the higher education
institutions. Efforts should be in place to produce employable graduates who
are equipped with the relevant skills and knowledge to meet the demands of the
employment market in not only Malaysia but also the global market. This study first
aims to rank the importance of employability skills and then to identify the most
effective employability skills development approaches for graduate institutions.
78
Employability Skills
The terminology used to refer to employability skills is plentiful. The meaning of

employability depends on the individual and the context (Clarke, 2008). According
to Yorke (2000), the term employability has been described in many ways, such
as generic, transferable, intellectual, cognitive and interpersonal skills. Broadly
defined, employability refers to an individual’s capability to obtain a job, retain
suitable employment, and manoeuvre within the labour market to realise his or her
potential through sustainable employment (Hillage & Pollard, 1998; McLeish, 2002;
Brown, Hesketh, & Williams, 2003). Clarke (2008, p. 262) defines employability
as “the minimum generic skills or competencies needed by school leavers and
graduates to enter the labour market.” At an individual level, Clarke (2008, p.
262) defines employability as “the skills, abilities, attitudes, and behaviours, as a
current state, a process of a future outcome, an individual characteristic made up
of the sum of an individual’s job related skills, or as a reflection of the individual’s
position within the labour market.” Nilsson (2010) remarks, that for graduates,
employability is associated with the ability to find a job and to be employed.
Moreau and Leathwood (2006) refer to employability as skills such as understanding

concepts and personal attributes that make graduates preferred and successful
in their careers, along with the ability to benefit the workforce, community and
economy in which they serve. Employability has different meanings depending
on the context of the jobs researchers refer to. However, there are several general
similarities and common criteria. Based on this literature review, the definition of
employability can be summarised as “an individual’s ability to find a job that is
appropriate with his/her qualifications, remain relevant in the labour market, and
the ability to make a transition between his/her job within the same organization or
his/her ability to find a new job within the independent labour market.”
The literature suggests two types of employability skills : subject-specific skills

and non-subject specific skills (Yorke, 2000). A subject-specific skill refers to
specific skills or knowledge required to perform a specific job (i.e., doctor, lawyer,
accountant, etc.), while non-subject specific skills are non-technical skills and
knowledge. Cox and King (2006) contend that the concept of employability has
two aspects, namely, subject skills and transferable skills. Transferable skills refer
to knowledge, skills, abilities and personal characteristics that can be transferred
or used within any profession and at any stage of a career, while subject skills
are relevant only to a single profession. Dench (1997) extends the concept of
79
employability skills to include personal attributes, namely, honesty, reliability and
integrity. According to Clarke (2008), organisations that are able to hire employees
with highly developed soft skills are able to compete more successfully than
employers who focus on the retention of employees with only subject-specific
skills. Hii (2007) states that a study of Fortune 500 chief executive officers (CEO)
found that 75% of long-term business success depends on soft skills, and only
25% depends on technical skills. Therefore, the development and assessment of
the soft skills of graduates is essential for ensuring a successful transition from the
university setting to the employment market. According to Nilson (2010, p. 548),
the key components of employability include “formal competence, social contacts
and networks, literacy, and oral and written communication skills.”
Graduates’ Employability Skills And Approaches

For Developing Those Skills
For the purposes of this study, a list of graduate employability skills was developed
by reviewing studies conducted by previous researchers. Based on an extensive
literature review, the dimensions and attributes of graduates’ employability skills
are shown in Table 1. This method generated a list of 49 graduate employability
skill attributes. These attributes focus on computational skills, management skills,
critical thinking skills, enterprise and entrepreneurial skills, interpersonal skills,
communication skills and analytical skills.
80
Table 1 Dimensions and attributes of the employability skills used in the study
Dimensions Attributes Selected References

1. Interpersonal 1. Ability to work and contribute to the α = 0.917
skills group/team
2. Ability to understand other peoples’ Wickramasinghe
The skill to interact problems, emotions, concerns and & Perera (2010);
with others feeling related to work Shukran et al.
(2006); Rasul ,
3. Ability to negotiate with subordinates
Ismail, Ismail,
or Colleagues
Rajuddin, & Rauf
4. Ability to encourage and motivate (2010); Rahmah,
others Ishak, & Wei
5. Ability to network Sieng (2011); Nabi
(2003); Mustapha
6. Ability to work in a diverse
& Greenan (2002);
environment
Willis & Taylor
7. Ability to deal with superiors (1999).
8. Ability to manage others
2. Computing skills 1. Level of keyboard competency α = 0.876
2. Ability to use word processing
The skills of software Shukran et al.
knowledge and (2006); Kementerian
3. Ability to use statistical software
understanding of Pengajian Tinggi
package
information and Malaysia [KPTM]
communication 4. Ability to deliver effective (2006); Rasul et al.
technology (ICT) presentations using computer (2010); Rahmah
and the ability software et al. (2011); Nabi
to use computer 5. Ability to use database programmes (2003); Willis &
programmes and for/data management Taylor (1999).
related applications
6. Ability to use spread sheets for data
that are associated
analysis
with computers
7. Ability to search and manage the
relevant information from various
sources
81
3. Enterprise and 1. Ability to explore and identify α = 0.837
entrepreneurial business opportunities
skills 2. Ability to develop a business plan KPTM (2006);
Nguyen, Yoshinari,
3. Ability to develop business
The skills to explore & Shigeji (2005);
opportunities
an opportunity Mustapha &
and create risk 4. Ability to capitalise on business Greenan (2002).
awareness, and opportunities
to be creative 5. Ability to be self-employed
and innovative in
business/work
4. Communication 1. Ability to listen attentively and give α = 0.859
skills appropriate feedback
2. Ability to negotiate and reach KPTM (2006);
The skills that consensus Wickramasinghe
people use to & Perera (2010);
3. Ability to write effectively in Bahasa
communicate Shukran et al.
Malaysia
effectively with (2006); Nguyen et
others 4. Ability to write effectively in English al. (2005); Rasul et
5. Ability to write effectively in other al. (2010); Rahmah
languages et al. (2011); Nabi
(2003); Mustapha
6. Ability to speak fluently in bahasa
& Greenan (2002);
Malaysia
Willis & Taylor
7. Ability to speak fluently in English (1999).
8. Ability to speak fluently in other
languages
9. Ability to communicate formally and
informally with people from different
backgrounds
10. Ability to effectively deliver
presentations of a case/project
11. Ability to express his or her own
ideas clearly, effectively and with
confidence
82
5. Thinking Skills 1. Ability to recognise and analyse α = 0.838
problems
The ability to think 2. Ability to explain, analyse and KPTM (2006);
critically, creatively, evaluate data and information Wickramasinghe
innovatively and & Perera (2010);
3. Ability to generate creative ideas
analytically, and Shukran et al.
the ability to apply 4. Ability to think critically (2006); Nguyen et
the knowledge in 5. Ability to learn and apply new al. (2005); Rasul et
different contexts knowledge skills al. (2010); Rahmah
et al. (2011); Nabi
6. Ability to understand statistical and
(2003); Mustapha
numerical data
& Greenan (2002);
7. Ability to think outside of the box Willis & Taylor
8. Ability to make logical conclusions (1999).
by analysing relevant data
6. Management 1. Ability to lead a project α = 0.892
Skills 2. Ability to supervise group members
KPTM (2006);
3. Ability to optimise the use of
The skills to Shukran et
resources
effectively lead, al. (2006);
supervise and 4. Good time management Wickramasinghe
manage projects/ 5. Ability to plan, coordinate and & Perera (2010);
people organise a project Rasul et al. (2010);
Rahmah et al.
6. Ability to monitor group members to
(2011); Nabi (2003);
achieve targets
Willis & Taylor
7. Ability to plan and implement an (1999).
action plan
8. Ability to work under pressure
9. Ability to work independently
10. Ability to deliver expected results
83
To determine the importance and satisfaction of the graduates’ employability skills
as perceived by the employers, a set of questionnaires was sent to companies
(obtained from the 2009 directory of Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers),
government agencies and semi-government agencies. Of the 942 questionnaires
mailed, 233 completed questionnaires were received, for approximately a 25%
response rate (see Table 2 for the demographic information of the respondents).
Table 2 Respondents’ demographic information
Variables Frequency Per cent (%)

• Male 111 48.1
Gender
• Female 120 51.9
• 30 years or below 46 19.9
• 31-40 years old 52 22.5
Age
• 41-50 years old 89 38.5
• 51 years old and above 44 19.1
• Malay 149 64.5
• Chinese 53 22.9
Ethnicity
• Indian 22 9.5
• Others 7 3.0
• Diploma 43 18.8
• Bachelor 124 54.4
Qualification • Master 47 20.6
• PhD 8 3.5
• Others 6 2.6
• 5 years or less 86 37.6
Working • 6 -10 years 57 24.9
experience • 11-15 years 28 12.2
• 16 years and above 58 25.3
• Top Management 128 54.7
Position at the
• Middle Management 101 43.2
company
• Lower Management 5 2.1
84
The mean importance and satisfaction of the graduates’ employability skills
as perceived by the employers were plotted in the importance-performance
analysis (IPA) map, as shown in Figure 1. Based on the IPA map, 13 graduates’
employability skills fell in the ‘area to improve’ quadrant, which means that these
attributes are perceived as important by the employers, but satisfaction levels are
low; consequently, HEIs need to focus more attention on these skills. These 13
attributes are :
1. Ability to express his or her own ideas clearly, effectively and with confidence
2. Ability to generate creative ideas
3. Ability to think critically
4. Ability to make logical conclusions by analysing relevant data
5. Ability to explain, analyse and evaluate data/information
6. Ability to search and manage the relevant information from various sources
7. Ability to manage others
8. Ability to encourage and motivate others
9. Ability to effectively deliver presentations of a project
10. Ability to recognise and analyse problems
11. Ability to speak fluently in English
12. Ability to think outside of the box
13. Ability to write effectively in English
85
Figure 1. Map of employability skill attributes
Then, employability skills’ development approaches were identified from the soft
skills development modules for HEIs (Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi Malaysia
[KPTM], 2006). The employability skills development approaches are the methods
that the lecturers and students can apply in their teaching-learning process. Table
3 shows the employability skills development approaches used for analysis during
the ANP approach.
86
Table 3 Employability skills development approaches
No. Attributes Definitions

1. Academic support programmes Involve programmes and activities
that are created, developed and used
to support soft skills either directly or
indirectly as associated with academic
matters (e.g., learning skills programme,
English language support programme,
etc.).
2. Campus life activities Students' life in university residences and
campus surrounding (e.g., programmes
and activities on soft skills development).
3. Embedded subject model Embedding the soft skills in the teaching
and learning activities across the
curriculum (e.g., integrated into core
subject such as mathematics, statistics,
economics, etc.).
4. Non-academic support Involve programmes and activities
programmes that are created, developed and used
to support soft skills either directly
or indirectly which are not related to
academic matters but more related to
personality and professional development
of the students (e.g., PALAPES, SUKSIS,
etc.).
5. Stand-alone subject model Develop soft skills through specific
courses that are carefully planned for
this purpose (e.g., English language,
entrepreneurship, etc.)
6. Work-integrated learning Form of learning whereby periods of
study are alternated with periods of
related work in business, industry or
government agency. In this way students
are given the opportunity to effectively
integrate the theory of the classroom
with the practice and the responsibility of
the workplace (e.g., industrial/ practical
training).
87
Analytic Network Process
The analytic network process (ANP) generalises the analytic hierarchy process
(AHP) by incorporating feedback and interdependent relationships among
decision elements and alternatives. This provides a more comprehensive approach
when modelling problems based on complex decisions. Both the AHP and the ANP
derive the relative priority weights of absolute numbers from individual judgments
by making paired comparisons of elements on a common property or a control
criterion. In the AHP, these judgments represent independent assumptions of the
higher-level cluster from the lower level in a multi-level hierarchical structure,
while the ANP uses a network without the need to specify levels (Saaty, 2005). In
other words, the ANP enables interrelationships not only between clusters (outer
dependence) but also among elements (inner dependence) within a cluster (Figure
2).
In the ANP, there is an associated network of influences among the elements and
clusters. The ANP allows both interaction and feedback within clusters of elements
(inner dependence) and between clusters (outer dependence), with respect to an
underlying control criterion (Saaty, 2005). Inner and outer dependencies can
capture and represent the concepts of influencing relationships or being influenced
by relationships, within and between clusters of elements. Then, pairwise
comparisons are made systematically including all the combinations of element/
cluster relationships. Pairwise comparisons of the elements in each cluster are
conducted with respect to their relative importance to their control criterion. The
control criterion for these pairwise comparisons can be the criteria at the upper
or lower levels. In the case of interdependencies, components within the same
level can be viewed as controlling components for each other, or levels may be
interdependent on each other. The ANP uses the same fundamental comparison
scale (1-9) as the AHP. This fundamental scale enables the decision-maker to
incorporate subjectivity, experience and knowledge intuitively and indicates how
many times an element dominates another with respect to the control criterion
(Bayazit, 2006). The decision-maker can express his or her preference between
each pair of elements by verbal judgments such as equally important, moderately
important, strongly important, very strongly important and extremely important or
by stating a single number taken from the fundamental comparison scale.
88
Table 4 shows the fundamental comparison scale used by the ANP. The ANP is able
to handle interdependencies among elements through the calculation of composite
weights as developed in a supermatrix. After completing the pairwise comparisons,
the derived priorities of the unweighted supermatrix are obtained for each control
criterion. Then, using the cluster weights matrix, the priorities of all factors in each
cluster are weighted and then the results are synthesised through addition for the
entire control criterion. The supermatrix and its powers are the fundamental tools
needed to lay down the interaction effects of the ANP (Saaty, 2005).
Table 4 The fundamental comparison scale in the ANP
Intensity of Definition Explanation

Importance
Equal importance Two activities contribute equally to the
1
objective.
Moderate importance Experience and judgment slightly favour
3
one activity over the other.
Strong importance Experience and judgment strongly favour
5
one activity over the other.
Very strong importance An activity is favoured very strongly over
7 the other; its dominance is demonstrated
in practice.
Extreme importance The evidence favouring one activity over
9 the other is of the highest possible order
of affirmation.
For compromise between Compromise judgment between the above
2, 4, 6 and 8 the above values values because there is no good word to
describe them.
There are five steps in the ANP :

Step 1 : Set up the ANP model and perform pairwise comparisons of the elements
in the cluster
Step 2 : Construct an unweighted supermatrix
Step 3 : Make pairwise comparisons between clusters/elements
Step 4 : Calculate the weighted supermatrix
Step 5 : Calculate the limit matrix by raising the weighted supermatrix to the power
of 2k + 1
89
The Present Example
This example presents the case of implementing the ANP to prioritise graduates’
employability skills and to determine the most effective employability skills
development approaches for Malaysian higher education institutions (HEIs).
These steps are as follows :
Step 1 : Construction of the Model
The first step in the ANP is to develop a model to be examined. In this paper,
the ANP model consists of three clusters (objective cluster, employability skills
cluster and employability skills development approaches cluster) which are
connected by arrows and loop to one another. The arrows and loop represent the
inter dependencies and inner dependencies between clusters and various elements
in the cluster. Figure 2 shows the ANP model for the present study. The purpose
of this model is to identify the most effective employability skills development
approaches to equip graduates with the necessary employability skills. In this
model, the loop shows the interdependency among elements in the employability
skills development approaches cluster. In other words, there is inter-correlation
among elements in the cluster. Meanwhile, the arrow shows the relationship
between elements in the cluster of employability skills with the elements in the
cluster of employability skills development approaches.
Figure 2. ANP model
90
Step 2 : Pairwise Comparison Matrices between Elements
The next step is to make a comparison between clusters and elements. The elements
in each cluster that are related to control criteria are compared. The elements were
compared using pairwise comparisons and presented in the form of a matrix. First,
to calculate the importance weight of the employability skills, employers were
asked to make pairwise comparisons between elements in the cluster. An example
of a question posed to the employers is : which skill is more important to your
company “ability to write in English “or” ability to speak in English”, and how
much more important it is? Then, the same types of questions were repeated for all
the remaining skills.
Second, to calculate the weight of the relationship matrix between employability

skills and employability skills development approaches, 50 lecturers were contacted
to make comparisons between each pair of employability skills’ development
approaches on every employability skills. Examples of the questions posed are :
which method, “embedded subject model “or “ stand alone subject model,” is more
effective to equip graduates with skills of “ability to think outside of the box” and
how effective it is? Again, which method, “embedded subject model or “support
programmes,” is more effective to equip graduate with skills of “ability to think
outside of the box” and how effective it is? The same types of questions were
repeated for all 13 employability skills.
Finally, the effect of the employability skills development approaches on every

other method and the influence of the method upon itself were calculated. The
lecturers were asked to make pairwise comparisons between elements in the
cluster of employability skills development approaches. Examples of the questions
asked are : which method creates a larger effect on the work-integrated learning,
“embedded subject model or stand-alone subject model”; which method has a
larger effect on work-integrated learning, “embedded subject model or academic
support programs?” The same types of questions were repeated for all the remaining
approaches. Geometric mean was used to aggregate the pairwise comparison
matrices for all the respondents.
91
Step 3 : Supermatrix Formation
The next step is to construct unweighted, weighted and limit supermatrices of

the entire set of elements within the network system. By using Super Decision
software 2.0.6, the unweighted (Table 5) and weighted supermatrices (Table
6) were obtained. The result shows that the employers placed “ability to speak
fluently in English” highest with a weight of 0.204. The next most important skills
are “ability to write effectively in English” and “ability to think critically” with
priority weights of 0.142 and 0.136, respectively.
The weighted supermatrix is stochastic, irreducible and acyclic (Andronikidis,

Georgiou, Gotzamani, & Kamvysi, 2009). The limit supermatrix (which is stable)
is calculated by raising the weighted supermatrix to powers by multiplying it times
itself. The process is continued until the number in every column in the matrix is the
same and hence the multiplication process is stopped (Saaty, 2005). The limit matrix
for identifying the most effective employability skills development approaches is
shown in Table 7. The results show that the most effective employability skills
development approach is “work-integrated learning”, with a priority of 19.7% .
The next most effective approach is ‘stand- alone subject model”with 18.5%. The
standings of the remaining approaches are as follows : embedded subject model,
non-academic support programme, and campus life activities.
92
Table 5: Unweighted supermatrix
93
Table 6: Weighted supermatrix
94
Table 7: Limit supermatrix
95
Conclusion
This paper demonstrates an application of the Analytic Network Process for

identifying the most effective employability skills development approaches to
equip graduates with the necessary skills. The use of these approaches in evaluating
employers’ perceptions of currently held skills was to identify the importance of
the skills to employers, identify specific areas that require improvement and to
identify the most effective approaches for improving graduates’ employability
skills.
The results of this study demonstrate the importance of work integrated learning
in developing employability skills. Work integrated learning is a form of training
whereby periods of study are alternated with periods of related work in an
organisation. Through work integrated learning programmes, students are able to
practice the theories and knowledge that they have learned during their studies
at school. Graduates are able to equip themselves with the latest skills needed
by industries. In addition, graduates are able to develop their confidence levels,
teamwork skills, and communication skills. Therefore, universities should provide
students with real-life work environments and hands-on learning through on-the-
job training programmes. HEIs need to work closely with industries to improve
the marketability and employability of graduates because the employability of
graduates is one of the key performance indicators for higher education.
To ensure the effectiveness of on-the-job training programmes, HEIs must ensure

that graduates are assigned to the right companies and that the tasks assigned
to them are in accordance with their specialisation. Additionally, tasks that are
assigned should be beneficial to enhancing their employability skills. If there is a
mismatch between a graduate’s area of specialisation and the tasks assigned to him
or her, the graduate would be unable to practice or apply his or her knowledge and
skills in the actual workplace. Thus, the objectives of the work integrated learning
programme would not be fulfilled.
96
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98
ASSESSING GRADUATES’ GENERIC SKILLS:
AN INDICATOR OF EMPLOYABILITY*5
Parmjit Singh1*, Roslind Xaviour Thambusamy2 and Adlan Ramly2
1Mathematics Department, Faculty of Education, Campus Sec. 17,
Universiti Technologi MARA, Malaysia,

40200 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
2TESL Department, Faculty of Education, Campus Sec. 17,
Universiti Technologi MARA, Malaysia,

40200 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
Abstract
This concept paper seeks to discuss the issues of the measurement of Malaysian
university graduates’ generic skills as an indicator of their employability in the
real world job market. Despite the heated discussions and arguments among
stakeholders on the problem of rampant unemployment of fresh university
graduates, there is still a distinct absence of a valid screening tool to test the
level of work readiness of the university students before they are awarded their
scrolls. Starting July 2006, the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE)
instituted the implementation of seven generic skills to be incorporated into the
tertiary curriculum in an effort to address and redress the shortcomings in graduate
employability. This worthy effort however, has been stymied by the somewhat
informal, subjective, and lackadaisical treatment of the generic skills component
in the actual implementation. This, coupled with the absence of a validated exit
screening tool, undermines all serious efforts to ensure that graduates are genuinely
work ready. This concept paper proposes a model called Graduate Employability
Model (GEM) as a framework that policy makers and higher education practitioners
could use to generate a more stringent quantitative and summative quotient of the
future graduates’ employability as indicated by their generic skills.
Keywords: Generic skills, employability skills, assessment tool, screening tool,

model, framework
* Reprint of: Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, Volume 22, No. 3, 2014 : 845-860 UPM Press
99
Introduction
Someone once said that all you have to do to stop a child from thinking is to
send him to school. Sadly, one cannot help but agree with this dismal statement in
considering the current Malaysian education system which rewards rote learning,
as evidenced by the annual celebratory lauding in the media of candidates scoring
strings of A’s in national examinations. This penchant for garnering as many A’s
as possible is directly responsible for the mushrooming of private tuition centers
that offer “crash courses” designed to cram the children with “model” answers
which, duly memorized, produce the desired A’s. (Bray, 2007). In the preface to
this seminal publication on the global phenomenon of private tutoring, the general
editor contends that
“Training pupils for examinations only may not be the best training that can take
place. Cramming is often to the detriment of creative learning and may not lead to
the expected increase in human capital.” (Bray, 2007, p.11)
This sad state of affairs has led the Malaysian Prime Minister to recently declare
that education has hitherto emphasized memorization (the what part) and that this
has to be changed to emphasize to the thinking process (the how part) so that
students can utilize the knowledge gained to their advantage in innovative and
creative ways. In attending to the issues that such rote learning has engendered, the
Prime Minister has declared that it is necessary
“... to bring about an education transformation where the essence is to motivate

students to think because we want to create a generation which can think creatively,
innovatively and critically, as well as think out of the box and resolve problems...
The world has changed. We need to prepare the present generation to face the world
of the future which will surely be much different from that of today,” (Bernama,
2012, para. 3-4 )
The Prime Minister’s concern about the need to “create a generation which can
think creatively, innovatively and critically, as well as think out of the box and
resolve problems” is shared by many concerned stakeholders, particularly the
employers who have to deal with the thousands of graduates pouring out of the
numerous higher education institutions (henceforth HEIs) every year, the bulk of
whom do not fit the bill as articulated by the Prime Minister.
100
The need to produce thinking graduates has become all the more important
nowadays as the world has changed, and with it, the requirements and needs of the
working environment. What worked 50, or even 30 years ago, does not work now,
and graduates need to be equipped with both content-specific technical knowledge
as well as skills, such as ICT and ‘tech-savvy- ness’ that their forebears had no need
of. The challenges facing new graduates today are formidable as “the contemporary
requirements of the economy which is characterized by the globalization of national
economies, rapidly-changing markets, increased global competition for goods and
labour, technological innovations and the movement from mass production to
flexible specialization in the production process” (Teh & Pendergast, 2009) and
the subsequent elimination of physical boundaries through the advent of ICT has
necessitated the sharpening of skills related to communication, entrepreneurship,
and life-long learning in order to keep pace with the global strides in all areas of
human endeavor.
How have the Malaysian HEIs addressed these issues and concerns in their
pedagogical and curricular approaches? From the data provided by the Malaysian
Department of Statistics, it appears that the situation is worrying. There seems to be
a massive gap between what higher education is providing and what the employers
are seeking in graduates. This is borne out by the statistics which revealed that
from 2007 until 2010, the number of unemployed graduates had steadily increased
to over 30,000 at both the diploma and degree levels (Department of Statistics,
2011). These 30,000 unemployed graduates, many of whom were educated at the
taxpayers’ expense at the 20 public universities in Malaysia (Norshima, 2008)
is indeed a grim statistic and one that rightly deserves the approbation of the
stakeholders like parents and employers.
There is obviously a glaring mismatch between the products, that is the graduates,
and the mission of higher education when such an uncomfortable number of
fresh graduates remain unemployed after graduation, or are forced to take on jobs
which do not re qui re de gre e qualifications. In a bizarre turn of events, while
an increasing number of graduates end up being unemployed, 67% of private
companies increased “the size of their current international assignee population” in
2008 (Sri Ramalu, Che Rose, Uli, & Kumar, 2010), indicating that employers
seem to favor foreigners and expatriates over local graduates. This scenario should
immediately trigger several concerns, the outstanding one being that our graduates
are apparently unworthy employee material as compared to foreigners, and second
is that the output of our higher education is obviously below par compared to that
of foreign universities. This however, is highly unlikely in terms of the syllabus
101
and content being offered at Malaysian universities, as these are subject to review
and revision according to the latest professional standards and trends worldwide
in line with the Malaysian Qualifications Agency’s mandates. Therefore, it may
be assumed that the problem lies not so much in the content of the courses being
offered as the development of the students themselves. Thus, what matters now
is the personal development of the graduate, as opposed to his or her mastery of
technical content (Orr, 1991, page number?). In other words, it is high time that
the focus of higher education be redirected from the “what” (content material) to
the “how” (referring to the “generic skills”) as it contributes to the development of
the “who” (the graduate).
A fitting prelude to an in-depth discussion regarding these issues, is the premise

that underscores this issue of why the “what”, “how” and “who” resonates deeply
with the notion of “employability”. Unlike yesteryears, when university education
was the bastion of the intellectually elite and academically inclined, and where
professors displayed scant concern over issues of employability, considering such
matters as beneath their intellectual/academic purview, graduates were expected
to develop generic or work- related skills peripherally as an indirect or covert
application of content knowledge and the socialization that campus life offered.
However, with the democratization and subsequent massification of higher

education, the doors of the ivory towers were thrown open to the ‘masses’ seeking
to better their socio-economic prospects through the ‘paper chase’. Suddenly,
the economic considerations of a university education began to impinge on the
academic consciousness, with words like ‘marketability’, ‘employability’, and
‘soft’, ‘hard’, and ‘generic skills’ infiltrating curricular considerations. Universities,
particularly the more traditional establishments, now in direct competition with the
numerous private, for-profit higher education providers that were mushrooming
to take advantage of the demand for higher education, had to quickly reconfigure
their academic paradigm to accept the fact that higher education institutions could
no longer operate as ‘ivory towers’ detached from the world around them. HEIs
were now being held directly responsible for their “products” as these graduates
entered the working world. With lifelong learning being touted as an exemplary
habit in the new work order, the clarion call to keep learning quickly became a
pivotal prerequisite justifying the need for higher education. Learning, lifelong and
otherwise, began to be espoused as the panacea for socio-economic development
of nations, with skills related to employability becoming embedded in higher
education curricula to cater for the needs and vagaries of the burgeoning global
marketplace.
102
It is clear then that the premise of higher education today far exceeds the statistics
of passes and excellent achievements in university examinations. The burning
question for higher education practitioners is not whether our undergraduates
are performing well in examinations, but rather whether we are preparing them
adequately for the working world? This question cannot, however, be easily
answered. By all accounts, given the MOHE’s mandate to implement the seven
generic skills (these skills are detailed in page 7) into the Malaysian higher
education curricula since 2007 (Ministry of Higher Education, 2007), things
should be working like clockwork. Still, the hard, cold facts as indicated by the
statistics have proven otherwise. What does emerge from this paradox is that if the
content is beyond question and the generic skills are already being imparted in the
curricula, then it is the students’ actual capabilities (when they graduate) that we
should be focusing on.
This further begs the question that if we have an intricate and comprehensive
system of screening for university entrance via the national school leaving
examinations and the Malaysian English University Test (MUET), why do we not
exert the same fervor and comprehensiveness to screen their capabilities before
they graduate? Other than examinations, which to all intents and purposes only test
content knowledge, why have we not measured their communicative competency,
their problem solving skills, critical thinking abilities and those other elements that
would determine their employability? Consequently, this conceptual paper s eeks
to jus tify the need for and propose a model that would indicate definitively the
work-worthiness of students before they are allowed to graduate. Obviously, such
a model would require the requisite grounding in order to justify its standing and
this will appear in the next portion of this paper.
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Objective
The objective of this paper is to discuss the issue of graduate employability, generic
skills and the assessment of both in the current tertiary educational context and to
suggest a model or framework that can be used to construct an instrument for such
purpose. The specific objectives of this paper are:
1. To discuss employability and the issue of unemployment among fresh

Malaysian graduates.
2. To elucidate the relation between employability and generic skills.
3. To discuss the importance of a valid exit screening test for graduates and the
current trend of assessment for generic skills in universities.
4. To propose a framework called the Graduate Employability Model (GEM) as
a feasible exit assessment tool of graduating students’ generic skills.
Significance Of The Study
This paper hopes to drive home the point that this model, premised on the need for
a stringent assessment of generic skills prior to graduation, would help to stem the
employability issues that currently plagues the Malaysian higher education. With
a model like this in place, Malaysian HEIs will have in hand, a comprehensive
assessment tool that can act as an all-purpose indicator of employability which
serves not just employers but also the graduates and HEIs. This tool, when efficiently
deployed, will enable all stakeholders to get a clear view of graduate capabilities.
Apart from certification of their technical knowledge, the graduates will be provided
with an additional evaluation, that of their generic skills, acknowledging them as
fit for the world of work. If they fail to display the requisite skills, the model can
identify and isolate those specific areas of weakness which can then be targeted
for improvement or enhancement. In this way, graduates will be able to focus on
those areas which they need to improve before they seek employment, saving
both themselves and prospective employers frustration and heartache. The HEIs,
through this model, will be able to gauge the extent to which the implementation of
generic skills as curricula or co-curricula elements has been successful, and embark
on remedial measures if the implementation is found lacking. Thus, implementing
such a model is a win-win situation for all stakeholders concerned where so much
that is wrong in the current employability scenario can be redressed and alleviated.
As always, while the notion may be impeccable, the implementation is open to
104
interpretation and this is where some limitations may arise. Each HEI, having their
own mission and vision may skew the components of the generic skills to be assessed
to align to their respective institutional mission and vision, which will naturally upset
the fine balance of the assessment criteria. A case in point is Universiti Teknologi
MARA, which having been recently declared an entrepreneurial university, is
in the process of inculcating the tenets of entrepreneurialism in its coursework,
wherever possible. With such a paradigm, it is inevitable that the entrepreneurial
skill (among the seven MOHE endorsed generic skills) will be emphasized when
graduates are assessed on their soft skills using this model. This can become a
setback in providing a balanced picture of the gamut of skills required by graduates
to be ‘properly’ employable.
Literature Review
In this section, employability and the manner in which generic skills insinuate
themselves into a workable premise of the notion of employability is presented
with a view to justifying the need for the incorporation of a model to assess the
generic skills of graduates in order to ensure that they emerge ready for work from
the HEIs. The premise of this discussion and the justification of a university exit
model to assess graduate work-related competencies is clearly supported by Yorke
(2006, p.4) who contends that
“When trying to appr eciate higher education’s potential for contributing to

economic wellbeing it is helpful to distinguish between the formation of subject-
specific understandings and skills, and the promotion of other valued skills,
qualities and dispositions. Whereas the world of employment has, by and large,
been satisfied with the disciplinary understanding and skills developed as a
consequence of participation in higher education, it has been less happy with the
development of what have been termed ‘generic skills’, such as communication,
team-working and time-management.”
105
Employability
The concept of employability is neither recent nor under-defined, having been

elucidated and elaborated by many researchers in this area. (Asnida, (2003);
Chiam, (2005); Hesketh, (2000); Hinchliffe, (2002); Holmes, (2001); Gibbons,
(2000); Knight & Yorke, (2004); Leon, (2002); Morley, L. (2001); Pierce, (2002);
Purcell & Elias, (2002); Stephenson, (1998); Wolf, (2002); Yorke & Knight, (2006);
Ong, (2006); Marina, (2007); Norizan, et al.,(2006)). These works represent but a
fragment of the immense undertaking of researchers in this area which reflects the
importance attached to the notion of employability all over the world.
One of the most applicable in general terms would be the definition provided by
the United Kingdom Institute of Employment that characterizes employability as
possessing the capability to acquire, maintain and seek for newer (if necessary)
employment or a job and that such capabilities include:
“their assets in terms of the knowledge, skills and attitudes they possess; the
way they use and deploy those assets; the way they present them to employers;
and crucially, the context (e.g. personal circumstances and labor market
environment) within which they see work” (Hillage & Pollard, 1998 p.1).
Yorke (2006, p.21) sums up the tenets of employability as
“A set of skills, knowledge and personal attributes that make an individual

more likely to secure and be successful in their chosen occupation(s) to the
benefit of themselves, the workforce, the community and the economy.”
This supports the notion that (content) knowledge per se contributes to only a
small portion of the understanding of employability while the rest include personal
attitudes and the ability to manipulate and use the knowledge in creative and
practical ways as required by the needs (Orr, 1991). Brown, Hesketh, and Williams
(2002) similarly defined employability as a notion that encapsulates the very
economic and political pathos of a certain country and that in the current global
economic climate, the efficiency of the economy depends on the population’s
capability to acquire the knowledge, skills, and capabilities that employers need
in an increasingly knowledge-driven economy. Here too, knowledge is part of
a package deal that includes skills and specific work- related capabilities which
should reflect the employers’ needs.
106
An even more cogent definition is given by Mantz Yorke (2006) who posited that
employability is not the same as employment. Yorke argued that those graduates
who acquired employment may not actually possess the quality of employability
depending on the needs, climate, and type of employment that are acquired. For
example, an engineering graduate who is employed as a bartender may not possess
the qualities of employability (for his field) although he is employed. In other
words, those who are employed may not necessarily reflect high employability.
This makes the discussion on employability difficult as it shows that mere statistics
of employment and unemployment are not reliable indicators of the graduates’
employability. To gauge such a tenous attribute, quantitative data based on surveys
or examinations must first be acquired.
In creating a tenable assessment of the employability of graduates and soon-to-

graduate university students, the inclusion of “soft skills” or “generic skills” is
a prerequisite. Ian Hampson and Anne Junor (2010) for example, contend that
“soft skills” have been under-rated until lately and that this does not encompass
merely the technical content of the students’ knowledge, but how they are used in
the social context of the working environment. But what are these soft or generic
skills? Are they solely social or do they have deeper implications?
Generic Skills and its Relation to

Employability
To begin with, it is difficult to precisely define what “generic skills” are. Nonetheless,
although its definition is elusive, we can begin to glean an understanding of these
skills by roughly knowing what they are not. Generic skills are not technical skills or
the content knowledge of a certain field or specialized area. For example, knowing
the theory of aerodynamics is not part of the generic skills that an aeronautic
engineer should possess. Similarly, a deep knowledge of a particular subject does
not automatically make a good teacher as effective teaching is predicated upon
knowing not just what to teach but how to teach. Such content-derived knowledge,
referred to the “hard skills” are related to the specialized knowledge and skills that
can be properly analyzed, defined, and tested. These are usually termed technical
skills (Turner, 2004).
107
If technical knowledge or hard skills form one part of the employability package,
then soft skills or the generic skills refer to the range of skills that form the other
part of the package. These generic skills complement the hard skills in the work
place as they deal with those capabilities that employees would need to utilise to
function competently in any organisation. First and foremost, it is important to
note that the nomenclature for generic skills is varied, depending on contextual
application, and among the names that it is known by include: “key competencies”,
“core skills” and “employability skills” (Md. Yunus et al., 2005). The dimensions
of these skills are also wide and subject to interpretation. Leon and Borcehrs
(2002) for example, grouped them into skills of reading, writing and math;
communication; critical thinking; group interactions; personal development; com
puter skills; technical systems; leadership; and team work (cited in Agus et al.,
2011). Koo (2007, pp.39), on the other hand, suggested a “pluriliteracy” related to
employability skills that included linguistic proficiency, communicative literacy,
cultural awareness, content literacy, sustainable citizenship, attitudes and mindset,
vocational literacy, and critical literacy.
Returning to the issue of unemployability of the Malaysian graduates, the Malaysian

Ministry of Higher Education has acknowledged the importance of generic skills
and instituted its implementation in the higher education curriculum since 2007.
In 2006, Datuk Mustapa Mohamed, then the higher education minister, announced
that the ministry considered generic skills a serious matter and suggested a model of
generic skills that comprised “communication skill; critical thinking and problem
solving; teamwork; lifelong learning and information manageme nt; ethics and
professional morals; entrepreneurship; and leadership skill.” (Yassin et al., 2008).
Given that universities have now become responsible for producing employable
graduates, it is only logical that the attainment of generic skills are being
emphasized. Shyamal (2009) noted that among the reasons for such emphasis are:
(1) the requirements of the knowledge-based new economy and continuing

impact of globalization and new information technologies; (2) the exponential
pace of change; (3) the consequent pressures of life-long learning; (4) the need
for individuals to maintain employability; (5) changes in the workplace; (6)
requirement to foster enterprise skills and innovation culture in some countries,
among the few” ( p. 2).
As can be seen from the reasons stated above, much of the need originates from
the expectancy of economic demands that employers have to meet. The salient
implication here is that in today’s highly globalized and increasingly competitive
108
world where work places and opportunities are no longer physically constrained,
the adaptability and transference of skills and competencies is highly prized and
coveted by employers seeking to reap the optimal economic rewards from their
choice of employees. In such a scenario, it is no wonder that, generic skills have
significantly become the determining factor of employability (Othman, 2012).
Thus, we are obliged to ask ourselves whether our universities are producing
graduates with the relevant generic skills.
Generic Skills Assessment & Screening

Tools Worldwide and their Significance in Malaysia
Outside Malaysia, the idea of assessing graduates to ensure their non-academic

skills are sufficient is not a new practice. The University of Cambridge for example,
developed and introduced the Thinking Skills Assessment in 2001 which tests
problem solving skills and critical thinking skills. This test is now used by 27 out of
its 29 colleges and branches (TSA Cambridge, 2008). At present, the test is being
used by the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford and University
College London as an exit screening test for its undergraduates. Similarly, the
Australian government has taken the initiative to gauge the Australian graduates’
generic skills by devising the Graduate Skills Assessment, better known as the GSA.
Utilizing the four elements of Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, Interpersonal
Understanding and Written Communication Skills, the GSA was first implemented
in 2000 and the validity study shows a significant advantage in utilizing the test in
increasing the graduates’ employability (Hambur, Rowe, & Luc, 2002).
Another Australian effort, implemented by the Australian Learning and Teaching

Council (ALTC) is called Embedding the Development and Grading of Generic
Skills in the Business Curriculum (EDGGS). Unlike the GSA, the EDGGS is
a series of assessments that are invigilated at the end of each year (every two
semesters) of the students’ study period in the university and involves the four
generic skills of teamwork, critical thinking, ethical practice, and sustainable
practice or the consistency of the graduates to improve and maintain the first three
skills (Thomas et al., 2009). In the United States, efforts in assessing generic skills
have been undertaken by the American College Testing Centre for Education
and Work in which the Work Keys System that covers the employability skills
of “Reading for Information, Applied Mathematics, Listening, Writing, Locating
Information, Applied Technology, and Teamwork” were introduced as early as
1994 (Saterfiel & McLarty, 1995).
109
A cursory observation of all these tools reveals that the main components
used in these various generic skills assessments are Problem Solving Skills,
Critical Thinking Skills, Interpersonal Skills, and Communicative Skills. These
components are often used not only because they are the most feasible to assess,
but also because of their significance in portraying an individual’s employability.
Problem Solving and Critical Thinking skills are good indicators of the graduates’
ability to use their expert knowledge in creative and innovative ways while
Interpersonal and Communicative Skills allow them to convey their ideas in a
clear, effective manner. An effective amalgamation and application of these skills
would contribute indirectly to the creation of positive working environments,
which would understandably result in better production and reductions of costs for
the employer.
The discussion thus far can now be related to the issue of “what”, “how” and
“who” as raised at the beginning of this paper. We can begin to understand that
the graduates’ technical knowledge and expertise can be considered the “what”,
whereas their ability to use problem solving and critical thinking in creative and
innovative ways and their effectiveness of relaying such ideas to other parties in a
real working context refers to the “how”. The manner, in which these two separate
strands are inextricably linked within the development of the “who”, is at the heart
of the employability issue.
Now, the important question to ask here is that, while generic skills assessment
tools are being used worldwide as an indicator of employability, why have we,
in Malaysia, not come up with a sound screening tool that can be used to gauge
our graduates’ work readiness? University entrance is subject to a strict screening
process, whereby on top of the high academic standards that the students need
to attain in their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (equivalent to O-levels), Sijil Tinggi
Pelajaran Malaysia (equivalent to A-levels), and Matriculation examinations, the
candidates are further filtered through a battery of interviews, written assessments,
practical auditions and tests for particular courses. It seems then that the university
entrance procedures emphasize high standards of quality control in selecting
the candidates. Why then are the same high standards of quality control not
exerted before the students are allowed to graduate? This question is all the more
confounding, knowing that generic skills have already been acknowledged as vital
to graduates’ employment.
110
Having recognized the importance of these skills, MOHE has instructed
Malaysian HEIs to implement generic skills into their curricular content since
2007. However, the universities have been given the mandate to inculcate these
skills into the students in whatever manner they see fit. Thus, these skills are often
implemented according to the individual university’s curricular constraints in the
forms of coursework, apprenticeship, entrepreneurship, finishing school sessions,
and mobility/internship, where, particularly in the non-coursework modes, these
skills are subjectively assessed by taking into account the students’ presence and/
or involvement and asking lecturers to assess the students using holistic opinions
(Othman, 2012). It comes as no surprise then that the whole issue of generic skills
are generally treated as a trifling matter and sidelined in favor of the hard skills.
It can be seen then, that in terms of the inculcation of the generic skills in higher
education, there is a serious gap between what is intended and what is actualized.
What is missing here is a sound screening tool to quantitatively assess graduating
students’ generic skills across the board in a systematic and organized manner in
order to provide an accurate picture of the students’ actual employability. This
conceptual paper seeks to suggest a model that would lead to such a screening tool.
The Stages in the Development of

Graduate Employability Model
This section elucidates the developmental stages and procedures adopted in the
construction of the Graduate Employability Model based on the configuration of
the different phases of operation. To justify the premise under which the model
will operate, the different phases in the construction of the model are clarified
based on the relevancy of the stage in the development of the model.
Graduate Employability Model (GEM)
The Graduate Employability Model (GEM) is premised on a structured process

of how a feasible generic skills test can be utilized as an exit screening test in
universities. The construction of this model is graphically represented in Fig.1. The
model is divided into four phases. The first phase may be referred to as Planning &
Research. In this phase, literature review on generic skills and instruments that can
be used to measure them is conducted. This however, may not correspond to the
immediate needs of a nation or society. The research however is crucial to pinpoint
111
and create a specific structure of criteria that can facilitate in identifying out the
needs. The second phase is the Needs Analysis. Using the information gathered
in the Planning & Research phase, a questionnaire is constructed to find out the
specific needs of a society or nation. The questionnaire is then pilot tested and
refined until it is suitable for distribution. Once the questionnaire has been finalized,
it is distributed to three different groups of samples. First, is the employer sample
as they would elucidate the immediate needs of the industry and working fields
and their demands of fresh graduates’ abilities and employability. Secondly, the
questionnaire will be distributed among academic staff of HEIs as this information
would serve as a foil to the actual needs of the employers. It may seem odd, but it
may happen that what the university policy makers consider important may differ
from what the employers require and they are the major stakeholder in higher
education. Last but not least, the questionnaire will be distributed to undergraduates
in order to assess if they possess the skills demanded by both employers and the
university.
Fig.1: Structured process of the construction of the Graduate Employability Model
Once the data from the questionnaire has been collated, it is analyzed and
brought forward to the third phase, which is the Instrument Construction phase.
This phase begins with the analysis of the data acquired from the questionnaires.
The construction of the instrument is predicated on the needs derived from the
survey data where the percentage, ratio and weightage of the skills measured
112
in the instrument are based on the priorities as determined by the needs. Once
the instrument has been constructed, it undergoes a pilot testing and refinement
process as well to weed out irrelevant items. This would become the first screening
instrumentation. It is suggested that this instrument be called the Graduate
Employability Model which when shortened is called GEM, an apt metaphor for
the work ready graduates emerging as a consequence of being assessed through this
model. The last phase is the Instrumentation and Revision of the GEM assessment
tool. This is to be administered to final year students who are about to graduate.
The results obtained from this instrument would allow the university to gauge the
graduating students’ employability. Obviously, validity, reliability and construct
review are strictly observed using item analyses to avoid any discrepancies
occurring during the construction or data analyses process. The result of the
analyses is then used to review and refine the format of the assessment tool and is
included as an important consideration in the construction of instrument in the next
cycle. The whole process, being cyclic in nature, is repeated in each cycle.
113
Conclusion
Once this model is up and running, it can be expected to generate a lot of research
in terms of its efficacy and implementation. Research would be forthcoming
on the actual performance of the graduates in the workplace as to whether they
are living up to the assessment generated through this model. Employers would
definitely have a lot to say regarding the efficacy of the model and the strengths
and weaknesses that may emerge would be readily disclosed by them. HEIs and
the Department of Higher Learning in the Malaysian Ministry of Education would
be most interested to track the progress of the graduates who have been assessed
through this model.
It is highly ambitious to expect the first run of the GEM assessment tool to be
completely effective and flawless. Being a new model, there are bound to
be hiccups in implementation which may necessitate some revision in the
implementation or recalibration of the phases in order to rectify any weaknesses
that (may) emerge. Realizing that unforeseen drawbacks may emerge, the model
developers have designed it along a cyclical process framework, where it is open to
constant and continuous upgrading. Still, such a model is inarguably necessary for
a comprehensive assessment of graduate work-related competencies and having
one that works fairly well, is much better than having none at all.
What is salient in this discussion is that while we still lack a systematic exit
screening instrument that can effectively gauge our graduates’ employability,
many other countries have already embarked on this venture for a number of years.
While meticulous and stringent screening measures are in place for university
entrance, university exit appears to be lax specifically with regards to generic
skills evaluation-which is to our mind, a far more crucial element to the graduates’
success than their entrance to the university. In view of the worrying trends in
graduate unemployment, it is timely that we begin to reflect upon, research, plan,
survey, construct, and administer some sort of employability assessment tool to
help us to rectify the shortcomings or enhance the quality of our graduates as they
exit the university. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how many students
graduated with a first class honors. What is more important is how many of them
can contribute positively to their respective fields that would in the long run propel
the nation’s growth and development. When all is said and done, we must never
forget that a university generates the nation’s workforce and is thus beholden to
cater to the needs of employers who are then, its clients.
114
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117
EMPLOYABILITY, MOBILITY AND
WORK-LIFE BALANCE:
HOW DO THEY RELATE FOR
MBA HOLDERS IN MALAYSIA?*6
Samuel, R.1* and Ramayah, T.2
1Faculty of Business Management, Kampus Bandaraya Melaka,
Universiti Teknologi MARA,

110 off Jalan Hang Tuah, 75350 Melaka, Malaysia
2School of Management, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Minden,
11800 Penang, Malaysia
Abstract
Organisation-managed traditional career is paving the way for what is known as

the new career which is self-managed. It is also known as boundaryless, protean
or post-corporate career. For the former, the ultimate goal of employees was to
climb the proverbial hierarchical ladder up to its highest rung. This then would
spell success, which was measured by upward mobility and high income levels of
the employees. For the latter, however, success encompassed being employed and
remaining employable in the external and internal labour markets. Success in the
new career is measured by employability, multi-directional mobility and work-life
balance. The trend towards achieving success in career is summarised as gaining
employability, making lateral transitions for enrichment and achieving a better and
richer quality of life. This study examined the relationship between employability,
mobility and work-life balance among 152 MBA graduates in Malaysia. A model
that was developed was tested using the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM)
technique using Partial Least Squares (PLS). A positive relationship was found
between employability and mobility and this relationship was stronger when work-
life balance was higher. Hence, organisations should realise the high importance
placed by individuals on work-life balance and would need to draw up policies
and procedures to enhance this balance among the employees, including changing
their inflexible corporate policies to allow for more adaptability and flexibility.
The changes could include flexible work schedules, compressed work-week, job-
sharing and other workplace arrangements.
* Reprint of: Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, Volume 24,No. 1, 2016 : 359-374 UPM Press
119
Keywords: Career, employability, mobility, work-life balance
Introduction
Employee turnover rate in Malaysia increased from 12.3% in 2012 to 13.2% in 2013,
and was seen mostly in the manufacturing (24%), conglomerates (14%) and financial
services (13.3%) industries (Seah, 2013). A survey conducted between June 2010
and July 2011 on executive positions in 143 Malaysian companies across various
sectors found an attrition rate between 9.6% and 75% (Goh, 2013). This trend of
increasing turnover is in contrast with the traditional career which was organisation-
managed and had job security as its hallmark. In the traditional career model, the
ultimate goal of employees was to climb the proverbial hierarchical ladder up to its
highest rung. This then would spell success which was measured by upward mobility
and high income levels of the employees (London & Stumpf, 1982).
Judging on the changes that are currently seen in the world of work, the traditional
career seems to be paving the way for what is known as the new career that is also
known as boundaryless, protean or post-corporate career (Arthur & Rousseau, 1996;
Briscoe & Hall, 2006). Organisations worldwide are restructuring, de-layering and
flattening their structures causing the focus of career to shift to self-managed career
development (Hall, 2002; Sewell, 2005). Unlike traditional careers, for employees,
success in the new career would encompass being employed and remaining
employable in the external and internal labour markets (Bernston et al., 2006).
Career success is equally pertinent for organisations as their accomplishment also
depends on employees’ success (Ng et al., 2005).
Evidences of change are obvious in the financial and construction sectors in

Malaysia (Arshad et al., 2005; Juhary et al., 2004). A study on Multinational
Corporations (MNCs) in Malaysia showed that organisational changes like
downsizing, globalisation and entry of China into the World Trade Organization
(WTO) have put pressure on Malaysian industries. Inevitably, these changes in
the organisations impact on employability, mobility and work-life balance of the
employees. Employability is increasingly used as an indicator of success as multiple-
employer and multiple-profession careers become more common (Boudreau et al.,
2001). Employability is also closely linked with mobility as movements between
employers are linked to being successful. In fact, employability facilitates mobility
and contributes to an individual’s “movement capital” (Trevor, 2001).
120
Mobility can occur in many forms. It can be in the form of renegotiation of
contract by leveraging highly marketable skills (Yamashita & Uenoyama, 2006),
an increase in responsibilities and opportunities for new learning (Weick, 1996),
and intra- organisational, as well as inter-organisational mobility (Valcour &
Tolbert, 2003). When individuals move from one employer to another, it does not
necessarily mean an advance in position, as what individuals might experience
could be an increase in responsibilities, affirmations from peers and opportunities
for new learning (Weick, 1996).
Since the late 1980s, high importance has been placed on autonomy, flexibility
and balance between work and home. The protean career theory introduced by
Hall (1996) highlights the shift away from organisation managed careers to self
or individual career management. The protean career theory focuses on how
employees are more inclined to set their own career agenda up and establish
benchmarks in measuring career success (Wong & Roziah, 2014). This trend
towards achieving success in career is summarised as:
“….achieving a multi-level set of self-development targets; gaining

employability; making lateral t ransi t i ons f or enri c hme nt …; undertaking
self-management and entrepreneurship…; and achieving a better and richer
quality of life…” (Baruch, 2004, p. 76)
Hence, in any discussion on career which includes employability and mobility,

work-life balance cannot be left out as the division between work life and personal
life is increasingly blurring (Eaton & Bailyn, 2000; Goffee & Jones, 2000). In fact,
work- life balance has been highlighted as one of the most important measures
of career success by both men and women in Malaysia (Adida & Zainal, 2007).
However, despite its importance, the relationship between the three variables has
not been empirically studied. In particular, the present study seeks to determine the
relationship between employability and mobility, and explore the impacts of work-
life balance on such relationship. In filling the gap, the present study contributes to
the existing literature on career development and change.
121
Literature Review And Proposed Research Model
Employability began to be studied empirically in the 1990s (van der Heijden,

2002). Employability is defined as the ability to gain and maintain a job in a formal
organisation (Fugate et al., 2004). It is understood as the ability to keep the job
one has and to get the job one deserves (Rothwell & Arnold, 2007; De Cuyper
& De Witte, 2010). It is seen as an alternative to job security, not only useful for
entry into the labour market but to ensure career possibilities within and beyond
the borders of organisations. Employability is accepted as a construct with two
related components. Its measure includes self-valuation and perceived value both
in the current organisation and outside (Rothwell & Arnold, 2007). Employability
concerns with how well the employees expect to be able to deal with a number of
circumstances that may present themselves in the present or the future, whether
positive (e.g., promotions, selection processes) or negative (e.g., redundancy,
downsizing) (Rothwell & Arnold, 2007). Employability is contended to enhance
an individual’s likelihood of gaining employment as it is built upon a number of
attributes which include knowledge and skills, capacity for learning, mastery of
career management and job search and professional knowledge (van der Heijde &
van der Heijden, 2006; Rothwell & Arnold, 2007).
Employability has a person-centred emphasis which places the responsibility

for career management and development on the employees themselves (Hall &
Mirvis, 1995). The onus then is on the employees to take the initiative to update
their current skills and learn new ones to remain employable (Lee et al., 2003).
Increasing job insecurity and changes in employment contract and structure

have also increased movement between jobs among employees. The traditional
career trajectory of internal promotion based on seniority within a firm has been
replaced by ‘a sequence of job opportunities that goes beyond the boundaries of
any single employment setting’ (DeFillippi & Arthur, 1996, p. 116). Boundaryless
careers are characterised by mobility not only across organisations but also across
occupations, industries, geographic locations and employment forms in a non-
linear and unpredictable manner (Arthur et al., 1999). The high turnover and
attrition rates in Malaysia are proof of employees moving across industries in
search for autonomy, challenges and balance. Careers are thus seen as evolving
sequences of work experiences over time (Arthur et al., 1989), which makes every
move from one position to another considered as a career transition (Chudzikowski,
2012). As job security and promotional opportunities within larger organisations
122
decline, individuals may view multiple employer experiences in a positive light
because they support skill development, increase marketability, shift career control
to the employee, and perhaps result in better matching career and family life-cycle
demands (Marler et al., 2002).
A person with a boundaryless mindset is said to “enact a career characterized by

physical and psychological movement” (Sullivan & Arthur, 2006, p. 9). Mobility
will hence be measured based on the attitude employees hold towards initiating
and pursuing work-related relationships across organisational boundaries (Briscoe
et al., 2006).
However, to move from one position to another or from one industry to another,
an employee needs to be employable. Hence, there is a relationship between
employability and mobility because the higher the employability is, the higher the
chances for making intra or inter- organisational movements (Raemdonck et al.,
2012; Rosenberg et al., 2012). Hence, it is hypothesised that:
Hypothesis 1
The higher the perceived employability of an employee, the higher the
perceived mobility.
One of the main reasons given by employees who move from job to job is the
need to look for balance in their lives, a balance between work, personal time
and family time (Goh, 2013). An employee perceives he has a work-life balance
when multiple domains of personal time, family care, and work are maintained
and integrated with a minimum of role conflict (Clark, 2001; Ungerson & Yeandle,
2005).
When an individual has a high level of employability, he/she is able to keep his/her
job and/or get another one he/she desires (Rothwell & Arnold, 2007). However, as
work-life balance is an important concern for most employees, this could explain
why some employees do not move to another job/organisation even if they are
highly employable. In other words, if the current position and organisation offer
the individual the flexibility and balance he/ she desires, he/she will not move to
another position or organisation although he/she is highly employable. Hence, it
can be hypothesised that employees’ disposition to move to another job or position
is very much linked with work-life balance (Direnzo et al., 2015; Hobson, 2011;
Lambert & Kossek, 2005).
123
Hypothesis 2
The positive relationship between employability and mobility will be stronger
when work-life balance is higher.
The proposed framework is shown in Fig.1.
Fig.1: Proposed framework

(Direnzo et al., 2015; Hobson, 2011; Raemdonck et al., 2012; Rosenberg et al., 2012)
Method
Sample
One hundred and fifty two MBA graduates holders, with a minimum of three years
working experience, were identified as the participants. By attaining the MBA
degree, they were assumed to demonstrate some degree of career self management
(King, 2003). The MBA graduates were currently employed in manufacturing or
service companies across Malaysia.
The participants were drawn from companies/organisations that were randomly

selected from the Malaysian Top 1000 Corporate Directory 2004/2005 and
the FMM Directory 2007. The researcher wrote and made phone calls to the
management of the selected companies to enquire about the availability of MBA
holders there. After explaining the purpose of the study and gaining approval,
questionnaires were sent to the HR department. Completed questionnaires were
returned in an addressed envelope attached. The participants were given two weeks
to respond. One hundred and eighty five organisations were selected but only 130
124
organisations participated (70.3%). Some organisations had more than one MBA
holder; hence, the total number of questionnaires received and analyzed was 152.
Table 1 shows the profile of the participants.
TABLE 1 Demographic Profile of the Participants (N=152)
Demographic
Category Frequency Percentage
Variable
Male 77 50.7
Sex
Female 75 49.3
1990 and earlier 8 5.3
1991-1995 7 4.6
Year obtained MBA
1996-2000 47 30.9
2001-2005 90 59.2
Local 94 61.8
Overseas 35 23.0
MBA source
Twinning programme 19 12.5
Others (e.g., Distance Learning) 4 2.6
108 71.1
Marital status Married Single Widowed 42 27.6
2 1.3
Yes 94 61.8
Children No 16 10.5
Not applicable 42 27.6
Manufacturing 84 55.3
Sectors
Service 68 44.7
Description of Strategic decision making 11 7.2
Positions in Current Senior management
Organisation responsibility Responsibility
for work of others and 36 23.7
organizational influence
First line management
Operational 40 26.3
Others 33 21.7
24 15.8
8 5.3
125
Employees’ profile
M SD Min Maximum
(N=152)
Age (in years) 38.5 6.3 29 58
Current job tenure (in
7.4 6.0 1 30
years)
Measures
The measures used in the questionnaire were based on research in the area of
employability, mobility and work-life balance (King, 2003; Briscoe & Hall, 2006;
Rothwell & Arnold, 2007). A seven-point Likert scale was used for all items
ranging from ‘1’ “strongly disagree” to ‘7’ “strongly agree”. ‘Employability’ was
measured using Rothwell and Arnold (2007). Two dimensions were considered.
They were personal attributes (self-valuation) (4 items with reliability of 0.72) and
occupational attributes (perceived value of the occupation) (7 items with reliability
of 0.79).
Meanwhile, mobility was measured us ing Bris coe and H all’ s (2006) Boundaryless
Mindset Scale (8 items with reliability of 0.87). Work-life balance was measured
by 6 items adopted from King’s (2003) instrument (6 items with reliability of
0.75). Table 2 shows an example of the items used and their sources.
Results And Discussion
The response bias analysis or the nonresponse bias check was carried out to
ascertain the representativeness of the responses received from the participants.
For this purpose, an independent t-test was conducted to determine if there was
any significant difference between the means of the responses received within the
time period, with the means of the late responses (Armstrong & Overton, 1977).
Nonetheless, no response bias was noted in the analyses.
To test the model we developed for this research, we used the structural equation
modelling (SEM) technique using partial least squares (PLS) with SmartPLS 2.0
(Ringle et al., 2005) software. SmartPLS is a second-generation analysis software
that can be used to test a complex model with latent variables. We followed the
recommended two-stage analytical procedures by Anderson and Gerbing (1988),
126
where the measurement model was tested first to validate the instruments, followed
by the structural model testing to test the relationships that were hypothesised.
TABLE 2 : Example of Measurement Items and Sources
Construct Item
Employability EMP1 Even if there were downsizing in this organisation,
(Rothwell & I am confident that I would be retained.
Arnold, 2007) EMP2 My personal networks in this organisation help me
in my career.
EMP3 I am aware of the opportunities arising in this
organisation even if they are different to what I do
now.
Mobility MOB1 I like the predictability that comes with working
(Briscoe continuously for the same organisation.
& Hall, 2006) MOB2 I would feel very lost if I could not work for my
current organisation.
MOB3 I prefer to stay in a company I am familiar with
rather than look for employment elsewhere.
Work-Life WLB1 I live where I want rather than where my career
Balance demands.
(King, 2003) WLB2 I save my energy and effort for things outside
work.
WLB3 My work does not have a negative impact on my
quality of life.
Hair et al. (2014) suggested that in addition to evaluating the magnitude of the R2
values as a criterion of predictive accuracy, researchers should also examine Stone-
Geisser ’s (Geisser, 1974; Stone, 1974) Q2 value. This measure is an indicator of
the model’s predictive relevance. According to Hair et al. (2014), “PLS- SEM
exhibits predictive relevance, it can accurately predict the data points of indicators
in reflective measurement models of endogenous construct and endogenous single-
item constructs” (p. 178). The Q2 or predictive relevance analysis was done by
using the blindfolding procedure using a distance value of 6. Blindfolding is a
measure which builds on a sample re-use technique, which omits a part of the data
matrix, estimates the model parameters and predicts the omitted part using the
estimates (Hair et al., 2014).
127
If the Q2 value is larger than 0, we can conclude that the model has sufficient
predictive relevance (Fornell & Cha, 1994). The Q2 was 0.174, which was greater
than 0, thus predictive relevance was confirmed.
TABLE 3 : Measurement Model
Construct Item Loadings AVE CR

Employability EMP1 0.797 0.515 0.921
EMP2 0.749
EMP3 0.600
EMP4 0.675
EMP5 0.744
EMP6 0.624
EMP7 0.772
EMP8 0.756
EMP9 0.727
EMP10 0.779
EMP11 0.640
Mobility MOB1 0.627 0.589 0.876
MOB2 0.707
MOB3 0.837
MOB4 0.802
MOB5 0.841
Work Life Balance WLB3 0.897 0.758 0.904
WLB4 0.837
WLB5 0.876
Note: WLB1 and WLB2 were deleted due to low loading.

AVE = Average Variance Extracted, CR = Composite Reliability
128
TABLE 4 : Discriminant Validity
Construct Employability Mobility Work Life Balance

Employability 0.718
Mobility 0.220 0.767
Work Life Balance 0.255 0.135 0.870
Note: The diagonals represent the square root of the AVE,

while the off-diagonals represent the correlations
TABLE 5 : Loadings and Cross Loadings
Items Employability Mobility Work Life Balance

EMP1 0.797 0.190 0.083
EMP2 0.749 0.243 0.159
EMP3 0.600 0.181 0.209
EMP4 0.675 0.105 0.211
EMP5 0.744 0.060 0.170
EMP6 0.624 0.044 0.218
EMP7 0.772 0.150 0.275
EMP8 0.756 0.066 0.254
EMP9 0.727 0.089 0.259
EMP10 0.779 0.196 0.175
EMP11 0.640 0.084 0.134
MOB1 0.147 0.627 0.152
MOB2 0.141 0.707 -0.015
MOB3 0.193 0.837 0.083
MOB4 0.144 0.802 0.087
MOB5 0.199 0.841 0.154
WLB3 0.198 0.148 0.897
WLB4 0.251 0.080 0.837
WLB5 0.239 0.103 0.876
129
TABLE 6 : Hypothesis Testing
Dependent = Mobility
Main Effect Interaction Effect
Std Beta Std. Beta
Employability 0.198*** 0.212***
Work Life Balance 0.084 0.070
Work Life 0.203*
Balance*Employability
R2 0.055 0.093
R2 Change 0.055 0.038**
***p< 0.01, **p< 0.05, *p< 0.1
Structural Model
Next, we proceeded with the path analysis to test the two hypotheses generated.
The results are presented in Fig.2 and Fig.3 and Table 5. The R2 value was
0.055, suggesting that 5.5% of the variance in mobility could be explained by
employability. There was a positive relationship (β = 0.212, p< 0.01) between
employability and mobility. Thus, H1 was supported.
The second hypothesis (H2) was to test the moderating effect of work life balance.
To test this hypothesis, we used the product-indicator approach as suggested
by Henseler and Fassott (2010). We created the interaction term between the
employability and work life balance and before doing this interaction, we mean
centred the two variables to reduce multicollinearity. When the interaction effect
was entered into the model, the R2 increased to 0.093, giving an R2 change of 3.8%.
The interaction effect was significant (β = 0.203, p< 0.1).
Thus, H2 of this study was also supported. study was also supported. The effect
size f2 as suggested by Cohen (1988) was 0.042, which is considered small. As
suggested by Dawson (2014), we plotted the interaction effect to see how the
moderator changes the relationship between employability and mobility. The
result is shown in Fig.4. The relationship between employability and mobility was
stronger when work life balance was higher, whereas low work-life balance had no
impact on the employability-mobility relationship.
130
Fig.2: Path Coefficients of Employability, Mobility and Work Life Balance
Fig.3: Bootstrapping of Path Coefficients of Employability, Mobility and Work-Life Balance
131
Fig.4: Interaction Plot
Discussion
Employability has emerged as a focus point for those seeking ongoing, worthwhile
employment in the labour market (Forrier & Sels, 2003; Rothwell & Arnold, 2007).
Employability is given much attention due to organisational needs for flexibility in
a changing labour market, by the present job mobility rates (involving change of
employer, and/or occupation) and the growing pool of “free agents” or consultants
(Bonfiglioli et al., 2006). For an individual, employability is an indicator of his/
her opportunity to acquire and keep an attractive job in the labour market (Thijssen
et al., 2008). Hence, employability can lead to the individual moving into other
positions within the organisation or taking up new positions in other firms or
industries. Thus, there is a relationship between employability and inter or intra-
organisational mobility.
It is highlighted in this study that the domestic sphere influences career choices as
individuals give priority to their family life (Sullivan & Mainiero, 2007). Ibarra
(2003) found that individuals declined promotions in order to spend more time
with family and friends. Similarly, Moore (2002) found that employees, who were
132
disappointed with the inflexibility of the corporations and the lack of concern for
work-family balance, integrated their work and non- work lives by starting their
own business. The strong influence of work-life balance on the employability-
mobility relationship was clearly seen in this study.
As mentioned earlier, studies have looked at the relationships between

employability and work-life balance (see Direnzo et al., 2015; Hobson, 2011) and
employability and mobility (Raendonck et al., 2012; Rosenberg et al., 2012). This
study however has studied the relationship between all the three variables, thus
enhancing the understanding of career and contributing to the body of knowledge
in career development. The study also has highlighted the need for an organisation
to realise the high importance placed by individuals on work-life balance. In fact,
employees’ disposition to move to another job or position is very much linked to
work-life balance (Lambert & Kossek, 2005). Organisations can draw up policies
and procedures to enhance this balance among the employees, including changing
their inflexible corporate policies to allow for more adaptability and flexibility.
The changes could include flexible work schedules, compressed work-week, job-
sharing, telecommuting and other similar arrangements.
Limitations Of The Study
As employability will remain a phenomenon in the world of work and career, it will
be useful to conduct more studies in this area. It is interesting to test the relationships
between employability and other components such as personality traits, learning
and career planning competencies, among others. Age could be used as a predictor
variable in future studies. The younger, well-educated employees of Generation
X and Y are claimed to desire employability rather than long-term employment
(Bogdanowicz & Bailey, 2002). However, many mid- to-late career workers seem
to struggle in developing strategies to manage their employability. Future studies
could look at multi-source ratings (e.g., employees and their supervisor) as these
could reflect more differentiated evaluation of employability, mobility and work-
life balance.
133
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138
FEASIBILITY OF EARLY IDENTIFICATION
OF LOW EMPLOYABILITY GRADUATES IN
MALAYSIA*7
Hock-Eam LIM18
Abstract
This paper examines the feasibility of early identification of low employability

graduates using statistical profiling models. The applied statistical profiling model
successfully predicted correctly 88 per cent of the low employability graduates
using in- sample evaluation and 67 per cent correctly using out-of-sample
evaluation. It is suggested that university authorities implement programmes for
the early identification of low employability graduates for their final year students.
It is further recommended that the government consider using statistical profiling
as a tool in the allocation of the limited places in the re-training programmes for
unemployed graduates.
Keywords: Early identification, graduate employability, proportional hazard model, statistical

profiling
JEL classification: J64
Introduction
Graduate unemployment is not new. During the recession of the mid-1980s, there
was an increase in graduate unemployment in Malaysia. With the recovery of
the economy towards the end of the 1980s, graduate unemployment also became
less prevalent. However, graduate unemployment that prevailed during the 1998
* Reprint of: Malaysian Journal of Economic Studies, Volume 45, No. 2, 2008 : 41-55 Faculty of Economics &
Administration, University of Malaya and Malaysian Economic Association
1 College of Arts and Sciences (Economics), Universiti Utara Malaysia, 06010 Sintok, Kedah, Malaysia.
Email: lheam@uum.edu.my
I would like to thank the anonymous referee whose comments have substantially improved this paper. Thanks are
also due to Dr. Thi Lip Sam for his constructive comments. I take responsibility for all remaining errors.
139
currency crisis still persists. It has been reported that the number of unemployed
graduates had increased from 45,000 in 2000 to 85,000 in 2005 (Sim 2006).
According to Lim et al. (2008), “…there is no longer a shortage of graduates in
Malaysia with graduate unemployment a persistent problem since the late 1990s.”
Several studies also discuss the relationship between tertiary education and the job
market (Morshidi et al. 2004a; Morshidi et al. 2004b; Ambigapathy and Aniswal
2005). The Malaysian government has designed several assistance programmes for
unemployed graduates. In 2001, the Graduate Training Scheme (GTS) consisting
of 13 different re-training programmes ranging from English language proficiency
to Information Technology skills was launched to improve the employability of
unemployed graduates. GTS is a boon to the unemployed graduates. However, to
be eligible for this scheme, graduates must have been unemployed for at least six
months. This implies that before they are eligible for GTS, they need to endure the
cost of unemployment for a minimum period of six months.
A precept of quality control is that assistance should be provided before a problem

occurs. It is preferable to re-train low employability graduates before they enter
the labour market and suffer prolonged unemployment. In this context, early
identification of low employability graduates is important as early identification
of such graduates could be a useful tool in allocating the limited places in GTS re-
training programmes. As pointed out by Nativel (2004), the design and deliverance
of an active labour market policy should target individuals who need it the most.
Statistical profiling is suggested as a tool to identify low employability individuals
early. Clearly, there is a need to use statistical profiling models that enable early
identification of low employability graduates. In Malaysia, due to the persistence of
graduate unemployment and its associated costs (financially and psychologically),
early identification of low employability graduates is an imperative.
Surprisingly, early identification has been largely overlooked in the literature of

graduate unemployment in Malaysia. This paper aims to fill the gap by evaluating
the feasibility of applying statistical profiling models for early identification of low
employability graduates using panel data and proportional hazard models that take
into consideration censoring bias. Feasibility of early identification is evaluated
based on the predictive power of the statistical profiling model. The rest of this
paper is organised as follows. A brief review of the literature on Malaysian graduate
unemployment and statistical profiling is presented in the Section 2. Section 3
presents the data and methodology while Section 4 discusses data analysis and the
findings. The final section concludes the paper.
140
Literature Review
Several studies have attempted to identify the determinants of graduate

unemployment in Malaysia. The suggested determinants are English language
proficiency, communication skills, mismatch of degrees with market needs, gender,
ethnicity and academic attainment (Ball and Chik 2001; Lim and Normizan 2004;
Morshidi et al. 2004a; Morshidi et al. 2004b; Hariyati et al. 2006; Lim 2007; Lim
et al. 2008).
Knowing the determinants enhances our understanding of the nature of Malaysian

graduate unemployment. It also facilitates identification of graduates (in groups)
who are at high risk of being long-term unemployed. However, it does not assist
in early identification of low employability graduates individually. For instance,
it has been estimated that the odds of getting employed for Chinese graduates is
4.537 times higher than that of Malay graduates (Morshidi et al. 2004a). Clearly
Malay graduates are known to be in the high risk group of being unemployed.
However, for an individual Malay graduate, we are not able to estimate his risk
(individually) of being unemployed. His employability ranking relative to other
graduates is also unknown.
Empirically, statistical profiling has been applied to certain fields of studies such as
early identification of risk of reconviction (Copas and Marshall 1998) and risk of
sudden infant death syndrome (Carpenter 1983). Since the 1990s, there have been
studies on statistical profiling of those at high risk of being long-term unemployed.
Countries such as United States and Australia, have formally incorporated statistical
profiling as part of their efforts on early identification of the long-term unemployed
while countries such as the United Kingdom and Canada are experimenting with
statistical profiling (OECD 1998).
In the United Kingdom, Payne and Payne (2000) developed a simple statistical
prediction model for early identification of the long-term unemployed using logistic
regression. Using cross-validation (out-of-sample evaluation) to evaluate the
prediction power of the estimated model, they found a large margin of prediction
error. Thus they concluded that early identification might not be feasible. This large
prediction error might have been partly due to the following factors: small sample
size, censoring bias and exclusion of age and ethnicity (which are significant
determinants of one’s employment outcome).
141
In the United States, Black et al. (2003) examined the effectiveness of the Worker
Profiling and Reemployment Services (WPRS) of Kentucky on predicting the
probability of exhausting Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits, that is, the
probability of being long- term unemployed. It was found that the statistical
profiling model effectively reduced the mean value and number of weeks of UI
benefits receipts. Compared to Payne and Payne (2000) who used cross-section
data, Black et al. (2003) used experimental design data (follow-up surveys). Thus,
the type of data used seems to have a significant influence on the prediction power
of a statistical profiling model. Specifically, panel data (follow-up surveys) are
preferable to cross-section data.
Lechner and Smith (2007) compared the efficacy of Swiss caseworkers in allocating
unemployed individuals to various government training programmes. They found
that the statistical profiling model performed better than the Swiss caseworkers in
terms of post- programmes employment rates. In Malaysia, Lim (2005) applied a
statistical prediction model for Universiti Utara Malaysia graduates. His out-of-
sample evaluation showed that the estimated model predicted correctly 75 - 83 per
cent of the low employability graduates. Thus, this estimated statistical profiling
model appears to have an acceptable level of prediction power (since it accurately
predicted about 80 per cent of low employability graduates).
In contrast, Saodah et al. (2006) attempted to profile the characteristics of

low employability graduates in Malaysia. They concluded that it is difficult to
predict low employability graduates accurately. This difficulty might have arisen
due to their use of cross-section data and choice of statistical profiling model
(discriminant analysis) with only four explanatory variables. In short, previous
studies offer conflicting evidence on the effectiveness of the statistical profiling
model. Estimation method and types of data appear to have significant influence on
the prediction power of the statistical profiling model. The studies of Lim (2005)
and Saodah et al. (2006) appear to be the only studies on early identification of
low employability graduates in Malaysia. However, cross-section data was used in
these studies and this might have rendered their findings open to censoring bias.
142
Data and Methodology
Data
The panel data consisted of two surveys. Data collection for the first survey was
undertaken between July 2005 and March 2006. A self-administered questionnaire
was used to increase the response rate. This approach is feasible since the students
are staying in and around the campus. The targeted population was the final year
students from Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), a public university and Universiti
Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), a private university. The first survey successfully
collected a total of 430 responses (304 from UUM and 126 from UTAR). The second
survey was conducted between November 2006 and February 2007, targeting the
430 graduates who had responded during the first survey. A mailed questionnaire
approach was used as the respondents had graduated and were located in various
part of the country. A total of 240 questionnaires was returned.
Due to time and resource constraints, data collection was limited to two universities
and included only a small number of long-term unemployed graduates (defined
as those who had been unemployed for 12 months or more) (Payne and Payne
2000). Moreover in Malaysia, employers are perceived to prefer foreign university
graduates (from English speaking countries such as the United Kingdom) to local
university graduates. Due to data limitation, this perception of employers could
not be tested in this study. In addition, the sample covered only a limited number
of degree programmes, mostly business-related degree programmes offered
by the two local universities. Thus generalisation of this paper is confined only
to the business-related degree programmes of these two universities. However,
this should not limit the contributions of this paper which aims to illustrate the
feasibility of early identification of low employability graduates. The estimation
methods used in this paper can be easily extended to a more representative sample.
Methodology
This study used proportional hazard models (Weibull, Piecewise Constant and
Gompertz) as statistical profiling models because of their ability to accommodate
censoring bias. Expected unemployment duration (estimated from the proportional
hazard models) was used to represent graduate employability. Graduates were
ranked based on their expected unemployment duration. Those ranked at the bottom
143
(that is, graduates with the highest value in expected unemployment duration)
were identified as being in the low employability group. Hence two information
sets were estimated for each graduate: the expected unemployment duration and
employability ranking.
Let T be a non negative

j variable that represents unemployment duration of graduate j with
covariates of x . Then the expected
j unemployment duration which is conditional on the
value of covariates can be expressed as
∞
E (T j | x j ) = ∫ S ( t | x j ) (1)
0
where
S ( t | x j ) = survival function
x j = explanatory variables
S(t|xj) is estimated using the proportional hazard model through maximising the log of the
following likelihood function:
S (t j | x j β ,δ ) dj
L j ( β ,δ ) = h (t j | x j β ,δ ) (2)
S ( t0 j | x j β , δ )
where
δ = the ancillary parameters
d = the indicative variables, d=1 if failed and 0 if censored
h ( t j | x j β , δ ) = the hazard function
The survival and hazard function can be specified as given below:
Weibull model
S (t | x j ) = exp − exp ( β 0 + x j β ) t p
{ } (3)
h(t | x j ) = pt p −1 exp ( β 0 + x j β ) (4)

Piecewise Constant model
S (t | x j ) = exp − exp ( β 0 + D jα + x j β ) t
{ } (5)
h(t | x j ) = exp ( β 0 + D jα + x j β ) (6)
where
D = dummy variables (months)
Gompertz model
144 S (t | x j ) = exp −γ −1 exp ( β 0 + x j β ) ( exp (γ t ) − 1)
{ } (7)
h(t | x j ) = exp (γ t ) exp ( β 0 + x j β ) (8)
Piecewise Constant model
S (t | x j ) = exp − exp ( β 0 + D jα + x j β ) t
{ } (5)
h(t | x j ) = exp ( β 0 + D jα + x j β ) (6)
where
D = dummy variables (months)
Gompertz model
S (t | x j ) = exp −γ −1 exp ( β 0 + x j β ) ( exp (γ t ) − 1)
{ } (7)
h(t | x j ) = exp (γ t ) exp ( β 0 + x j β ) (8)
In this paper, the choice of covariates (independent variables) is limited to those

available in the existing student records. This implies that university authorities can
implement early identification using only their student records. These variables are
types of degree, age, gender, ethnicity, hometown location, academic attainment,
industrial training, family size, parental education level and parental employment
status. These variables are pre-determined (that is, measured at first survey) and
hence endogeneity should not pose a problem to the estimated models.
Construction and Validation Sample
A total of 35 graduates were randomly selected as a validation sample for the

purpose of out-of-sample evaluation (cross-validation). The remaining (205
graduates) made up the construction sample (to estimate the three statistical
profiling models). Among these 35 graduates (validation sample), 5 graduates
(14 per cent) were unemployed; 13 graduates (37 per cent) were in full time
employment commensurate with qualifications; 15 graduates (43 per cent) were
in full time employment, not commensurate with qualifications; 1 graduate (3 per
cent) was self-employed and 1 graduate (3 per cent) was in part-time employment.
Analysis and Results
Descriptive Statistics
Table 1 presents the labour market outcomes and unemployment duration for
the 240 graduates. It is observed that a quarter (25 per cent) of the graduates
were unemployed. About forty per cent of them were in full-time employment
commensurate with their qualifications (FT1) and around thirty per cent were in
full-time employment, not commensurate with their qualifications (FT2). The
remaining were self-employed (SE) and in part-time employment (PT). Relating
to the mean of unemployment duration, graduates in the FT1 category have
the lowest mean (49.5 days) unemployment duration while graduates in the SE
145
category have the highest mean unemployment duration (131.25 days). Those who
were unemployed and in the FT2 and PT categories appear to have almost a similar
mean of unemployment duration.
Table 2 presents the respondents’ characteristics and mean of unemployment

duration. Based on ethnicity, Chinese graduates have the lowest mean unemployment
duration of 38.31 days compared to 67.31 and 53.72 days for Malays and other
ethnic groups respectively. By type of degree, UTAR Information Technology/
Computer Sciences was found to have the lowest mean unemployment duration
of 23.92 days while UUM International Business/Issues Management had the
highest mean of 70.61 days. It is important to note that the duration of all degree
programmes is three years except for the UUM accounting degree which is a 4-year
programme. Some degree programmes might be able to attract more able students
than other degree programmes. Thus these mean differences across various types of
degrees might reflect a self-selection bias. Caution should be taken in interpreting
the effects of types of degree on graduate’s unemployment duration.Referring to
continuous or discrete variables, it can be seen from Table 2, two variables have a
correlation of more than 0.10 with unemployment duration: family size (0.14) and
mother’s education level (0.13). In short, descriptive statistics show that the burden
of unemployment duration varies across different social demographic groups.
Table 1: Labour market outcomes
Labour market outcomes % Mean unemployment duration (days)

Unemployed 25.00 67.75
FT1 40.63 49.50
FT2 28.13 67.25
Self-employed (SE) 1.79 131.25
Part-time employment (PT) 4.46 62.60
Note:
1. FT1 = full-time employment commensurate with qualifications; FT2 = full-time employment
not commensurating with qualifications.
2. Number of respondents = 240.
146
Table 2: Respondents’ characteristics and mean unemployment duration
(a) Categorical variables Proportion Mean

Type of degree
UUM Economics 0.09 55.27
UUM Public Mgt/Devep Mgt 0.05 55.58
UUM Business Admin 0.11 46.60
UUM Accounting 0.08 64.37
UUM Info Technology 0.12 63.45
UUM Other degrees2 0.07 48.30
UUM Human Resource/Soc Work 0.06 27.36
UUM Int Business/Issues Mgt 0.05 70.61
UUM Finance 0.07 63.06
UTAR Business Admin 0.08 43.44
UUM Communication 0.04 54.46
UTAR Accounting 0.08 36.47
UTAR Info Tech/Computer Sc 0.05 23.92
UTAR Other degrees3 0.04 37.82
Other variables
Father is eco-inactive:
Yes 0.10 41.95
No 0.90 49.06
Mother is eco-inactive:
Yes 0.58 47.41
No 0.42 44.73
English as main communication
language:
Yes 0.07 69.63
No 0.93 47.98
Industrial training:
Yes 0.46 47.13
No 0.54 50.92
Gender:
Male 0.28 48.57
Female 0.72 49.78
147
(a) Categorical variables Proportion Mean
Ethnic group:
Chinese 0.58 38.31
Malay 0.34 67.31
Others 0.08 53.72
Hometown:
Rural 0.58 48.71
Big cities or state capital 0.42 50.45
Correlation with
(b) Continuous/discrete variables Sample mean
unemployment duration
Father’s education level 4.33 0.08
Mother’s education level 3.97 0.13
Family size 6.32 0.14
Academic attainment 3.08 -0.08
Age (in years) 23.33 0.05
Notes:
1. Please refer to Appendix 1 for definition and measurement of the variables.
2. UUM Other degrees: Bachelor of Tourism, Education, Technology Management and
Decision Sciences.
3. UTAR Other degrees: Bachelor of Chinese Studies, Journalism and Public Relations.
4. Number of respondents = 240.
Table 3: Estimated proportional hazard models
Weibull Piecewise Gompertz

(a) Estimated models
Coefficient Coefficient Coefficient
Type of degree
UUM Economics -0.4023 (0.5624) 0.6542 (0.3661) -0.4206 (0.5242)
UUM Public/Devep Mgt -0.8968 (0.6722) 0.3857 (0.2580) -0.8566 (0.6277)
UUM Buss Admin -0.5223 (0.5557) 0.5582 (0.3135) -0.5039 (0.5135)
UUM Accounting -1.6068 (0.7068)** 0.2050 (0.1466)** -1.5778 (0.6624)**
UUM Info Tech -1.8136 (0.6655)*** 0.1599 (0.1055)*** -1.7780 (0.6249)***
UUM Other degrees -1.1300 (0.6647)* 0.3089 (0.2062)* -1.0748 (0.6223)*
UUM Human Res/SocWork 0.2994 (0.6788) 1.3204 (0.9026) 0.1368 (0.6081)
148
UUM Int Buss/Issues Mgt -1.0066 (0.6058)* 0.3684 (0.2207)* -1.0004 (0.5663)*
UUM Finance -1.5726 (0.7479)** 0.2012 (0.1514)** -1.5041 (0.7001)**
UUM Communication -0.2763 (0.6344) 0.7121 (0.4498) -0.2976 (0.5793)
UTAR Buss Admin -0.5263 (0.5205) 0.5697 (0.2969) -0.4574 (0.4771)
UTAR Info Tech/CompSc -1.6867 (0.9682)* 0.2106 (0.2168) -1.7511 (1.0111)*
UTAR Other degrees -0.5078 (0.5780) 0.5549 (0.3267) -0.4484 (0.5310)
Socio-demographics
Age 0.1856 (0.0495)*** 1.1957 (0.0597)*** 0.1854 (0.0467)***
Male 0.0030 (0.2657) 0.9996 (0.2672) 0.0162 (0.2489)
Chinese 1.2071 (0.4110)*** 3.2714 (1.3524)*** 1.1398 (0.3852)***
Other ethnic group 0.3192 (0.5377) 1.3774 (0.7506) 0.3155 (0.5133)
Rural 0.0336 (0.2390) 1.0446 (0.2518) 0.0018 (0.2173)
Academic attainment 0.0767 (0.3736) 1.0826 (0.4111) 0.1129 (0.3557)
Industrial training 0.3806 (0.3210) 1.4299 (0.4575) 0.3768 (0.3052)
Family background
Family size -0.1895 (0.0734)*** 0.8301 (0.0621)** -0.1792 (0.0692)**
Father’s education level 0.0463 (0.0788) 1.0531 (0.0846) 0.0379 (0.0734)
Mother’s education level -0.0144 (0.0781) 0.9728 (0.0788) -0.0022 (0.0730)
Father eco inactive -0.1371 (0.3935) 0.8890 (0.3503) -0.1444 (0.3690)
Mother eco inactive 0.7342 (0.2771)*** 2.0337 (0.5714)** 0.7128 (0.2611)**
Constant -9.8444 (1.7495)*** - -8.9610 (1.6012)***
Dummy variables (months)

Month 2 - 1.8547 (0.4826)** -
Month 3 - 2.2791 (0.7242)** -
Month 4 - 1.9872 (0.8987)*** -
Month 5 - 1.5511 (0.8984) -
Month 6 - 2.2816 (1.1654) -
Month 7 - 2.1125 (1.5875) -
Month 8 - 1.6739 (1.8194) -
Month 9 - 3.9336 (4.7575) -
Month 10 - 0.0000 (0.0000)*** -
Month 11 - 0.0000 (0.0000)*** -
Month 12 - 0.0000 (0.0000)*** -
Month 13 and above - 16.2606 (13.5479)*** -

149
Ancillary parameters
P 1.2709 (0.1052)*** - -
Gamma - - 0.0035 (0.0019)*

(b) Goodness-of-fit tests:
(P-value) (P-value) (P-value)
1. Overall fit test 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000
2. Link test (General
0.8540 0.2400 0.7990
specification test)
3. Martingale residual plots
No evidencea No evidencea No evidencea
(functional form test)
Notes:
*, **, and ***, represent significance at 10, 5 and 1 per cent respectively. Please refer to
Appendix 1 for explanation and measurement of variables.
Reference group for dummy variable is: (a) Type of degree: UTAR Bachelor of Accounting;
(b) Ethnicity: Malay; (c) Months: Month 1.
Figures in perentheses are standard errors
a. There is no evidence of inappropriate functional form.
Estimated Proportional Hazard Models
Table 3 presents the estimated models (Weibull, Piecewise Constant and Gompertz)
and also the results of goodness-of-fit tests. The overall fit test is found to be
significant with a p-value of almost zero (Table 3). The link test shows that there
is no evidence of general specification error while Martingale residual plots reveal
no evidence of insufficient linear functional form of the covariates in the estimated
models. Thus, statistically, these estimated models appear to have an acceptable
goodness-of-fit level.
The study findings reveal that the significant determinants of graduate unemployment
duration are type of degree, age, ethnicity and family background variables. In
particular, compared to Malay graduates, Chinese graduates are found to have a
significantly higher probability of leaving unemployment. This is consistent with
the finding from descriptive statistics whereby Chinese graduates are found to
150
have a substantially lower mean of unemployment duration than Malay graduates
19
(see Table 2).
UUM Human Resource/Social Work and UTAR Information Technology/Computer

Sciences degree programmes (found to have the lowest mean of unemployment
duration in descriptive statistics (Table 2)), do not have significantly higher
probability of leaving unemployment. This might be due to the influence of other
variables (such as ethnicity that might correlate with types of university and degree
programmes) which are controlled in econometric models but not in descriptive
statistics. This highlights the importance of controlling the influences of other
variables in evaluating the effects of type of degree programmes.
Estimation results (Table 3) are typical for a study on determinants of graduate

unemployment duration. To enable early identification, these estimated models
were used as statistical profiling models to estimate the expected unemployment
duration (that is conditional on the value of covariates). The feasibility of this early
identification of low employability graduates will be determined by the predictive
power of these statistical profiling models.
Early Identification of Low Employability Graduates
Expected unemployment duration (conditional on the value of covariates) is

estimated for each graduate in the constructed sample. Based on this expected
unemployment duration, graduates are ranked with graduates at the bottom being
identified as low employability graduates. If actual employment status of these
graduates is that of unemployment, they are correctly predicted. A high percentage
of graduates correctly predicted shows high feasibility of this early identification.
For comparison purpose, the sample percentage of unemployed (29 per cent) in
the constructed sample was used (the comparison model is the Naïve prediction
model that uses the sample percentage of unemployed for early identification of
low employability graduates).
1 As pointed out by a referee, graduate labour markets in Malaysia might be segregated by ethnicity: bumiputera
(mostly Malay) and non bumiputera (mostly Chinese). This suggests that ethnicity is an important predictor in
early identification of low employability graduates.
151
Table 4 presents the percentages correctly predicted using Weibull, Piecewise
Constant, Gompertz and Naïve models. Assuming that graduates who are at the
bottom 5 per cent are identified as low employability graduates (8 graduates),
the Weibull model correctly predicted 88 per cent of these 8 graduates (that is, 7
graduates identified as low employability graduates were actually unemployed).
The percentage correctly predicted was 100 per cent for both the Piecewise
Constant and Gompertz models. These results are impressive compared to only 29
per cent for the Naïve model. For the bottom 10 per cent (16 graduates) and 15 per
cent (24 graduates), the percentages correctly predicted for the three hazard models
were also substantially higher than that for the Naïve model. For example Weibull
and Gompertz correctly predicted 75 per cent of low employability graduates. The
above correct predictions of low employability are for the in-sample evaluation.
There is the potential for bias as the evaluations tend to over-fit. This in-sample
evaluation is also less inappropriate because practically early identification of low
employability is an extrapolation from the estimated model, instead of being an
interpolation. Thus, percentages correctly predicted based on an out-of-sample
evaluation (cross-validation) is also presented using the validation sample (consists
of 35 graduates).
Table 4: Percentage correctly predicted (in-sample evaluation)
Bottom 5%: Bottom 10%: Bottom 15%:

8 graduates 16 graduates 24 graduates
Weibull 88% (7) 81% (13) 75% (18)
Piecewise 100% (8) 88% (14) 63% (15)
Gompertz 100% (8) 81% (13) 75% (18)
Naïve (% unemployed) 29% (2) 29% (5) 29% (7)
Note: Figures in parentheses are the number of graduates correctly predicted.
152
Table 5: Percentage correctly predicted (out-of-sample evaluation)

2 persons 3 persons 5 persons
Weibull 50% (1) 67% (2) 60% (3)
Piecewise 50% (1) 67% (2) 40% (2)
Gompertz 50% (1) 67% (2) 60% (3)
Note: Figures in parentheses are the number of persons correctly predicted.
Using the estimated proportional hazard models, expected unemployment

duration of these 35 graduates was estimated. Due to missing values in covariates,
3 graduates (id=130, 184 and 339) were dropped. Among the remaining 32
graduates, 5 graduates (16 per cent) were unemployed. Application of the Naïve
model found the percentage correctly predicted to be 16 per cent. Appendix 2
presents the early identification of each graduate in the validation sample. Table 5
presents the percentage correctly predicted based on the out-of-sample evaluation.
Using the Weibull model, the expected unemployment duration ranged from 29 to
849 days (Appendix 2). Assuming that those at the bottom 5 per cent are identified
as low employability graduates, the Weibull model was used to identify graduates
with id 257 and 60. Their expected unemployment duration was 637 and 849 days
respectively. Graduate with id 257 was actually unemployed. Thus the percentage
correctly predicted was 50 per cent. The Piecewise Constant and Gompertz models
also predicted correctly similar percentages (50 per cent).
For the bottom 10 per cent, the percentage correctly predicted was 67 per cent
for all three proportional hazard models. For the bottom 15 per cent, Weibull
and Gompertz models predicted 60 per cent correctly whereas the Piecewise
Constant model was only able to predict 40 per cent correctly. This indicates that
the Weibull and Gompertz models outperformed the Piecewise Constant model.
Overall, the percentages correctly predicted by the proportional hazard models
were substantially higher than that of the Naïve model (16 per cent). To ascertain
whether the inclusion of additional covariates will increase the predictive power
of these estimated models, language proficiency (English, Malay, Chinese and
Tamil), use of English as the main language of communication, overall happiness
in life, university life, health condition, university holiday working experience and
number of working members in family, were added to the models.
153
As these additional covariates were not available in the existing student records,
the information was collected by distributing a questionnaire to the students. The
percentage correctly predicted is presented in Appendix 3. Results reveal that
although the additional covariates improved slightly, the percentage correctly
predicted for the in-sample evaluation, the percentage dropped for the out-of-
sample evaluation. Thus no substantial improvement was found. This finding
suggests that the use of covariates available in the existing student records is
sufficient for implementing the early identification of low employability graduates.
Conclusion
Using proportional hazard models of Weibull, Piecewise Constant and Gompertz, this
paper illustrates that the implementation of early identification of low employability
graduates is feasible. Percentages correctly predicted from these proportional
hazard models are substantially higher than that for the Naïve model that uses
sample proportion. Specifically for the bottom 10 per cent of low employability
graduates, the percentages correctly predicted were 88 per cent (in-sample) and 67
per cent (out-of-sample) for the proportional hazard model compared to 29 per cent
(in-sample) and 16 per cent (out-of-sample) for the Naïve model. It is also found
that the use of additional covariates (that are not available in the student records
and need to be collected) does not improve substantially the percentage correctly
predicted. This suggests that early identification can be implemented by university
authorities using information that is available from their existing student records.
Thus early identification of low employability graduates is feasible.
It is suggested that for ease of implementation, estimation of expected

unemployment duration be automated by the use of a specially written computer
program. As such, students’ expected unemployment duration could be estimated
and ranked using information technology. Final year students who are identified
as having low employability, that is, the bottom 5 per cent, will be alerted and
informed of their estimated unemployment duration and ranking (for instance
through email) as confidential information. This is similar to the results of the
GRE (Graduate Record Examination) test. GRE reports the candidates’ scores and
also their relative ranking among all candidates. In this context, early identification
will serve as a warning to the students that there is a need for them to improve
(on) their employability. It also helps them to have a realistic expectation of their
employability status.
154
It is suggested that government authorities consider using statistical profiling
as a complementary tool in allocating the limited places for their re-training
programmes such as the Graduates Training Schemes (GTS). In a similar vein,
early identification of those in high risk of being long-term unemployed can be
implemented using different sets of covariates that are available from the existing
database of the GTS participants (or other government re-training programmes).
Further studies are suggested to explore the feasibility of statistical profiling of low
employability graduates.
Further studies are also proposed to include long-term unemployed graduates, types
of universities (especially foreign universities) and types of degree programmes.
Control of self-selection bias (for instance, some degree programmes such as
Accounting might attract more ‘able’ students than other degree programmes)
is also an important area for future studies. Finally, it is important to note that
statistical prediction models need to be re-estimated and revised continuously
to reflect the rapid changes that occur in graduate labour markets. This requires
continuous efforts and resources. Hence, further development of the statistical
profiling model for early identification of low employability largely rests on the
shoulders of government authorities such as the Ministry of Higher Education.
It is hoped that this study serves as the first step in exploring the feasibility of
early identification of low employability graduates. It is hoped that this paper
will open the discussion on early identification of low employability graduates
using statistical models and shed more light in the literature concerning graduate
unemployment in Malaysia.
155
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157
Appendix 1: Definition and measurement of variables
Variable
Definition Measurement
abbreviation
Type of degree
UUM Economics Dummy variable for UUM Bachelor 1 if UBec and 0

of Economics (UBec) with comparison otherwise
group of UTAR Bachelor of Accounting
UUM Public/ Dummy variable for UUM Bachelor of 1 if UBPM/

Devep Mgt Public Mgt (UBPM) and Devep Mgt UBDM
(UBDM) with comparison group of and 0 otherwise
UTAR Bachelor of Accounting
UUM Buss Admin Dummy variable for UUM Bachelor 1 if UBBA and
of Business Admin (UBBA) with 0 otherwise
comparison group of UTAR Bachelor
of Accounting
UUM Accounting Dummy variable for UUM Bachelor of 1 if UBACC

Accounting (UBACC) with comparison and 0 otherwise
UUM Info Tech Dummy variable for UUM Bachelor 1 if UBIT and
of Info Tech (UBIT) with comparison 0 otherwise
UUM Other Dummy variable for UUM Others 1 if TOU/EDU/

degrees degree (Tourism(TOU)/ TECH/ DECS and
Education(EDU)/ Technology 0 otherwise
Mgt(TECH)/Decision Sciences
(DECS)) with comparison group of
UUM Human Dummy variable for UUM Bachelor of 1 if UBHR/

Res/SocWork Human Res Mgt (UBHR) or Soc Work UBSW
Mgt (UBSW) with comparison group and 0 otherwise
of UTAR Bachelor of Accounting
158
UUM Int Buss/ Dummy variable for UUM Bachelor of 1 if UBIBM/
Issues Mgt International Business (UBIBM) UBISM
or Issues Mgt (UBISM) with and 0 otherwise
of Accounting
UUM Finance Dummy variable for UUM Bachelor 1 if UBBank/

of Banking (UBBank) or Finance UBFin and 0
(UBFin) with comparison group of otherwise
UUM Dummy variable for UUM Bachelor 1 if UComm and

Communication of Communication (UComm) with 0 otherwise
of Accounting
UTAR Buss Dummy variable for UTAR Bachelor of 1 if TBBA

Admin Business Admin (TBBA) with and 0 otherwise
of Accounting
UTAR Info Dummy variable for UTAR Bachelor of 1 if TBIS/TBISE

Tech/CompSc Info Sys (TBIS) or Info Sys Eng TBCS and 0
(TBISE) or Comp Sc (TBCS) with otherwise
of Accounting
UTAR Other Dummy variable for UTAR Bachelor of 1 if TBChS/TBJ/

degrees Chinese Stud(TBChS) or Journalism TBPR
(TBJ) or Pub Relations (TBPR) with and 0 otherwise
of Accounting
159
Socio-demographics
Age Age In non negative
discrete numbers
(years)
Male Dummy variable for male 1 if male and 0 if
female
Chinese Dummy variable for ethnic group of 1 if Chinese and 0
Chinese with comparison group if otherwise
being Malay
Other ethnic group Dummy variable for ethnic group of 1 if OthEthn and
Indian or others (OthEthn)with 0 if otherwise
comparison
group being Malay
Rural Dummy variable for home town of other 1 if cityO and 0
1 if cityO and 0 if otherwise
than big cities or state capital (cityO)
Academic Cummulative Grade Point Average Continuous scale:
attainment from 2 to 4
Industrial training Dummy variable for having practicum 1 if yes and 0 if no
/industrial training
Family background
Family size Family size In non negative
discrete number
Father’s education Father’s education level from 1 being 1=no formal
level no formal schooling to 7 A level & above schooling;
2=do not complete
primary;
3=complete
primary;
4=do not complete
secondary;
5=complete
secondary;6=O
level or
equivalent; 7=A
level &
above
160
Family background
Mother’s education Mother’s education level from 1 being 1=no formal
level no formal schooling to 7 A level & above schooling;
2=do not
complete primary;
3=complete
primary; 4=do not
complete
secondary;
5=complete
secondary;6=O
level or equivalent;
7=A level & above
Father eco- inactive Dummy variable father’s employment 1 if eco inactive
and 0 otherwise
Mother eco- inactive Dummy variable mother’s employment 1 if eco inactive
status of eco inactive and 0 otherwise
status of eco inactive
Dummy variables: Month
Month Dummy variables for each month of
1 – 13 & above unemployed (comparison group: month
1)
161
Appendix 2: Validation sample

id Emp1 Une2 Rank id Emp1 Une2 Rank id Emp1 Une2 Rank
353 2 29 1 393 1 20 1 393 1 20 1
393 1 31 2 353 2 21 2 353 2 20 2
407 2 38 3 177 1 27 3 407 2 28 3
242 2 40 4 321 1 34 4 226 2 31 4
226 2 41 5 226 2 38 5 242 2 31 5
177 1 42 6 466 1 46 6 177 1 31 6
243 2 42 7 294 3 49 7 243 2 31 7
345 1 45 8 407 2 53 8 345 1 34 8
294 3 52 9 242 2 56 9 294 3 39 9
321 1 54 10 55 1 58 10 321 1 41 10
466 1 58 11 243 2 62 11 466 1 47 11
55 1 65 12 345 1 62 12 55 1 50 12
160 2 82 13 160 2 72 13 160 2 63 13
11 2 84 14 459 1 72 14 11 2 68 14
459 1 87 15 11 2 77 15 459 1 71 15
313 0 89 16 219 2 114 16 313 0 72 16
366 2 111 17 102 1 139 17 366 2 99 17
102 1 133 18 313 0 152 18 102 1 107 18
360 1 137 19 455 1 178 19 219 2 117 19
219 2 138 20 366 2 179 20 360 1 122 20
454 1 142 21 119 4 184 21 454 1 122 21
119 4 171 22 175 2 191 22 119 4 136 22
175 2 172 23 101 0 210 23 175 2 146 23
455 1 193 24 9 2 212 24 455 1 154 24
16 0 193 25 360 1 238 25 16 0 158 25
9 2 217 26 454 1 264 26 73 1 173 26
73 1 218 27 16 0 411 27 9 2 176 27
101 0 220 28 73 1 498 28 101 0 177 28
209 2 377 29 209 2 514 29 209 2 277 29
207 0 491 30 207 0 692 30 207 0 337 30
257 0 637 31 257 0 1172 31 257 0 419 31
60 2 849 32 60 2 2491 32 60 2 511 32
Notes:
1. Emp = actual employment status where 0: unemployed; 1: full-time employment that
commensurates with qualification; 2: full-time employment that does not commensurate
with qualification; 3: self- employment; 4: part-time employment.
2. Une = estimated expected unemployment duration
Bottom 5 per cent: 2 graduates. (for instance, Weibull: id=257 and 60)
Bottom 10 per cent: 3 graduates. (for instance, Weibull: id=207, 257 and 60)
Bottom 15 per cent: 5 graduates. (for instance, Weibull: id=101, 207, 257 and 60)
162
Appendix 3: Percentage correctly predicted using more covariates
Percentage correctly predicted (in-sample evaluation)

Weibull 100% (8) 75% (12) 79% (19)
Piecewise 100% (8) 88% (14) 79% (19)
Gompertz 100% (8) 75% (12) 79% (19)
Percentage correctly predicted (out-of-sample evaluation)

Weibull 50% (1) 33% (1) 40% (2)
Piecewise 50% (1) 33% (1) 40% (2)
Gompertz 50% (1) 33% (1) 40% (2)
163
IMPORTANCE OF SOFT SKILLS FOR GRADUATES IN
THE REAL ESTATE PROGRAMMES IN MALAYSIA*10
Yasmin Mohd Adnan, Md Nasir Daud, Anuar Alias
Faculty of Built Environment
University of Malaya
Muhammad Najib Razali

Faculty of Engineering and Geo Information
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Abstract
The current employment market in Malaysia requires the graduates to be more

workplace competent, hence requiring the necessary soft skills. This paper attempts
to highlight the key soft skills that have been identi fied by the Ministry of Higher
Education (MOHE), Malaysia in its move to enhance graduates’ employability.
To incorporate these soft skills in the undergraduate programmes at universities,
MOHE has suggested the following implementation methods to enhance these soft
skills for the undergraduate programmes at universities. They are development
of soft skills by embedding it in the existing syllabus, the development of soft
skills through stand-alone subject, development of soft skills based on campus
life, development of soft skills on support programmes, soft skill finishing schools,
development of soft skills base on formal and informal activities at faculty levels,
and lastly industrial training. Views from the industry are sought to provide an
indication of the importance of the identified key soft skills in the real estate area
so as to make the necessary emphasis on the curriculum development.
Keywords: Undergraduates, employability, soft skills, real estate
* Reprint of: Journal of Surveying, Construction and Property, Volume 3, No. 2, Sp. Issue, 2012 : 1-13 Faculty of
Built Environment, University of Malaya
165
Introduction
The real estate profession professional standards in Malaysia are maintained

through a combination of appropriate university education, applied experience,
standards for admission to professional bodies and continuing professional
education. The role that universities offering the undergraduate programmes play
is to provide and equip graduates with the necessary skills for them to commence
their first professional position in the real estate industry. Institutions such as the
Board of Valuers, Appraiser and Estate Agents, Malaysia (‘BOVAEA”), Royal
Institution of Surveyors Malaysia (“RISM”) and Royal Institution of Chartered
Surveyors (“RICS”) in Malaysia seek to monitor and maintain the quality of
university programs through articulating appropriate professional practices and
university course evaluation and accreditation.
Although these standards are continuously monitored and examined, there have
been concerns on the acquisition and delivery of the knowledge with the current
challenges of having to ensure that the graduates are employable. The concerns
on the employability within the current job market are linked with the changing
landscape in the economic and technological activities. An earlier work by the
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), 2001
has identified the changes that is required by the increasing globalisation of
economic activities demanding for new or additional types of competencies among
individuals. These competencies are termed as ‘workplace competencies’ and it
was argued that they are complementary to the academic and technical skills that
have traditionally been the focus of education and training policy (Adnan and Aini,
2006). It is also observed that ICT has also led to the convergence and integration
of technologies in production systems requiring higher level technical skills and
multiskilling Taylor, 2006).
The rapid changes in the industrial structure among the OECD countries, with
consequent rapid shifts in the demand for different types and levels of skills,
has increased incentives for individuals to acquire adaptable and ‘transferable’
workforce skills (Kim, 2002). Another study by Archer and Davison in 2008 found
that regardless of the size of the company, ‘soft skills’ (eg communication skills
and team-working) were perceived to have more weight than technical or ‘hard
skills’ (eg a good degree qualification, IT skills). Indeed, Glass et al (2008) found
that only a minority of employers in their case studies recruit individuals from
universities specifically for the technical skills that they hope graduates will bring
166
to the organisation. Rather, most employers see a degree as a proxy for achieving
a certain level of competence that represents the minimum standard they are
seeking in a new recruit. Recently, OECD’s Skills Strategy project (Organisation
for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2011) has looked into the evidence
of the particular skills and competencies, beyond literacy and numeracy, which
can help workers obtain better labour market outcomes and cope with the fluidity
of labour markets. In addressing the concerns of the employers for the lack of
soft skills among graduates of higher institutions of learning, the Ministry of
Higher Education, Malaysia (MOHE) has identified seven (7) key skills to be
incorporated in the curriculum design of undergraduate programmes at public
universities in Malaysia. As the real estate programmes are not excluded in the
implementation exercise, it would be useful to gather insights of the importance
of the identified skills from the stakeholders. Thus, it is the aim of this paper to
address the implementation aspect for the improvement of the identified soft skills
by identifying the relative importance of these skills among the stakeholders
namely employers of real estate graduates in Malaysia.
Employability within the current job market
In identifying and developing the skills that are required by the competitive job
market, it would be useful to define employability. Employability has been defined
as a set of skills, knowledge and personal attributes that make an individual more
likely to secure and be successful in their chosen occupation to the benefits of
themselves, the workforce, the community and the economy (Moreland, 2006).
Employability skills defined in DEST 2002 as ‘skills required not only to gain
employment, but also to progress within an enterprise so as to achieve one’s
potential and contribute successfully to enterprise strategic directions.’ Ranjit
(2009) quoted Brown, Hesketh and Williams (2004) work which had defined
employability as “The relative chances of finding and maintaining different kinds
of employment”. Thus it can be observed that the definition of employability skills
relates to the skills that are not job specific, but are skills which cut horizontally
across all industries and vertically across all jobs from entry level to chief executive
officer. Non-technical skills are commonly referred to as employability skills and
include basic skills such as oral communication, as well as higher order skills
such as decision making and affective skills, problem solving, learning skills
and strategies, and traits such as interpersonal skills (cooperation, team work),
167
dependability and responsibility, self-discipline and self- management a positive
attitude, and ability to work without supervision (Cotton, 2001). Cotton (2001)
also found that employers value generic employability skills over specific technical
skills express deep concerns regarding this deficiency of graduates lacking the
required employability skills.
Scenario of Graduate Employability

- Locally and Abroad
Unemployment among graduates in Malaysia has been reported in the local
newspapers highlighting the following factors that have brought about the
situation (News Strait Times, 2003; Mingguan Malaysia, 2005; News Strait Times,
2005). These factors include graduates’ refusal to accept jobs not in line with their
qualifications, preference for jobs in the public sector, unwillingness to be self-
reliant and poor command of English. It had stated that most employees require
workers to possess qualities such as good attitude, strong work ethics, and the
ability to communicate well, a willingness to learn and to contribute new ideas.
It has been acknowledged by the general consensus of Malaysian employers that
Malaysian graduates lack the ‘soft skills’ although are well trained in their areas of
specialisation. (Nurita, Shaharudin, Ainon, 2004).
According to a report on Employability of Malaysian Graduates presented to the

Malaysian Economic Action Council in April 2003, the reasons why less local
graduates are employed are because they have less exposure, and are not aggressive
or dynamic. They tend to be less vocal and open-minded. In United Kingdom,
Higher Education Programmes in UK such as Enterprise in Higher Education
and Higher Education for Capability Initiatives which involved 60 universities in
1990s emphasised indirect preparation for work through development of personal
transferable skills in the mainstream academic curriculum and the Dearing Report
supports these initiatives to increase employability (Universities UK and the
HECSU, 2002). As observed by Pillai (2009), the grouses from industry about
graduates not being ready for the workplace are not unique to Malaysia (e.g. Hii,
2007; Report of the Industry Dialogue, 2008; Sirat, et al, 2008; ―Subra: Graduates
Lack Dynamism and Edge, 2009), but is in fact a global phenomenon (see Teichler,
1998; West et.al., 2000).
168
Skills Required by Graduates
In identifying the skills that are required of the graduates, it would be useful to
differentiate the hard and the soft skills expected of them. By an earlier definition,
hard skills refer to the skills that are associated with technical aspects of performing
a job and usually include the acquisition of knowledge (Page & Kolb, 1993). It is
cognitive in nature and is also associated with cognitive skills (Birkett, 1993).
On the other hand, soft skills refer to those skills that place emphasis on personal
behaviour and managing relationships between people as well as interpersonal,
human, people or behavioural skills.. It is primarily affective or behavioural in
nature and associated to EQ (Kemper, 1999; Mc Murchie, 1998). Soft skills are
also defined as the “interpersonal, human, people or behavioural skills needed to
apply technical skills and knowledge in the workplace” (Weber et al. 2009:356).
Furthermore, Weber et al. (2009:359) describe entry-level managers or recruits as
possessing soft skills when they demonstrate “the ability … to communicate with
others and to understand others on an emotional level”.
Ranjit and Wahab, 2008 surveyed 234 human resource managers and 102 hiring
managers from about 100 companies and found that the top ten soft skills sought
by Malaysian employers are integrity, willingness to learn, communication skills,
initiative, achievement orientation, teamwork skills, interpersonal skills, flexibility,
high self-esteem and critical thinking skills (Ranjit & Wahab, 2008)
The generic soft skills required by graduates in other countries such as UK

which have been summarized by the report entitled ‘Enhancing employability,
recognising diversity - making links between higher education and the world of
work, Universities UK and the HECSU in 2002’ highlights the following core
attributes comprising willingness to learn and continue learning, interpersonal
skills, personal attributes - intellect, problem solving, analytic, critical and
reflective ability, communication skills, team building, flexibility, adaptability and
risk- taking.
In Malaysia, the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) has identified seven soft
skills that should be possessed by all graduates as indicated in the Module for
the Development of Soft Skills for Higher Learning Institution Malaysia, 2006
which include the following skills : critical thinking and problem solving skills;
communication skills; lifelong learning and information literacy; team-working
skills; professional ethics and morality; entrepreneurship skills; and leadership
skills.
169
Educational institutions worldwide, including the United Kingdom, Canada, USA,
Australia, New Zealand, Germany and Singapore are currently placing greater
emphasis on enhancing graduate employability by buttressing their soft skills and
adopting a more employability-oriented approach to the curriculum. (Yim-Teo,
2004). In a 2008 survey, almost all UK universities agreed or agreed strongly that
it is important for all graduates to possess employability skills (CBI, 2009).
In facing the challenges of the competitive job market, additional soft skills are
required by university graduates. The traditional key areas of knowledge and
skills of a specific study area are no longer empha sized as observed by the studies
mentioned earlier.
Initiatives for the Improvements of Soft Skills

at Higher Learning Institutions in Malaysia
The primary purpose of higher education is to prepare students for the world of
work (Lord Dearing, 1997). There has got to be a process of transformation in
the learning and teaching process for graduates to face the major challenges by
the university graduates Universities now have got to acknowledge that the soft
skills of an individual student have to be developed in the process. Developed
frameworks have been developed by many countries, such as the USA (e.g. ABET)
and Australia (e.g. Engineers Australia). In particular, the field of engineering has
provided guidelines to clearly define, monitor and articulate graduate attributes
in their curricula. A study by Commonwealth of Australia in 2007 for instance,
has shown that Australian universities have had about a decade of experience
working with the concept of graduate attributes providing a framework of generic
competencies for university graduates.
Many universities have addressed the importance of employability skills of their

graduates by creating graduates attributes. In the case of the field of engineering,
professional bodies such as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
(ABET) and Engineers Australia (EA) have underlined and placed increasingly
emphasis on the development of graduate attributes in tertiary engineering students
(ABET, 2008; Jolly, 2001; Engineers Australia, 2008). In Malaysia, the following
implementation methods have been suggested by MOHE to enhance these soft
skills for the undergraduate programmes at universities. They are development
of soft skills by embedding it in the existing syllabus, the development of soft
170
skills through stand-alone subject, development of soft skills based on campus
life,development of soft skills on support programmes, soft skill finishing schools ,
development of soft skills based on formal and informal activities at faculty levels,
and lastly industrial training. This can be summarised as in Figure 1:
Development of soft skills among

students of Higher Institutions
2 3
Academic
Program
Add Your University
Add Your
focused
Sokongan
Text here Kolej Kediaman
Residences
Berfokuskan Text here
programs 1
Akademik
Non-academic Add Your

Model Embedded
Program
programs
Sokongan(co-
Text here
(Infusion)
Add Your Campus Add Your
curriculum)
Berfokuskan Persekitaran
Text here
Bukan surroundings
Text here
Kampus
Akademik
Development of soft Model Stand-

Stand- Development of soft
Alone Add Your
Subjects
skillsPembangunan KI
based on support Text here
(Difussion)
Difussion)
Pembangunan
skills based on KI
Berasaskan Program
programs Berasaskan Kehidupan
campus life
Development of soft skills based on formal
Pembangunan
teaching KI Berasaskan
and learning
Figure 1: Development of soft skills among students of higher institutions
Pillai (2009) has highlighted that one of the ways to bridge the gap between
the classroom and the workplace is to engage with industry (Teichler, 1998). In
Malaysia, there has been a push towards university-industry collaboration, and the
need for such collaboration is reiterated in Malaysia‘s National Higher Education
Action Plan 2007-2010 (Ministry of Higher Education [MOHE], 2007), and the
setting up of one-stop industry linkage centres on campus. At the University of
Malaya (UM), industry‘s input and collaboration is ever present in teaching and
learning (e.g. on curriculum advisory boards, as guest or visiting lecturers), research
and innovation (e.g. joint research projects, consultancy, commercialisation of
research output), and the training of staff and students. For the development of
the soft skills based on formal teaching and learning, it was suggested that the soft
skills are best embedded in the curriculum within the objectives, learning outcomes
and teaching strategies of the programmes. This can be shown in the Figure 2:
171
In the implementation of the embedded model, the curriculum is based on the
learning outcomes, various delivery methods and assessment methods. As in the
case of the modules in Malaysia, the learning outcomes that have been developed
include the seven (7) soft skills that have been identified in addition to the technical
skills which were initially identified. These skills are shown in Figure 3.
Soft Skills Framework

Skills
How
Soft skills Infusion

Stand
alone Embedded
Objectives Subjects Objectives

Learning Outcomes Co-curriculum Learning Outcomes
Teaching Strategies Extra Co-curriculum Teaching Strategies
Soft Skills
Attributes
Figure 2: Framework for the Embedded or Stand alone Models
172
Psychomotor/
Practical/
Psychomotor/
Practical/
Technical Skills
Social Skills & Knowledge
Responsibility
Life Long Learning & Information

Management
Communication Skills
Critical Thinking & Scientific Approach
Managerial & Entrepreneurial Skills
Professionalism,
values, attitudes,
ethics
Figure 3: The identified soft skills and other skills
Through the various delivery methods shown in Figure 4, the evaluation and rating
framework for the identified soft skills are shown in Table 1. To show the multi
assessment methods that have been used to rate the achievement of the soft skills,
Table 2 provides an example of how the assessment for a particular course could
be adopted.
173
Lecture
Tutorial
Module
Student
Lab
Soft Centred
Learning
skill (SCL)
Case
Projects Studies
Figure 4: The various delivery methods to assess the soft skills
Table 1: Evaluation and Rating Framework for Soft Skills
174
Table 2:
Employers’ Perception of the Soft Skills

Importance for Real Estate Graduates
In developing the various delivery and assessment methods for the real estate
programme at higher learning institutions in Malaysia, it would be useful to
acknowledge the employers’ perception of the importance of the seven (7) soft
skills which were identified earlier by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE).
The views of fifty (50) employers (from organisations that are listed for placement
of final year student internship programme) were sought through a structured
questionnaire; some were completed during an employee-student employment
interview session held at the University of Malaya in November 2011 (eleven
(11) organisations attended the session) and the rest were sent out to prospective
employers. Fifteen (15) employers responded but only twelve (12) respondents
completed the questionnaire satisfactorily. The respondent comprise 58% of local
organisations and 42% of the organisations have been established over twenty (20)
years. The profiles of the organisations are shown in Figures 5 and 6.
175
Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to examine the relative importance
of the soft skills for real estate graduates. This method is used as it makes use of a
decision maker’s intuitive judgements, knowledge and experience. It is also more
accessible and more conducive for consensus building among decision makers in
deriving the relative importance of attributes. It employs a pair-wise comparison
process by comparing two objects at a time to formulate a judgement as to their
relative weights. A full treatment of the methodology is discussed in Forman &
Gass (2001) and Saaty (1990) In principle, the procedure is based on comparing
the importance placed on pairs of aspects one at a time. The pair-wise comparison
is made in terms of preference/importance ratios evaluated on a numerical scale
proposed within the method. The overall values of the importance are calculated
by taking all possible paired combinations of the aspects comparisons. This
produces the weight (in percentage form) for each individual aspect which reveals
the quantum of preference attached to it. The pair-wise comparisons are then
manipulated through eigen-vector calculations to create a ratio value scale that is
normalised to sum to 100 percent. Based on the weights scores, the aspects can be
ordered to show the order of relative importance.
Working on the data received from the fifty respondents, the results showed that
ethics & professionalism has ranked the highest in importance with a score of 19%
while critical thinking & problem solving came a rather close second with 17%.
The ranking then proceeded through to three other aspects (teamwork, leadership
and communications) which scored 14% - 15% before getting to the lowest, for
information management & lifelong learning and entrepreneurship, with the quite
distant scores of 10% each.
The above findings reinforce the discovery of the earlier study by Ranjit and
Wahab (2008) which included ethics & professionalism and critical thinking &
problem solving in their list of top ten skills sought by Malaysian employers. More
specifically, they reveal that real estate employers in Malaysia look highly for these
two skills in graduates but focus much less on skills associated with information
management and entrepreneurship. The implications of the above findings are
that the curriculum of real estate programmes in this country need to be reviewed
and geared more towards the promotion of those skills in students. In accordance
with this, adaptations need to be made to the course delivery modes and learning
activities to achieve that aim. Assessment methods also need to do the same.
176
Market Coverage
Market Coverage
42%
0
International
58%
Local
42%
International
58%
Local
Figure 5: The market coverage of the respondent organisations
Organisation's Establisment
25%
42%
10-14 years
Organisation's Establisment
15-19 years
33% >20 years
25%
42%
10-14 years
15-19 years
33% >20 years
Mean Weight
19%
20% 17%Figure 6: The number of years established
18% 15% 15%
16% 14%
14%
12% 10% 10%
10% Mean Weight
8%
6%
4%
2%
0% 19%
20% 17% 177
18% 15% 15%
16% 14% Employability In Malaysia : Selected Works
14%
12% 10% 10%
Mean Weight
19%
20% 17%
18% 15% 15%
16% 14%
14%
12% 10% 10%
10%
8%
6%
4%
2%
0%
Mean Weight
Figure 7: The mean weight of the soft skills
Conclusion
In addressing the phenomenon that graduates from the local and overseas universities
lack the soft skills required by the competitive job market, MOHE has taken steps
to develop a module to enhance these skills. This was brought about of the feedback
from employers locally and abroad which have noted that graduates lack the soft skills
when seeking employment. In addressing the issue, a comprehensive module has been
developed by MOHE for the implementation at the higher learning institutions to cater
for the enhancement of the soft skills. From a survey among the real estate employers on
the relative importance of the identified seven (7) soft skills, it can be observed that that
there is no major differences of importance. Ethic and professionalism has the highest
relative weight while information management & lifelong learning and entrepreneurship
are given the lowest relative weights. With the confirmation of the relative importance of
the soft skills for real estate programmes, it would be useful to consider the appropriate
implementation and assessment methods to ensure that the graduates are equipped with the
necessary soft skills.
178
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181
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF FINISHING SCHOOL
PROGRAMMES FROM THE PERSPECTIVES
OF GRADUATES AND EMPLOYERS*11
1
Jamal Ali, 2Lim Hock Eam, 3Russayani Ismail,
4
Fauziah Abdul Rahim, 5Filzah Md Isa & 6Ismi Arif Ismail
1,2,3,5
School of Business Management,Universiti Utara Malaysia
4
School of Education and Modern Languages
6
Faculty of Educational Studies
Universiti Putra Malaysia
1
Corresponding author: jamalali@uum.edu.my
Abstract
Purpose - This study examined the effectiveness of Finishing School programmes

in enhancing the employability of graduates from institutions of higher learning.
The perceptions of the graduates and employers towards the effectiveness of the
programmes were analyzed. The effectiveness of Finishing School programmes
evaluated through a graduate marketability outcome study and the expectations
of employers with regard to the type of soft skills of graduates most needed by
industries were also examined.
Methodology - Data for this study were obtained through a survey questionnaire
administered to graduates and focus group interviews with selected employers.
The primary data involved a large sample (n = 1092) of graduates from public
universities and also 31 selected employers from various industries. The data were
analysed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, and a multinomial logit
model. Due to the unavailability of a population frame, the data were collected
using a convenient sampling design.
* Reprint of: Malaysian Journal of Learning & Instruction, Volume 11, 2014 : 147-170 UUM Press
183
Findings - Graduates had a positive perception of the effectiveness of Finishing
School programmes. However, in terms of the marketability outcome, Finishing
school programmes currently being offered were seen as ineffective. Interviews
with officers at the management level from various companies showed that the
local graduates were lacking in certain types of soft skills, particularly in English
communication skills, compared with their counterparts who graduated from higher
education institutions overseas. Employers listed three skills as critical for graduates
to have, namely, problem solving skills, information management (exposure to
general knowledge, current issues and ICT) and English communication.
Significance - Most of the soft skills which employers have identified as important
in enhancing graduates’ employability have long been emphasized by the local
higher learning institutions through their Finishing School programmes. Hence, it
was concluded that the existing Finishing School programmes are indeed moving
in the right direction in achieving its desired objectives. However, there is still
room for improvement. This is especially so in relation to its implementation as the
empirical evidence seems to suggest that current Finishing School programmes are
not effective in terms of graduate marketability outcome.
Keywords: Finishing school programmes, graduates’ employability, soft skills,

higher education institutions.
Introduction
As the world faces greater global economic challenges that in turn will affect the
local situation, graduate employability, which is the ability of graduates to gain
employment that commensurate with their qualifications, has become the central
focus of the Higher Education Sector in the Ministry of Education (HESME)
(referred to as the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia (MoHE) prior to 2013).
Several factors have been identified as the possible causes for the increase in the
unemployment rate among university graduates in Malaysia. One of the principal
causes of unemployment among the graduates is the skill mismatch between the
requirements of the industry and the knowledge possessed by graduates. Such a
mismatch may be partly due to changes in the economic structure and technological
advancement, which have made the current labor market more competitive and
volatile. As a result, graduates face difficulties in getting jobs because they are not
ready for industry.
184
Besides, depending on the nature of vacancies, firms often require people with
some work experience, as was highlighted by Mlatsheni (2005). Work experience
is an important factor that influences employability at all levels. Shamsuddin
(2009) revealed that most firms, due to insufficient funds for training, expect fresh
graduates to be able to start and contribute to the firm immediately as soon as they
enter the job market.
On the other hand, Feng (2008) stated that part of the high unemployment rate for
graduates could be attributed to a country’s higher education expansion policy,
whereby there were many incentives to establish new colleges and universities
so as to be able to accept as many high school graduates as possible. Greater
enrolment in higher education institutions might have a detrimental effect on the
quality of education provided to the students which then led to the possibility of
unemployment. This detrimental effect was further worsened by the decrease in
demand for graduates due to the economic recession after the 1997 financial crisis
(Lim, Rich & Harris, 2008).
A survey conducted on 3300 human resource officers and bosses by JobStreet.

com, a Malaysian employment agency, revealed several possible factors relating
to graduate unemployment. These included the weak command of English (56
percent), bad social etiquette (36 percent), graduates demanding too much pay (32
percent), irrelevant degrees (30 percent), choosy job seekers among graduates (23
percent) and no vacancies (14 percent) (Gurvinder & Sharan, 2008). Graduates’
weak command of English and bad social etiquette were the top reasons for their
being unemployed. These findings provide evidence that Malaysian graduates are
unemployed not because they are unintelligent but rather because most of them are
lacking in certain types of soft-skills.
In this regard, the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) had embarked on several
programmes and initiatives to mitigate the problems of deficiencies in soft skills
among fresh graduates. Initiatives by the MoHE included the introduction of
basic entrepreneurship modules and soft-skill modules to embed communication
skills, leadership and team building as well as reporting skills into the student’s
curriculum. Internship or Industrial Training Programmes and collaborative
programmes with the relevant industries were further enhanced and structured,
as these types of programmes could provide added value to students’ hands-on
experience which could then be transferred to the actual work setting.
185
The MoHE also encouraged all public higher learning institutions to establish
Finishing School programmes so as to meet the requirements of the industries.
The development of the Finishing School programmes in local higher learning
institutions was aimed at training and preparing final semester students as well as
unemployed graduates with industry-specific knowledge, skills and competencies
in order to facilitate and improve their employability. Despites enormous effort
initiated to ensure the success of the programme, there were not many studies done
to evaluate the effectiveness of the programmes, particularly relating to the issue
of graduate employability. Thus, this study attempts to examine the extent to which
the Finishing School programmes conducted by various local higher learning
institutions have really helped to enhance graduate employability.
Problem Statement
The global economic recession in combination with an expansion in higher

education, has resulted in an excessive number of college graduates. This in turn
has led to a high graduate unemployment rate and a competitive labor market.
Besides having good academic achievements, graduates also need to have a strong
combination of soft skills, such as communication skills, teamwork, public speaking
and interview skills. Understanding that many employers not only make academic
achievement the primary criterion for selection, the MoHE has recommended that
all local higher learning institutions conduct Finishing School Programmes and
offer courses in soft skills for their graduates to enhance their chances of being
employed. Various steps were taken by local higher learning institutions to conduct
Finishing School programmes as required by the ministry. A lot of effort was made
by local higher learning institutions in identifying the essential skills, modules
and approaches that were to be part of the critical input for the Finishing School
programme. This was necessary to ensure that their graduates were well equipped
with the right soft skills demanded by the various industrial sectors.
Despite all the actions and efforts taken by the higher learning institutions to
enhance graduate employability, several questions arose; First, to what extent have
Finishing School programmes implemented by local higher learning institutions
effectively improved graduates’ soft skills? Second, how well have the Finishing
School programmes organised by local higher learning institution succeeded in
enhancing the graduate employability? Third, are the soft skills offered in the
Finishing School programmes aligned with employer requirements?
186
Objectives Of The Study
The general objective of this study was to measure the effectiveness of the Finishing
School programmes in local higher learning institutions in enhancing graduate
employability. The primary aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of soft
skills taught in the programme in assisting the graduates to be more competitive in
the labour market, either locally or internationally. Whereas the specific objectives
of this research were:
1. To determine the perception of the graduates in terms of the effectiveness of

Finishing School programmes in improving their soft skills.
2. To estimate the effectiveness of Finishing School programmes on graduate

marketability outcomes.
3. To determine employer perceptions and expectations of the soft skills possessed

by current graduates.
Literature Review
Studies have demonstrated that the macroeconomic environment of a country

may affect the ability of university graduates to find employment. Specifically, a
high unemployment situation prolongs the time needed to find a job, whereas low
unemployment makes that time shorter (Skimming, 2007). Currently, the number
of job vacancies is decreasing, especially in the public sector, which may add to
undergraduates’ concerns about their future employment. At the same time, higher
education expansion has resulted in an excessive number of university graduates,
which in turn has led to an increase demand for jobs. Due to these compounding
factors, naturally university graduates have accepted jobs that do not commensurate
with the training they have received, leading to so-called “over-education” and
“crowding-out” problems (Mason, William & Crammer, 2006; Hillage, 1998).
Accepting traditionally non-graduate occupations implies that university graduates
are lowering their job expectations and their rate of return for the higher education
degree that they have obtained. Research suggests that universities should look
at the competencies provided by higher education institutions and the skills
demanded by industries in the job market (Tracker & Yost, 2002). At the same
187
time, universities should provide graduates with knowledge and soft skills such
as communication skills, leadership skills and teamwork skills in order to help
lower the graduate unemployment rate. Student learning can be measured not
only in terms of how well they can achieve the learning objectives or outcomes,
but also in terms of the learning process that they experienced (Umar & Ahmad,
2010). Brown and Hesketh (2004) pointed out that as more people were able to
obtain higher education degrees, graduates should add value to their primary
academic credentials to distinguish themselves from others with similar degrees in
a competitive labor market. From employers’ perspectives, ‘employability’ seems
to refer to ‘work readiness,’ that is, possession of the skills, knowledge, attitudes
and commercial understanding enabling new graduates to make productive
contributions to organizational objectives soon after starting employment (Mason,
Williams & Cranmer, 2006).
Chung and Yet (2009) investigated undergraduates’ core competencies and ability to
meet the requirements set by employers and analysed the effectiveness of personal
qualities and employability skills development in a private university in Malaysia.
A questionnaire survey, mean score comparison, and independent sample t-test
were used to capture the perception differential between 30 employers and 600
undergraduates from a local private university on the importance of employability
skills. The results showed that the undergraduates were all highly competent in
aspects of their personal qualities and certain skills. However, for skills such as
critical thinking, planning, problem solving, oral communication, decision making,
and negotiating, there was a slightly higher level of mismatch between employer
and undergraduate perception on their importance and development in the
university. Gurvinder and Sharan (2008) also studied the perceptions of employers
concerning the employability skills needed in the job market and graduates’
perception of the employability skills that they currently possessed. The results
of their study revealed that employers preferred to hire graduates from public
universities. Moreover, graduates and employers agreed about the importance
of employability skills. Employer status also influenced the expectation of the
graduates; the higher the job position of the employer within the organization, the
higher the expectations.
Manishankar (2009) found that communication skills, personality traits, self-

discipline, and leadership approaches were the main soft skills related to
employability. These findings were consistent with Gallivan, Truex and Kvasny
(2004), but additional findings also revealed self-motivation, organization and
creativity as the skills mentioned in online job advertisement. MoHE, on the other
188
hand, had identified seven elements of soft skills including communication, critical
thinking and problem-solving, teamwork, lifelong learning and information
literacy, entrepreneurship, professional ethics and morality, and leadership as
the main aspects needed for graduates employability (Mohd Zaki, Mohd Salleh
& Wahid, 2008). Thus, findings from previous studies clearly showed that soft
skills were important elements for ensuring employability, albeit different foci
prevailed across countries and employers. Arguably, this is because different job
specializations may require different types of skills and techniques.
An unemployment survey conducted in 2002 in Malaysia among graduates by

the National Higher Education Research Institute (IPPTN) of Universiti Sains
Malaysia suggested significant differences in graduate labour market outcomes
across degrees (Morshidi, Rosni, Lim & Mohammed Nasir, 2004). However, Chung
and Yet (2009) indicated that having a suitable degree programme was not the
only mechanism to guarantee good employment. This finding was consistent with
research undertaken by Hanum, Razli and Azuddin (2008), who stated that in the
current labor market there was a trend among most organizations which preferred
to recruit those with experience, as the organisations no longer could provide in-
house training due to shortage of allocation for training purposes. Based on these
previous research, we may conclude that having good qualifications is not enough
to guarantee employability among graduates in Malaysia. In the competitive world
nowadays, graduates not only need to be successful in academic achievements,
but also need to possess the relevant skills in order to be employed by future
employers. It should be noted here that employability is very much dependant
on one having the right set of skills, and employment is thus, determined by job
market vacancies.
Significance Of Study
Numerous studies have been carried out to gauge the effectiveness of Finishing
School programmes conducted by local higher learning institutions in improving
their graduates’ soft skills, especially in acquiring communication skills (Gurvinder
& Sharan, 2008; Khir, 2006; & Chang, 2004). However, to our knowledge there
is no research that has been undertaken to measure the effectiveness of Finishing
School programmes in enhancing graduates employability. Hence, this research
attempts to fill this gap. This research offered a variety of information, including
the perception of the graduates towards the Finishing School programmes in
189
enhancing their soft- skills, the perception of the employers with regards to local
graduates and graduates from overseas, their expectations and the analysis on the
marketability outcome.
Besides, information gathered from the employers through focus group discussions
will enable us to determine which types of soft skills are mostly demanded by
employers. This information will be useful for higher learning institutions as
different types of job fields and organizations expect different types of skills
from their prospective employees. Thus it is hoped that the findings from this
research will enable higher learning institutions to develop their Finishing School
programmes and tailored them to the market needs and thus help to enhance the
employability of the graduates.
Methodology
Measuring and Estimating the Effectiveness of Finishing School Programmes
Measuring program effectiveness is important in order to show whether the

outcomes of a particular program meets or exceeds the objectives. It may also
help to determine if the program needs to be adjusted or changed, as well as to
document the need for continued funding or program expansion (Chimezie, 1986).
By assessing the effectiveness of the various programmes implemented, we will
be able to identify the institutional best practices and used them as a model to be
implemented by others. Therefore, an evaluation of Finishing School programmes
is needed to point out the strengths and weaknesses of the programmes and the
need for any changes in operation.
In order to measure the effectiveness of Finishing School programmes from the

perspective of the students, a five point’s Likert scale was used. Descriptive statistics
(mean and standard deviation) were calculated to describe the characteristics of
respondents. The hypothesis tests for two population means were used to test the
perceived effectiveness of Finishing School programmes. A Multinomial logit
model was used to estimate the effectiveness of Finishing School programmes in
terms of their effect on a graduate’s marketability outcomes. The model was suitable
since there were several graduate marketability outcomes such as i) employment
commensurate with qualification, ii) employment does not commensurate with
qualification, or iii) leaving the labour market for further studies.
190
A qualitative study was carried out to obtain information from employers with
regards to their expectations and their perceptions of the soft skills possessed by
graduates.
Data Collection
The primary data were collected by distributing questionnaires to one thousand

two hundred (1,200) fresh graduates in five selected local higher learning
institutions which had run the Finishing School programmes. The participating
universities were USM (Universiti Sains Malaysia), UniMAP (Universiti Malaysia
Perlis), UUM (Universiti Utara Malaysia), UIAM (Universiti Islam Antarabangsa
Malaysia) and UPM (Universiti Putra Malaysia). Due to the unavailability of a
population frame, the data were collected using a convenient sampling design. The
data were collected from August to October 2009. Participation of the respondents
in the survey was on a voluntary basis. The questionnaires were developed with
the main objective of obtaining graduate perceptions of the Finishing School
programmes.
The distributed questionnaires were constructed based on the Graduate Tracer

Study formulated by MOHE. There were five major questions. The first and second
questions solicited marketability outcome information; the third question sought
Finishing School information and effectiveness as perceived by the graduates
who have attended it; the fourth question solicited the same information but was
targeted at those graduates who have not attended a Finishing School programme;
the fifth question sought the graduates’ opinions on the continuality of Finishing
School programmes. A different set of questionnaires were also distributed to
31 selected employers in various organizations around the Klang Valley, Ipoh
and Penang which comprised private direct selling companies, consulting firms,
manufacturers, banks, private higher education institutions, agro business firms,
investment firms and telecommunication companies. All of these companies were
public listed companies. As for the employers, the questionnaires basically focus
on their perception towards the level of soft skills possessed by graduates and what
were the important skills that they think were critical for graduates to have.
191
Students’ Perception of Finishing School Programmes
Demographic Background of Respondents
Table 1 presents the characteristics of respondents in terms of their higher learning

institution, age and gender. The questionnaires were distributed to those who were
selected by programme and by institution. In this study, only 1092 questionnaires
were returned, which sufficiently represented the population of graduates in
Malaysia, as suggested by Krejcie and Morgan (1970).
From Table 1, it is found that the majority of respondents were USM graduates
(35.3 percent). This is perhaps due to the higher number of graduating students
(5633 first degree graduates) in its 40th convocation ceremony. Graduates from
UniMAP only constituted 2.6 percent of the total respondents, UUM 31.8 percent,
UPM 18.3 percent, while another 12.1 percent of the respondents were graduates
from UIAM. As was to be expected from the selected group of graduates, most
respondents were in the age range between 21-25 years old (87.3 percent). This
situation was due to the programme chosen, i.e., the first degree graduates. In
Malaysia, almost all students enter higher learning institutions as early as 18 years
old for diploma programmes and 19 years old for bachelor degree programmes.
Table 1 : Characteristics of Respondents
Frequency %
Higher Learning Institution USM 385 35.3
UniMAP 28 2.6
UUM 347 31.8
UIA 132 12.1
UPM 200 18.3
Age 25 years old & below 935 87.3
26 - 30 years old 60 5.6
30 - 35 years old 23 2.2
35 years old and above 53 5
Sex Female 704 64.6
Male 388 35.4
192
In terms of gender, more than half of the respondents in this study were female
graduates (64.6 percent). This situation was consistent with the higher enrolment
rate of female students in local higher learning institutions, as reported by Prof.
Datuk Dr Morshidi Sirat, The Director General of Higher Education Department
(The Star, 2013, July 12). Respondents involved in this study came from various
programmes offered. Table 2 shows that the highest number of respondents were
from the Bachelor of Business Administration (Hons) programmes (17.7 percent),
followed by Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) (17.4 percent), and Bachelor of
Accounting (Hons) (11.9 percent).
Table 2 : Number of Respondents According to Types of Degree
Types of degree Frequency %

Bachelor of Business Administration (Hons) 153 17.7
Bachelor of Engineering (Materials) (Hons) 150 17.4
Bachelor of Accounting (Hons) 103 11.9
Bachelor of Applied Science 75 8.7
Bachelor of Arts 65 7.5
Bachelor of Computer Science (Hons) 58 6.7
Bachelor of Administration 41 4.8
Bachelor of Human Sciences (Hons) 39 4.5
Bachelor of Islamic Revealed Knowledge &Heritage 27 3.1
Bachelor of Economics (Hons) 26 3.0
Bachelor of Housing 21 2.4
Bachelor Of Finance (Hons) 18 2.1
Bachelor of Health Science 18 2.1
Bachelor of Communication (Hons) 16 1.9
Bachelor of Pharmacy 11 1.3
Bachelor of Fine Arts 10 1.2
Bachelor of Hospitality Management (Hons) 9 1.0
Bachelor of Laws (Hons) 5 0.6
Bachelor of Architecture (Hons) 5 0.6
Bachelor of Human Resource Management (Hons) 5 0.6
Bachelor of Quantity Surveying (Hons) 4 0.5
Bachelor of Music 2 0.2
Bachelor of International Affairs Management (Hons) 1 0.1
193
Characteristics of Respondents
The analysis of the 1092 returned questionnaires showed that only 273 of the
respondents (25 percent) had attended Finishing School programmes during
their studies. From this number, UPM graduates represented the highest number
of participants (94 percent). Although USM’s graduates represent the larger
proportion of respondents, only 7.3 percent had attended the programme (Table 3).
Table 3 : Number of Respondents in Finishing School by University
Frequency (n=273) %
USM 28 7.3
UniMAP 1 3.7
UUM 49 14.1
UIAM 7 5.3
UPM 188 94.0
According to the information gathered from the questionnaires, there were nine
types of popular Finishing School programmes. Table 4 indicates that the most
popular Finishing School programme is on resume writing, followed by job
interviews, interpersonal communication skills, job finding, leadership, teamwork,
protocol and etiquette, thinking skills, and ICT skills.
Table 4 : Types of Finishing School Programmes Attended by Respondents
Type of Finishing School Programmes Frequency %

Resume Writing 245 11.3
Job Interview 243 11.2
Interpersonal Communication Skills 240 11.1
Job Finding 222 10.3
Leadership Skills 211 9.75
Teamwork Skills 205 9.47
Protocol & Etiquette 200 9.24
Thinking Skills 144 6.7
System and Technology Skills 124 5.3
194
The findings in Table 5 show that 50.6 percent of respondents attended a Finishing
School programme on a compulsory basis. Fifty five percent of respondents
agreed that they attended the course as they had been selected, and 84.7 percent
of respondents stated that they attended the programme voluntarily. From the 273
respondents who attended Finishing School, only 28.2 percent of the respondents
pointed out that they had to pay fees to attend the programmes.
Table 5 : Attendance of the Finishing School Programmes by Reason
Reasons Frequency %
Compulsory to Attend Finishing School 43 50.6
Being Selected to Attend Finishing School 47 55.3
Attend Finishing School Voluntarily 72 84.7
Note: The percentage is based on the 273 respondents who attended

Finishing School programmes.
195
Effectiveness of the Finishing School Programme
The majority of respondents agreed that they were satisfied with the possession of
all listed skills after they had attended a Finishing School programme, with a mean
of 4.16. This indicates that from the perception of the graduates, the Finishing
School programmes were successful in improving their soft skills. Proficiency in
English was the most obvious improvement, where the mean increases from 3.10
to 3.93 (Table 6). However, it is still the lowest among all the skills.
Table 6 : Skills Before and After Attending Finishing School Programmes
Before attendance After attendance

Skills Mean Std Mean Std
Deviation Deviation
Interpersonal communication skills 3.29 0.80 4.09 0.63
Creative and critical thinking skills 3.44 0.74 4.13 0.60
Problem solving skills 3.41 0.76 4.16 0.57
Analytical skills 3.36 0.74 4.10 0.60
Profi ciency in English 3.10 0.55 3.93 0.96
Team work 3.51 0.72 4.27 0.65
Inculcation and practicing of 3.55 0.76 4.26 0.66
positive values
Exposure to general Knowledge 3.40 0.75 4.16 0.70
and current issues
Job interview skills 3.14 0.82 4.22 0.61
Resume and job application letter 3.26 0.86 4.24 0.61
writing
Job search 3.16 0.81 4.22 0.62
Demonstrate good image 3.48 0.76 4.29 0.60
Demonstrate self-confi dence 3.45 0.73 4.21 0.66
ICT skills 3.45 0.73 4.16 0.64
Leadership skills 3.34 0.78 4.16 0.72
Overall 3.37 0.58 4.16 0.48
196
Hence, referring to Table 6, the value of the means for all soft skills after attending
the Finishing School programme were greater than before attending the Finishing
School programme. Interestingly, the value of the means for soft skills after
attending the Finishing School programme points out that the graduates’ answer
tend to show no significant difference. In other words, the majority of the graduates
agreed that they were satisfied with their soft skills after attending the Finishing
School programme.
Overall, the mean for perception of the respondents on their skills after attending
Finishing School (4.16) is greater than skills before attending Finishing School
(3.37). This mean difference is found to be significant with p-value of almost
zero (paired sample t-test). We can conclude that there is a significant difference
between skills possessed by respondents before and after attending Finishing
School programmes.
Moreover, Table 7 shows that from the perspective of the respondents on the
effectiveness of ‘Finishing School’, measured on a five point rating scale (1 being
‘not effective at all’ to 5 being ‘very effective’), it was found that the mean of
respondents attending the Finishing School programme (4.06) is greater than the
mean of respondents not attending the Finishing School programme (3.59).
To summarize, the majority of the respondents who attended the Finishing

School programme were satisfied with the programme and perceived that the
programme improved their soft skills and was effective in improving graduates’
employability. However, the mean of respondents who did not attend a Finishing
School programme indicates that respondents were not sure whether the course
really improved graduates’ employability or not. This is sensible as they did not
experience it, and therefore they were not able to determine whether the programme
has improved their soft skills to make them more employable in the job market.
In addition, from the 1092 respondents in this study, almost all respondents (96
percent) recommended that the Finishing School programme should be continued.
Table 7 : Perception of respondents on effectiveness of ‘Finishing School’
Mean Std deviation

Those who attended FS 4.06 0.70
Those who did not attend FS 3.59 0.76
197
The Effectiveness of Finishing School in Enhancing Graduate Marketability
Outcomes
Besides using self-perception in measuring the effectiveness of the Finishing School

programmes, the study provides an estimation of the effectiveness of Finishing
School programmes by focusing on the probability of obtaining employment that
commensurate with qualification among graduates. In the estimated multinomial
logit model, an odds ratio greater than one indicates the positive effect of the
Finishing School programme on employment status and an odds ratio less than one
indicates the negative effect of the Finishing School programme on employment
status.
Table 8 shows that age has a positive impact on the probability to obtain a job
which commensurates with one’s qualification. It means that the older the
graduates, the higher the probability of being employed in jobs that commensurate
with their qualifications. This effect is significant at a 1 percent level. The dummy
variable for Finishing School programme in the Multinomial logit model is built
with those who did not attend a Finishing School programme as the comparison
group. Hence, the odds ratio of 0.0206 means that those who did not attend the
programme had a higher probability of being employed in jobs that commensurate
with their qualifications than those who attended the programme.
This situation may be due to the academic performance of graduates. As mentioned

earlier, many of the Finishing School programmes organized by public local
institutions are catered for and made compulsory for final year students with a
CGPA less than 3.0.
198
Table 8 : Multinomial Logit Model
FT1: (UNE) FT2: (UNE)

Ind. Variables
Odds ratio P-value Odds ratio P-value
Age 3.3129 0.0000 2.7100 0.0001
Male 0.9916 0.9747 1.6150 0.0275
FS 0.0393 0.0032 0.0206 0.0003
Effectiveness of FS 0.9096 0.5571 0.8565 0.2607
Continuity of FS 0.2924 0.0328 0.4967 0.1899
USM 6.9812 0.0766 4.9875 0.0061
UUM 6.1963 0.0987 2.7828 0.0868
UIA 14.6689 0.0167 4.1973 0.0234
The Finishing School programme in certain institutions was meant for those with a
low CGPA as the intention is to give them the added value skills for employability.
However, this is not sufficient to ensure that they obtain employment that
commensurate with their qualification. Nevertheless attending Finishing School
gives them the perception that they have improved their soft skills.
199
Employers’ Perception and Expectation
of Graduate Employability
Skills of Graduates Sought After by Employers
Based on a survey conducted among 31 companies representing various industries

and sectors in Malaysia, it was found that most of them stated that their organizations
require candidates who possess both technical and soft skills. All respondents
suggested a list of essential skills that a candidate had to have before he or she
was hired for a particular post. As shown in Table 9, the three most important soft
skills required by employers were critical and problem solving skills (31), lifelong
learning and information management (26), and English communication (25).
Table 9 : Types of Skills Required by Employers
Types of skills Freq

Communication 22
Critical and problem solving 31
Data analysis (17)
Problem solving (14)
Team work 12
Moral and professional ethic 21
EISQ (emotional, intellectual and spiritual intelligence) (8)
Moral values (7)
Etiquette (6)
Leadership 10
Life-long learning and information management 26
ICT (16)
General knowledge and current issues (10)
Entrepreneurship skills 8
English communication 25
Self-confi dence 11
Positive self-image 10
Negotiation 5
Motivation 1
Note: Total frequency (company) = 31; the values in parenthesis are the frequencies
of sub-soft skills. They are added and the total is showed in the frequency column.
200
Strengths and Weaknesses of Graduates of Local Public Higher Education
Institutions: The Employers’ Perspectives
Based on the qualitative data collected from both the interview and open ended
questionnaires, the various company representatives stated that graduates from
local universities had a number of personal strengths and weaknesses. The details
mentioned by them are as shown in Table 10. According to the respondents, there
were two main strengths that the local graduates had: First, were receptive to
instructions given, and second, had respect for others (both are 16.13 percent).
Meanwhile, their significant weaknesses were general communication skills (38.71
percent), English communication skills (25.81 percent), lack of confidence (16.13
percent), lack of critical and creative thinking skills (12.91 percent), and being
afraid to ask questions and avoiding making mistakes (9.68 percent).
Table 10 : Strengths and Weaknesses of Graduates from Employers’ Perspective
Strengths Freq % Weaknesses Freq %

Able to complete report 1 3.23 Communication skills 12 38.71
within a stipulated time
Easily accepting 5 16.13 Problem solving skills 2 6.46
guidance
Prone to learn latest 3 9.68 Expect working 1 3.23
technology environment to be
faultless
Honest, trustworthy and 4 12.90 Overly confi dent with 1 3.23
ethical own existing skills
Young and enthusiastic 2 6.46 Prone to misunderstand 2 6.46
instructions given
Respect for others 5 16.13 Quick to draw 1 3.23
conclusions
Impatient 2 6.46
Lack of leadership skills 1 3.23
Unable to utilize prior 1 3.23
experience
201
Strengths Freq % Weaknesses Freq %
Too focused on personal 1 3.23
career and neglecting
social and spiritual
aspects
Lack of confi dence 5 16.13
Unable to put up with 3 9.68
pressure
Poor communication in 8 25.81
English
Lack of critical and 4 12.91
creative thinking skills
Unable to apply theory 1 3.23
that they had learned in
the real world business
Not proactive 2 6.46
Dislike job change 2 6.46
Afraid to pose questions 3 9.68
and try to avoid making
mistakes while working
Comparison between Local

and Overseas Graduate Candidates
From the perspective of the employers, overseas graduates tended to have more
and better competitive advantages as compared to the local graduates. Their
strengths could turn into essential added values that helped them to take part in the
labour market faster and easier. Thus, by possessing more personal competitive
advantages, overseas graduates could become a better candidate for various posts
and jobs that were on offer by employers from different industries and sectors
in Malaysia. For comparison, potential employers were more than willing to pay
higher salary or wages to them compared to the local graduates. Table 11 shows
the ranking of strengths that overseas graduate candidates had as perceived by the
employers.
202
Table 11 : Strength of Overseas Graduate
Strengths Rank
Able to communicate and speak fluently in English 1
Have better strengths and courage to face challenges 2
Have higher self-confi dence and are more independent than local graduates 3
A better problem solver, more mature and have a more holistic view 4
Generate more comprehensive ideas and aware of current issues 5
Note: The information as solicited from 31 employers without specific regard

to which foreign universities the graduates graduated from.
Proposed Soft Skills by Employers
Apart from soliciting information with regard to the level of soft skills possessed
by the current graduates, the employers were also asked about the specific skills
which were deemed important while hiring. The feedback from the employers
show that among the three most important soft skills suggested by them were
communication skills (including English), critical, creative thinking and problem
solving and application of theory to the real business world. The employers also
perceived overseas graduates as possessing more strengths and skills that could
push them to advance faster in their careers. Consequently, some of the employers
were willing to pay higher wages to overseas graduates for a similar type or scope
of job offered to local graduates.
203
Conclusion
Numerous studies have shown that deficiency in soft skills among graduates
in Malaysia is one of the main determinants of graduate unemployment. In the
competitive graduate labour market nowadays, employers require fresh graduate
to possess both the required technical and soft skills. This is important since most
of the employers consider these soft skills as significant to make their companies
remain competitive in the era of globalization. The government and local higher
learning institutions are concerned about the employability issue and so have
introduced the Finishing School programme mainly to enhance the employability
rate of graduates in Malaysia. Various modules and programmes have been
developed by local higher learning institutions to equip their students with a variety
of skills demanded by most industries.
Based on the perception of the graduates, the mean for overall skills after attending
the Finishing School programme had increased, thus reflecting that the majority of
graduates were satisfied with the soft skills that they had acquired. This is supported
by the result of the t-test from the regression analysis, where the critical value
indicates there is a significant difference between the possession of skills before
and after attending the Finishing School programme. This finding is consistent
with previous studies done by Abdul Rahim, Ariza, Mohd Noor and Azizah (2007)
where students were more confident with their soft skills ability after attending
the Finishing School programme. This study has also shown that majority of the
respondents who attended Finishing School programme agreed that the course
was effective in improving graduate employability as the programme had helped
respondents to improve their soft skills.
Measuring the effectiveness of Finishing School programme by comparing the

employment status among those who attended and did not attend Finishing School
programme however, has shown that this programme is not effective in enhancing
graduates’ employability. The result of the estimated Multinomial Logit model
shows that graduates who attended the ‘Finishing School’ had lower probability
of obtaining full time employment that commensurate with their qualification
compared to graduates who did not attend the programmes. Reasons for this
phenomenon might be due to the lack of experience and lower CGPA obtained by
the respondents who attended the Finishing School programmes.
204
Age, on the other hand, has a positive impact on employment status. It means that
as age increases, the higher the probability for them to be employed. This can be
explained as the older respondents in this research may have been working for
several years before they further their study in local higher learning institutions.
This finding is consistent with Lim, Rich and Haris (2008) and Hanum, Razli and
Azuddin (2008), who shows that in the current labour market, there is a trend
that most organizations prefer to recruit those with working experience as they no
longer provide in-house training.
Based on the findings from the companies interviewed, soft skills in communication
(including English), critical and creative thinking, problem solving and the ability
to apply theories to the real world business are the main skills looked for by
employers and are important for future graduates. As far as the Finishing School
programmes at local higher learning institutions are concerned, most of the soft
skills required by employers have been emphasized and embedded in the module.
Thus, it is suggested that for the Finishing School programmes to contribute
effectively to graduate employability, methods of implementation and, the timing
and length of the programmes should be revised. This is important to ensure that
students are interested to join the programmes and the impact from the programmes
is immensely felt.
205
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207
STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF THE PROGRAMME
OFFERED BY THE SCHOOL OF BIOSCIENCES
AND BIOTECHNOLOGY,
FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, UKM*12
1
Ainon Hamzah , Kalaivani Nadarajah,
Mahanem Mat Noor & Arina Anis Azlan
Abstract
This study was conducted to gauge students’ competency and satisfaction in

employment preparation within programmes offered by the School of Biosciences
and Biotechnology, at the Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti
Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). A survey questionnaire was distributed to all final
year students of the School and 128 of them responded. The results showed that for
the programme components, respondents were most satisfied with the quality of
academic staff, followed by the quality of fellow students, curricular contents and
overall learning environment. In terms of knowledge, general skills, and virtues
they received, the respondents expressed high competency levels in various areas
which include the languages, English and Bahasa Melayu, interpersonal skills,
information technology and research skills, and work related skills gained through
industrial training attachment. However, respondents rated the overall academic
experience to be of average standing. These findings indicated that the curricular
contents need to be reviewed to improve/enhance the quality of the programmes
offered in order to prepare students for demanding expectations of the job market.
Keywords: Higher education; student satisfaction; curriculum evaluation;

employability; skills
* Reprint of: Jurnal Pendidikan Malaysia (Malaysian Journal of Education), Volume 40, No. 2, 2015 : 111-117
UKM Press
209
Introduction
Rapid globalisation and advancements in information technology have reshaped

the employment trend, making demands on the kind of graduates that come out
of universities. Such demands which emphasise on the standards and quality of
graduates have thus created an environment which is gravitating towards the high
achievers. According to the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education, a quarter of
all graduates in 2012 had not secured employment at graduation and World Bank
found that nearly one in five degree holders under the age of 25 were unemployed
in 2012 (New Straits Times 2015). In collaboration with Talent Corp., the World
Bank conducted a graduate employability survey in 2014 in Malaysia, the
perceived quality of Malaysian graduates by top employers, as well as the efficacy
of career services in universities and Government-funded graduate employability
programmes. The survey found out, one possible explanation for the relatively
high rate of graduate unemployment could be employers’ unwillingness to offer
the level of compensation needed to meet the expectations of recent graduates and
attract the required talent.
According to other survey respondents in 2011, a main driver of graduate

unemployment is skills mismatches between recent graduates and employers’
demands. One survey said 81% of all respondents identified communication skills
as the major deficit, followed by creative/critical thinking, analytical and problem-
solving competencies. A survey done by Jobstreet in November 2011 said they
were unable to hire the graduates due to the job seekers’ poor communication
skills, notably their lack of command in using English which remains the business
lingua franca worldwide (Md Izwan & Zurairi 2012).
According to the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM), the lack of

industrial training is also among the factors why graduates are unemployed.
Meanwhile, the Higher Education Ministry Student Development and Affairs
Director reported other factors that compounded the issue are low problem-
solving skills, tendency to switch jobs or job-hopping and lack of self- confidence
(Zulkiple 2014).
Realising these problems, the government are focussing on strengthening public

and private higher learning institutions towards producing quality graduates who
meet the demands of the job market. The government in 2014 budget has allocated
RM330 million fund under the Skills Development initiative to improve training
210
quality to produce highly skilled workforce under the Ministry of Human Resource.
Loans are provided for school leavers to enrol in skills training courses (Raj 2014).
In an effort to tackle the lack of competencies in generic skills among local graduates,
Malaysian institutes of higher learning had to integrate various soft skills training
into the curriculum to better prepare students for the workplace. The skills that
were incorporated into university curriculum included skills in communication,
entrepreneurship, information technology, leadership, and teamwork. Critical and
thinking skills were given focus too as the development and enhancement of these
skills were considered essential and pivotal to any training. The ability to critically
analyse situations would be achieved through the implementation of problem-
based strategies to facilitate learning in various university courses.
Other educational institutions worldwide, including the United Kingdom, Canada,

USA, Australia, New Zealand, Germany and Singapore are currently engaging
greater emphasis on enhancing graduate employability by strengthening their soft
skills and adopting a more employability-oriented approach to the curriculum
(Yim- Teo 2004).
With their concern to provide programmes relevant to the demands of the job
market, researchers at UKM’s School of Biosciences and Biotechnology conducted
a survey to evaluate the effectiveness of their programmes in preparing students
for the workplace. This paper focused specifically on students’ evaluations of the
programmes and their readiness for the workplace environment. The aim of this
study was to assess the components of the programmes to ensure that students were
provided with opportunities to develop and enhance the necessary skills needed by
employers. The specific objectives of this study were to:
1. Identify the satisfaction level among graduates towards the programmes

attended at the school,
2. Assess the preparedness of would-be graduates to undertake employment, and
3. Evaluate the effectiveness of the teaching and learning process of programmes
offered.
Results obtained from this survey will be taken into consideration and used as
a guide by the School to improve the overall curriculum including contents,
teaching methods, presentation and research skills and other areas that need to be
strengthened.
211
Methodology
A survey questionnaire was distributed to final year students at the School of

Biosciences and Biotechnology, UKM. The students were due to complete their
studies in 2011. From the questionnaires distributed, 128 responses were obtained.
The questionnaire was designed based on the current needs of stakeholder on our
graduates skills and curriculum contents. It was divided into four sections: A)
students’ background, (B) programme rating on quality of academic staff, fellow
students, curriculum contents, and the overall learning environment, (C) students’
preparedness in knowledge, skills, and values, and (D) the overall interpretation of
the School of Biosciences and Biotechnology.
The four sections contained 124 close-ended questions that respondents were
asked to complete and these items were arranged to form a Likert-type scale
with a 5 point spread for Sections B, C and D. The rating scales for the three
sections were as follows: section B, from 1 (very dissatisfied) to 5 (very satisfied),
Section C, from 1 (poorly prepared) to 5 (very prepared); Section D, from 1 (very
dissatisfied) to 5 (very satisfied). The data collected were analysed using the SPSS
software version 18.0 to obtain a precise assessment and expressed as average
mean values. Statistical analysis of the accumulated data can be utilised by the
School to improve or revise the related teaching and learning system in use.
Below is a summary of the different types of questions contained in the
questionnaire:
Section A: General questions pertaining to students’ background such as year of

graduation, degree to be obtained, age and ethnicity.
Section B: Rating of the programme components by the students based on the

quality of academic staff, quality of fellow students, content of the curriculum and
their learning environment. The rating scale was from the highest 5 (very satisfied)
to the lowest 1 (very dissatisfied).
Section C: Questions on student perception towards programme’s effectiveness

in preparing them in knowledge, skills, and values. The students were asked
to assess the programme attended based on general skills, quantitative skills,
interpersonal skills, information technology skills, research skills, contribution
towards organisation and preparedness in industrial training. The rating was given
on a scale from the highest 5 (very prepared) to the lowest 1 (poorly prepared).
212
Students’ Perception of the Programme Offered by the School of Biosciences and
Biotechnology
Section D: Students’ opinion on the overall evaluation of the School of Biosciences

and Biotechnology based on their opinion of the strengths and weaknesses
of the programmes attended, the extent to which the programme fulfilled their
expectations, the cost (time, effort, money, and lost income) compared to the
benefit of education (change in salary, job, promotion), the likelihood that they
would recommend the programme or the School to family and friends and whether
UKM graduates had market value. The rating was given on a scale from the highest
5 to the lowest 1 as described in Table 1.
TABLE 1. Likert Scale: Question and rating for section D Rating
Rating
Question
1 2 3 4 5
Moderately Moderately
Far Above Met My Far Below My
D3 Above Below
Expectations Expectations Expectations
Expectations Expectations
D4 Excellent Good Average Poor Very Poor
Very
D5 Very satisfied Satisfied Average Dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
D6 Very Likely Likely Average unlikely Very Unlikely

Section A : Respondents’ Background
A total of 128 respondents due to graduate in 2011 completed and returned the
survey forms that were distributed to final year students. The majority of the
respondents were females (110 respondents or 85.9%) and 18 males (14.1%). The
respondents’ age ranged from 21 to 29 years. In terms of age group, the highest
percentage of respondents, 58%/ 74 respondents, was 22 years of age; 34%/ 44
respondents were 23 5%/, 7 were 21 while 1.0%/1 was between 25 to 29 years of
age. In terms of ethnicity, the majority of respondents were Malays (84 respondents
or 65.6%), followed by Chinese (32 respondents or 5%) and Indians (5 respondents
or 3.9%) and of other ethnicity (7 respondents or 5.5%) (Figure 1).
213
FIGURE 1. Percentages of respondents based on (a) ethnicity, (b) age and (c) sex
3.90% 5.50% 1% 1%
1%
5%
Age 21
Malay
Age 22
25% Chinese 34%
Age 23
Indian
Age 24
Others 58%
Age 25
65.60%
Age 29
14%
Male
Female
86%
Table 2 shows the feedback obtained from a random distribution of the survey
forms to students from the seven programmes offered by the School of Biosciences
and Biotechnology. Majority of the respondents were from the Microbiology
and Biochemistry Programme, each with 34 respondents (26.6%), followed by
21 respondents from Plant Biotechnology (16.4%) and 10 each (7.8%) from
Bioinformatics and Genetics. The number of respondents was the lowest at 5
persons (3.9%) from the Biotechnology with Management Programme.
TABLE 2. Percentages of respondents according to programmes
Programme Number of respondents Percentage

Biochemistry 34 26.6
Biotechnology and Management 5 3.9
Bioinformatics 10 7.8
Genetics 10 7.8
Microbiology 34 26.6
Plant Biotechnology 21 16.4
Zoology 14 10.9
Total 128 100
214
Section B: Evaluation Of Programme Components
The items focusing on the quality of academic staff obtained the highest average
mean value (4.04 ± 0.78) which indicated that students were satisfied with the
quality of academics as based on their evaluation of the teaching components.
Three other factors: quality of fellow students, curricular contents and overall
learning environment were rated as average with mean values of 3.88, 3.80, and
3.80, respectively (Table 3). The overall average mean value for this section was
3.88.
The result showed that despite having a commendable staff, the School needed to
take a relook and re-evaluate the contents of the curriculum in use and the overall
learning environment. The state of affairs had highlighted the need to foster a
more enabling environment for new learning and teaching experiences to take
place that could help improve the overall performance of the students for the job
market situations. This would indirectly reflect the quality of education offered
by the School which is in line with the stakeholders’ needs and demands. Based
on these findings, the curricular contents were revised in year 2012 and had been
implemented in year 2014/15 sessions.
TABLE 3. Average mean value for programme components
Component Mean ± SD
Quality of academic staff 4.04 ± 0.78
Quality of fellow students 3.88 ± 0.65
Curriculum contents 3.80 ± 0.64
Overall learning environment 3.80 ± 0.73
215
Section C: Preparedness Of The School Of Biosciences
And Biotechnology, Ukm In Aspects Of General
Knowledge, Basic Skills, And Moral Values
Respondents were requested to evaluate the programmes based on the ones that
would equip them with general knowledge, basic skills, and moral values. In the
survey, respondents rated their programme based on general skills, specialized
skills, and generic skills as a whole. The assessment was based on a Likert scale
ranging from 1 (poorly prepared) to 5 (very prepared).
For language proficiency, the survey sought to find out what they perceived their
levels in Bahasa Melayu and English were. The respondents were asked to rate their
language proficiency, and the result showed that they rated their Bahasa Melayu
proficiency as good (Oral = 4.26, Written = 4.36) and average for English (Oral
=3.74, Written = 3.94) as shown in Table 4. The lower self-evaluation for English
may stem from the lack of opportunities to use and master it and from their poor
command of the language. This may result in a lack of confidence and a feeling of
discomfort in their ability to use the language effectively. Further evaluations are
required in order to implement a suitable intervention programme.
The same survey which has been conducted by JobStreet.com in November 2011,
571 human resource personnel from Klang Valley and outside Klang Valley as
employers, their opinion on the top reasons why fresh Malaysian graduate were
not hired are; 56% due to poor command of English language and 52% of poor
communication skills (Si 2011). Study conducted by Masturah et al. (2013) of
unemployed graduates who took part in the 1 Malaysia Training Scheme, also
indicated 67.1% out of 337 respondents were in the range of moderate to low level
in their general English communication skills. The respondents indicated their
inability to communicate ideas as the main factor that affect, their communication
skills. Research showed that the lack of communication skills has led to graduates
being less marketable in the realm of local employment (Mohd 2009). At this
point, however, the best way to address this would be to increase the opportunities
to use and improve their proficiency in written and spoken English starting from
secondary level.
216
TABLE 4. The average mean values of general skills in terms of language proficiency
Component Mean ± SD
Oral communication: English 3.74 ± 0.70
Oral communication: Bahasa Melayu 4.26 ± 0.74
Written communication: English 3.94 ± 0.72
Written communication: Bahasa Melayu 4.36 ± 0.70
For their general skills, the students scored an average mean value of 4.14,
showing that the students rated themselves well in time management, work ethics,
social responsibility, adaptability, able to listening skills, work commitment, self-
appearance, and self-confidence (Table 5). However, the respondents answered
average for presentation skills (3.96) and leadership qualities (3.92). It is interesting
to notice that though the students rated themselves well on self-confidence,
they rated themselves as average on presentation skills and leadership qualities
which require some degree of self-confidence. We, however, acknowledge that
opportunities for students to develop their presentation skills are not readily
available other than in courses such as scientific communications and during the
presentation of their research project proposal. The other possible avenue for
articulating their ideas and thoughts would be the tutorials. Therefore, we believe
that though these individuals may be comfortable with self, they have not reached
the comfort zone in public speaking. This situation had existed even before their
time in IHLs and we can assume that the school system did not provide adequate
opportunity for students to hone their skills in this area.
Winterbotham et al. (2001), stated overall employers are less demanding of

academic excellence and technical skills, and consider them trainable if candidates
are able to demonstrate positive attributes and soft skills. For many employers, the
weaknesses of graduates in soft skills are observable prior to screening process,
interview or selection sessions that are based on candidate physical appearances,
aptitudes ability, communication, and other personal talents. This includes dress
code, appearances, conversation, confidence, motivation, flexibility, positive
gesture, mannerisms, and resourcefulness (Devins & Hogarth 2005).
217
TABLE 5: The average mean values of general skill components
General Skills Mean

Presentation skills 3.96 ± 0.66
Time management & punctuality 4.13 ± 0.64
Adaptability 4.23 ± 0.58
Work ethics 4.16 ± 0.70
Social responsibility 4.15 ± 0.74
Ability to listen 4.31 ± 0.61
Commitment to work 4.36 ± 0.62
Leadership qualities 3.92 ± 0.78
Self-confidence 4.08 ± 0.71
Self-appearance 4.06 ± 0.72
The students were asked to rate their quantitative skills, namely, data collection
and analysis, statistical analysis, problem solving skills, and critical thinking. The
average mean value obtained was 3.77 (Table 6). The opportunity for data collection
was ample as the students collected data during their laboratory practical and for
their research project. However, the extent to which these opportunities were made
available to them to develop analytical skills might have been limited as this was
dependent on the choice of subject selected by the student.
TABLE 6: The average mean values of quantitative skills
Quantitative Skills Mean

Data collection and analysis 3.86 ± 0.67
Statistical analysis 3.61 ± 0.68
Problem solving skills 3.87 ± 0.63
Critical thinking 3.73 ± 0.66
218
Interpersonal skills scored an average mean value of 4.32 (Table 7). This showed
that the students had the opportunity to work in teams during lectures, laboratory
or field work without significant conflict despite differences in background and
personal opinions.
TABLE 7: The average mean value of interpersonal and information technology skills
Skills Mean ± SE
Interpersonal
Teamwork 4.37 ± 0.60
Respect of other opinions and views 4.44 ± 0.60
Racial tolerance 4.36 ± 0.64
Conflict resolution 4.09 ± 0.61
Information Technology
Database analysis 3.68 ± 0.66
Internet search 4.49 ± 0.59
Computer proficiency 4.21 ± 0.62
When asked on information technology skills and research skills, the respondents
scored an overall mean of 4.13 and 4.00, respectively (Table 7). This showed
that the current curricular content in use was adequate to provide the students
with the necessary scientific skills. However, based on the mean score of 3.68 the
survey revealed that the students regarded their ability for database analysis to be
mediocre. This was probably due to the insufficient focus in curricular content to
train the students in experimental design, and through personal communication,
the students felt that the course did not equip them adequately to enable them to
plan experimental design and to conduct statistical analysis thereafter. Therefore,
it is advisable to take a relook at the predominant mode of teaching used or to
include aspects of experimental design and statistical analysis into courses where
applicable.
In the survey, the average mean value of 3.64 in the contributions toward
organizations theme indicated that respondents failed to see how they might
contribute to their current organizations in terms of creativity and research
execution, marketing skills, and global orientation (Table 8). It signified that
219
the curriculum in use then was not able to provide students with non-scientific
knowledge related to biotechnology and with an avenue to explore possibilities
of planning and executing activities that would enable them to contribute to the
organization or the community in general. We would need to include a component
in the curriculum that could develop a sense of social responsibility in order to
raise a generation that is not only sensitive to their social obligations but also one
that is able to translate knowledge into wealth and thereafter into humanity.
TABLE 8. The average mean value of research skills and contribution towards organisation
Ability Mean ± SE
Research Skills
Competence in research methods 3.99 ± 0.65
Competency in handling lab equipment 4.07 ± 0.72
Ability to plan and conduct research 3.95 ± 0.69
Contribution towards organisation
Creativity and executing research 3.8 ± 0.68
Marketing skills 3.49 ± 0.79
Global orientation 3.64 ± 0.70
From the survey, a large number of respondents agreed that they were prepared
to go through Industrial Training, as indicated by an overall mean value of 4.12
(Table 9). Most of them obtained good industrial training experiences which
enriched their theoretical and research exposure while at the School of Biosciences
and Biotechnology.
TABLE 9. The average mean value of preparedness in industrial training
Preparedness in industrial Training Mean

Planning and executing research 3.91 ± 0.69
Adaptability to work environment 4.30 ± 0.62
Interpersonal skills 4.15 ± 0.65
220
According to Azian and Mun (2011), a survey conducted by the Malaysian
Employers Federation showed that 68% of employers named communication
skills as being the most needed skill in a job application. This was followed by
work experience (67%), interpersonal skills (56.2%), passion and commitment
(55.7%), being a team player (47.8%), having the right degree (46.3%), good
academic results (37.9%), a desire to learn (37.9%), ability to work well under
pressure (34.0%), and ability to take the initiative (32.5%). A survey conducted by
Nor ’Aini Yusof et al. (2013) to 179 employers who offered 12 weeks of industrial
training for 186 students from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), agreed
that industrial training is considered to be an effective tool to enhance graduates’
employability. Employers also suggested improvements could be made in the use
of computer software, communication, behaviour, management skills, law and
policy, and creativity. Overall, most surveys showed good academic result with
combination of communication skills, and soft skills are important elements to be
successful in job commitment.
Section D: The Overall Evaluation Of The School

Of Biosciences And Biotechnology,
Faculty Of Science And Technology, UKM
Overall results obtained from the survey showed that respondents agreed that
graduates from UKM were very likely to find employment (4.08). Furthermore,
respondents rated an average mean value of 4.02 when it came to giving feedback
on the School of Biosciences and Biotechnology, UKM. The lowest average
mean value of 3.22 was on whether the programme fulfilled and exceeded their
expectations. The overall average mean value of 3.26 for section (D) suggested that
respondents were satisfied with the programme offered and that their expectations
of being prepared for a future career were met. We believe that the students came
with high expectations of the university based on its reputation as an IHL. They
believed that the school had trained them well for the world of work.
However, through personal communication, the shortcomings associated with the

school were mostly based on the lack or shortage of good facilities in the university
and the lackluster customer service received from staff manning the front desks
etc. For the purpose of this survey, this finding did not in any way indicate that the
curriculum and training were below expectation but it is a message to the university
that the available facilities need to be upgraded. We hope that the university would
221
respond and look into these requirements to improve on customer rating of the
institution. While students’ opinions should not dictate change to the curriculum,
tools and environment for learning, they nevertheless provide valuable insights
that should be considered.
Conclusion
Based on final year students’ perceptions, all the seven programmes offered by the
School of Biosciences and Biotechnology met students’ expectations in terms of
the components, knowledge, general skills, virtues, and quality of the academic
staff. Therefore, it can be concluded that the University had prepared the graduates
for work and for them to embark on their future career, ready to face the challenges
and demands of work life.
Good IHLs are ones that are devoted to improving the quality of its curricular
contents in line with academic development and technological advances in the
related field. The curriculum and teaching methods have to be up- to-date and
regularly evaluated and revised so as to keep abreast with the ever increasing and
regularly changing demands and requirements of the job market.
222
References
Devins, D. & Hogarth, T. 2005. Employing the unemployed: Some case study
evidence on the role and practice of employers. Urban Studies 42(2): 245-256.
http://dx.doi.or g/10.1080/0042098042000316128.
Masturah Alias, Sidhu, G.K. & Fook, C.Y. 2013. Unemployed graduates’
perceptions on their general communication skills at job interviews. Procedia
- Social and Behavioral Sciences 90: 324-333.
Md Izwan, & Zurairi, A.R. 2012. Young, jobless Malaysian grads a RM500m
strain on taxpayers. (online report). http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/
malaysia/article/ young-and-jobless-malaysian-grads-a-rm500m-strain-on-
taxpayers#sthash.6rH3OkE4.dpuf. October 9, 2012.
Mohd Lazim Abdullah. 2009. Identifying the generic skills amongst Malaysian
undergraduate students: An analysis of gender differences. Jurnal Teknologi
50(E): 11-20.
New Straits Times 2014. High ratio of jobless youths to overall unemployment in
M’sia: World Bank. (online report). http:// www.nst.com.my/node/7178. June
28, 2014.
Nor’Aini Yusof , Siti Nur Fazillah Mohd Fauzi, Nazirah Zainul Abidin & Hanizam
Awang. 2013. Improving graduates’ employability skills through industrial
training: Suggestions from employers. Journal of Education and Practice
4(4): 23-29.
Raj, S. 2014. Malaysian graduates: relevant yet irrelevant? (online report). http://
english.astroawani.com/news/show/ malaysian-graduates-relevant-yet-
irrelevant-45433?cp. October 10, 2014.
Si, S. 2011. We did not ask for too much salary. (online report). http://www.
jobstreet.com.my/aboutus/did-not-ask-for-too- much-salary-freshgrad.htm.
November, 2011.
Winterbotham, M., Adams, L. & Kuechel, A. 2001. Evaluation of the work based
learning for Adults Programme since April 2001: Qualitative interviews with
ES Staff, Providers and Employers. Sheffield: DWP.
Yim-Teo, T. 2004. Reforming curriculum for a knowledge economy, the case
of technical education in Singapore. Presented at the Education that Works:
The NCIIA 8th Annual Meeting, 18-20 March in Nanyang Technological
University, Singapore.
Zulkiple Ibrahim. 2014. A university degree is no guarantee for employment.
(online report). http://education.bernama. com/index.php?sid=news_
content&id=704559. October 24, 2014.
223
4.5
3.5
2.5
Rating
1.5
0.5
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Questioan
Question
FIGURE 2. The average mean value for the overall evaluation of the School of Biosciences
and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, UKM
Questions:
1. Undergraduate programmes fulfill expectations.
2. Rating for the overall value of the education received from the School of
Biosciences and Biotechnology.
3. Satisfaction with the undergraduate programme received from the School of

Biosciences and Biotechnology.
4. Recommendation of the programme to family and friends.
5. Recommendation of the School of Biosciences and Biotechnology as a place

to study.
6. Joining the School of Biosciences and Biotechnology’s alumni.
7. Feedback on the School of Biosciences and Biotechnology graduates.
8. Hiring UKM graduates when recruiting NB.
224
Ainon Hamzah1, Kalaivani Nadarajah, Mahanem Mat Noor & Arina Anis Azlan
Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
43600 Bangi, Selangor
Malaysia
1Corresponding author: antara@ukm.edu.my
Received: 3 September 2014

Accepted: 10 January 2015
225
226

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EMPLOYABILITY

Ministry of Higher Education

Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia

EMPLOYABILITY IN MALAYSIA : SELECTED WORKS / Advisory Editor,

Geografia - Malaysian Journal of Society and Space, Volume 12,

Malaysian Journal of Sport Science and Recreation, Volume 10,

Asian Academy of Management Journal, Volume 19, No. 1, 2014

Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, Volume 22,

Malaysian Journal of Economic Studies, Volume 45, No. 2, 2008

Journal of Surveying, Construction and Property, Volume 3, No.

Malaysian Journal of Learning & Instruction, Volume 11, 2014 :

Jurnal Pendidikan Malaysia (Malaysian Journal of Education),

Employability skills constructs as job performance predictors for 15

Graduate employability and preparedness : A case study of University of 35

Self employability of Malaysian Public Higher Education Institution 61

Employability skills development approaches : an application of the 77

Assessing graduates’ generic skills: an indicator of employability 99

Feasibility of early identification of low employability graduates in Malaysia 139

The effectiveness of finishing school programmes from the perspectives of 183

Students’ perception of the programme offered by the school of biosciences 209

The Ministry of Higher Education’s commitment towards enhancing the

This publication is timely as it provides us with vital insights into graduate

DATO’ SERI IDRIS BIN JUSOH

TAN SRI DR. NOORUL AINUR MOHD. NUR

We would like to welcome you to this compilation of selected works of current

The first article is entitled ‘Employability skills constructs as job performance

The next paper, ‘Graduate employability and preparedness: A case study of

In addition, the fourth article on ‘Employability skills development approaches:

Hock-Eam Lim in his paper, ‘Feasibility of early identification of low employability

Correspondence : Normala Rahmat (email : normala74@gmail.com)

Keywords : Electric and Electronic Polytechnic graduates, employability skills,

Markets today are increasingly concerned about globalization, rapid changes in

Sustained concerted effort on the employabilitystudy is requiredso that the

The research questions are as follows :

a) What are the constructs and dimensions of Employability Skills required by

A qualitative approach was used in the development of research constructs and

Table 1 (a). Scale for Fleiss Kappa Agreement

Source : Landis and Kosh (1977)

Document analysis and expert interviews construct of employability skills

Table 1 (c). Comparison of constructsof employability skills based work performance

Document analysis and expert interviews for construct and dimensions of

Theme : Technology skills

Content expert validation for construct and dimensions of employability skills

Archer W, Davison J (2008) Graduate Employability : What do employers think

Correspondence : Nooriah Yusof (email : nooriah@usm.my)

Huge government expenditures are allocated annually to develop higher learning

Physical traits, marital status

Development of higher education and

Universiti 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Total

Figure 2. Malaysian Higher Learning Public Output According to fields of learning,

Figure 3 : Malaysian Higher Learning Private Output According to fields of learning,

No formal Primary Secondary Tertiary

Source : Malaysia (2012b; 2011d).Adaptation from Department of Statistics, Malaysia

According to National Economic Advisory Council or Majlis Penasihat Ekonomi

Years No. of Manpower No. of working (‘000) Unemployment rate

Source : Malaysia (2011). Manpower Investigation, Department of Statistic.

The graduate’s unemployment rate according to the highest level of certificate

IPTA 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010