Employability Skills of Public University Students: A Mismatch between Importance and Competence
Mohamad Arsyhad Rosdi1, Rabeatul Husna Abdull Rahman2, Salwa Abdul Patah3, Wan Mohd Azam Wan Mohd Yunus4, Nurul Labanihuda Abdull Rahman5
1Mohamad Arsyhad Rosdi, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
2Rabeatul Husna Abdull Rahman, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
3Salwa Abdul Patah, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
4Wan Mohd Azam Wan Mohd Yunus, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
5Nurul Labanihuda Abdull Rahman, Faculty of Business and Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Kedah, Malaysia.
Manuscript received on 24 November 2019 | Revised Manuscript received on 04 December 2019 | Manuscript Published on 10 December 2019 | PP: 650-653 | Volume-8 Issue-3S2 October 2019 | Retrieval Number: C12111083S219/2019©BEIESP | DOI: 10.35940/ijrte.C1211.1083S219
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© The Authors. Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open access article under the CC-BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Abstract: This article is based on a cross-sectional study conducted towards 150 third-year undergraduate students in a local public university. The study was conducted mainly to investigate the students’ perceptions of the importance of a set of employability skill and their perceived level of competence at performing these skills. The skills are categorized into five groups, namely: (1) problem-solving and analytic skills; (2) time management skills; (3) creativity, innovation, and change skills; (4) learning skills; and (5) personal strength. Data was collected using questionnaires. The findings revealed a mismatch between the students’ perception of the importance of the skills and their level of competency for these skills. In specific, they perceived that this set of employability skills is highly important, however, their level of competency is at a moderate level. This finding signifies the need for the university to embed these skills into the curriculum, as well as to conduct more programmes in order to prepare these future graduates for the job market.
Keywords: Employability Skills, Undergraduate Students, Public University, Perceived Importance, Perceived Competence.
Scope of the Article: Social Sciences