Employing the ‘unemployable’: employer perceptions of Malaysian graduates

Cheong, Kee Cheok; Hill, Christopher; Fernandez-Chung, Rozilini M.; Leong, Yin-Ching

doi:10.1080/03075079.2015.1034260

Cited by 52 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Employers expect graduates to have developed a range of skills, understandings and qualities appropriate for employment and need to be convinced that graduates will demonstrate employment-related skills (Cheong et al 2016;Collet, Hine and Du Plessis 2015). The abovementioned baseline study referenced by Archer and Chetty (2013) shows evidence of a gap between what the universities intend to produce, the actual capabilities of the students and the employers' perceptions of key employability skills.…”

Section: Employabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

A study on the skills of master of arts in research psychology graduates from the employers’ perspective

Fynn

Dladla

Erasmus

2019

SAJHE

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There is limited research into Research Psychology in general and even less research into employers' expectations of graduates from Research Psychology programmes. Calls from higher education institutions to improve graduate employability demonstrate the importance of exploring employer expectations. The method employed in this study was a cross-sectional design.Employers were surveyed to determine the types of industry in which graduates are employed, the institutions that employ the graduates and the skills required for their employment. Descriptive statistics and frequency counts were carried out to report the results. The study found that employers place much emphasis on the importance of soft skills, which is in contrast to the weight given to hard skills. In terms of research-specific skills, employers focus less on the academic research skills and more on the basic research skills that research programmes often take for granted. The matching of the organisation to the individual was considered important. Although this falls outside the offerings of research programmes, this match ensures the employment of the graduate and increases human capital development within organisations. The research problem was that while the existence of the skills gap between training outcomes and employer expectations is widely documented, relatively little research has been conducted into the expectations of employers of graduates within the field of Research Psychology. The study contributes to the understanding of the expectations of employers that affect employability outcomes and destinations of Research Psychology graduates.

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Section: Employabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

A study on the skills of master of arts in research psychology graduates from the employers’ perspective

Fynn

Dladla

Erasmus

2019

SAJHE

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“…The presence of speaking anxiety in each individual explains why many second language learners are able to perform well in reading, writing and listening but having problems to orally use the language confidently. In Malaysia, the inability to speak in English confidently is not only faced by primary school students but also the degree holders which become one of the contributing factors to their unemployment [4]. V-Buddy, which is an audio-based application, is designed to propose a possible solution to overcome students' lack of confidence to speak in English.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing Speaking Skills Using Virtual Speaking Buddy

Rashid

Mohamed

Rahman³

et al. 2017

Int. J. Emerg. Technol. Learn.

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Abstract-This interdisciplinary study integrates ICT in education through the innovation of an interactive audio-based application as a tool to enhance English language speaking skills among less proficient students. Drawing on the sociocultural perspective of learning, the application named 'V-Buddy' has been developed and tested with a group of participants which consists of five primary school students and an English language teacher. The teacher was briefed of her role as a facilitator before the students were exposed to V-Buddy for eight weeks. Adopting one group pre-test and post-test experimental design as its methodology, the teacher was asked to evaluate the students' level of confidence to speak prior to and after their engagement with the V-Buddy. The teacher was also interviewed to obtain her feedback on V-Buddy whilst the students were asked to complete the Personal Report of Confidence (PRC). The analysis reveals that all the students developed higher confidence level after their engagement with V-Buddy and the teacher perceived it positively which suggests its potential to be used as a tool in developing speaking skills among less proficient students.

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“…The rankings of importance are as follows: 1) adaptability skills, 2) interpersonal and teamwork skills, 3) time management skills, 4) English language proficiency, 5) information communication technology skills, 6) leadership skills, and 7) communication skills. In fact, employers in the private sector would rather employ graduates from transnational private universities because of their better command of English although graduates from Malaysian public universities are familiar with local conditions, diligent, and have lower salary expectations (Cheong, Hill, Fernandez-Chung, & Leong, 2016). Malaysian university students are aware that poor language proficiency can hamper communicative ability, but do not agree that a good mastery of English would automatically imbue one with the ability to speak with confidence and converse in an interactive and knowledgeable (Marzuki, Ting, Jerome, Chuah, & Misieng, 2013).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Employers’ Views on Importance of English Proficiency and Communication Skill for Employability in Malaysia

Ting

Marzuki

Chuah

et al. 2017

Indonesian J. Appl. Linguist

101

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Employability of graduates is a concern in many countries, including Malaysia, and the high unemployment rate among graduates is often attributed to their lack of English proficiency and communication skills. These two distinctive elements are often collated, and it is important to find out which is more important to employers. The study examined the employers' views on the importance of English proficiency and communication skill for graduates to be employed in the Malaysian private sector. The data were from semi-structured interviews conducted with 10 employers in the private sector who were in the position to recruit staff. The 21,433-word interview transcripts were analyzed. The results revealed that employers in the Malaysian private sector view language proficiency and communication skills as separate qualities. The employers are willing to consider employing candidates with average English proficiency if they have good communication skills, except for jobs which require more communication in English such as customer service and marketing. The results also revealed that good communication skills can increase employability and opportunities for career advancement. The findings highlight the communication skills that universities need to emphasize so that their graduates have the necessary skills to perform well in employment interviews and in their work.

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Employing the ‘unemployable’: employer perceptions of Malaysian graduates

Cited by 52 publications

References 17 publications

A study on the skills of master of arts in research psychology graduates from the employers’ perspective

A study on the skills of master of arts in research psychology graduates from the employers’ perspective

Developing Speaking Skills Using Virtual Speaking Buddy

Employers’ Views on Importance of English Proficiency and Communication Skill for Employability in Malaysia

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