STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS ON EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS:

A study of UNIMAS final year students

Salbiah Salleh

HD 58.7 Master of Science S159 (Homan Resource Development)

2006

Pusal UNlv

P.KHIDMAT MAKLUMAT AKADEMIK UNIMAS

1111111111111111111111111111 1000143521

STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS ON EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS:

A study of UNIMAS final year students

SALBIAH SALLER

A research paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the

Degree of Master of Science (Human Resource Development)

Faculty of Cognitive Science and Human Development UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA SARA W AK

2006

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to analyse students' understanding of the concept of employability skills and their perceptions on the importance of employability skills to secure employment, to effectively perform in the workplace as well as to retain employment, and to assess their level of competency with respect to these employability skills. Questionnaires were used to collect data from 322 final year undergraduates of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS). The data were analysed using SPSS version 14. The findings suggest the following: (a) the majority of respondents do not fully understand the concept of employability skills; (b) the majority rate highly the importance of the Teamwork Skills, more than Fundamental Skills and Personal Management Skills; (c) the majority rate their level of competence in all the three components as moderate; (d) their attitudes appear to be moderately related to their perceptions on the importance of employability skills, and (e) high achievers have high perceptions of their level of competence in employability skills. Finally, this study presents several recommendations to improve students' competencies and the delivery of soft skills programmes aimed at enhancing students' employability skills, and also recommendations for future research.

ABSTRAK ,

Kajian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisa kejahaman pelajar tentang konsep kemah iran bekerja (employability skills), persepsi mereka mengenai kepentingan kemah iran bekerja bagi mendapat pekerjaan, melaksanakan sesuatu tugas dengan berkesan dan kekal dalam sesuatu pekerjaan; serta menilai tahap kecekapan mereka dalam kemahiran bekerja. Borang kajiselidik digunakan untuk mengumpul data daripada 322 pelajar tahun akhir Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UN/MAS). Data berkenaan telah diana lisa menggunakan SPSS versi 14. Dapatan kajian menemui beberapa perkara berikut: (a) majoriti dari kalangan pelajar tidak memahami konsep kemahiran bekerja sepenuhnya; (b) majoriti pelajar cenderung memberi penilaian yang tinggi terhadap kepentingan komponen kemahiran bekerja yang ketiga iaitu kemahircln bekerjasama, lebih daripada komponen pertama dan kedua iaitu Kemahiran Asas dan Kemahiran Pengurusan Diri; (c) majoriti pelajar juga cenderung menilai tahap kemampuan diri mereka secara sederhana; (d) mereka juga bersikap sederhana terhadap persepsi dan kepentingan kemahiran bekerja; dan (e) pelajar cemerlang didapati mempunyai persepsi yang tinggi ke atas tahap kemampuan mereka dalam kemah iran bekerja. Seterusnya, kajian ini mengemukakan beberapa cadangan untuk memperbaiki kemahiran pelajar dan menyediakan program "soft skills" dengan matlamat utama untuk mempertingkatkan kemah iran bekerja serta cadangan untuk kajian di masa depan.

11

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Alhamdulillah, my utmost gratitude to Allah Almighty for the completion of this dissertation.

My sincere gratitude goes especially to my employer, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak for giving me the opportunity to pursue my Master Degree in Human Resource Development; to my supervisor Professor Datin Napsiah Mahfoz, for her unconditional guidance, support and patience throughout the preparation of this dissertation. Her wide experience and vast knowledge have been of great value in completing my project. My sincere appreciation also goes to the lecturers of the MSc of Human Resource Development programme, especially to Associate Professor Dr. Hong Kian Sam, for his valuable suggestions and constructive comments on this project; Ms Julia Lee, Ms Mai Sumiyati, Dr. Rusli Ahmad, Dr Tan Kok Wah, Mr. Halim Busari, Mr. Syafiq Fikri, Mr. Mohamad Hosen, Dr. Shahren Ahmad Zaidi, Dr. Norsiah Fauzan, to name a few, for the opportunity to explore and challenge my capability.

This dissertation would not be possible without the help and support of my fellow Assistant Registrars and their support staff as well as my respondents, the final year students of the academic session 200512006. I may not be able to name each and every one of them, nevertheless, their support and assistance are greatly acknowledged.

I wish to extend my appreciation to the fonner Dean and Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Professor Dr Syed Hassan Ahmad and Professor Dr. Hashami Bohari; colleagues and staff, as well as my classmates for their support and cooperation during my study.

I am also indebted to my family, especially my parents, Haji Salleh and Hajjah Marayah, for their continuous encouragement and motivation. To my husband, Mohd Nazari Abdullah and my children, Nazlin, Alisa and Sarah, thank you for the patience, the inspirations and the unconditional support and most of all, thank you for always being there for me.

111

Pusat Khidmat MakJUmat Aka, UNIVERSITI MALAY~lA SARP

94100 KOla Samarahan

T ABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Abstract. ............... . ................ . ...................................... .. ................ . .......... .i

Acknowledgements ....................................................................................... .iii

Table of Contents ... .. ...................................................................................................... .iv

List ofTables. ..... . ........................................................................ " .......... vi

List ofFigures ............................. ........... . ................................................ Vll

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION 1

1.0 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY 2 1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 4 1.3 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES 6 1.4 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK 8 1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES 9 1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY 9 1.7 OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS 10 1.8 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY 11

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW 12

2.0 INTRODUCTION 12 2.1 CHALLENGES IN THE PRESENT WORK ENVIRONMENT 12 2.2 EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS 14

2.2.1 Concept of employability skills 14 2.2.2 Studies on employability skills 15

2.3 COMPONENTS OF EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS 20 2.3.1 Fundamental Skills 22 2.3.2 Personal Management Skills 25 2.3.3 Teamwork Skills 27

2.4 F ACTORS INFLUENCING EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS 29 2.4.1 Attitude towards employability skills 30 2.4.2 Educational background: access to quality education among urban and

rural students 32 2.4.3 Academic performance 34

2.5 CONCLUSION 35

CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 36

3.0 INTRODUCTION 36 3.1 RESEARCH DESIGN 36

lV

3.2 SAMPLE 37 3.3 RESEARCH INSTRUMENT 39

3.3.1 Section A: Background infonnation 40 3.3.2 Section B Part I: Understanding the concept of skills needed in

the workplace 40 . 3.3.3 Section B Part II: Perceptions on the importance of skills needed in the

workplace 40 3.3.4 Section B Part III: Level of competency 41 3.3.5 Section B Part IV: Attitude towards employability skills 42

3.4 RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS 43 3.5 DATA COLLECTION 43 3.6 DATA ANALYSIS PROCEDURES 44 3.7 CONCLUSION 46

CHAPTER 4

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 47

4.0 INTRODUCTION 47 4.1 PROFILE OF RESPONDENTS 47 4.2 RESPONDENTS' UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONCEPT OF SKILLS

NEEDED IN THE WORKPLACE 49 4.3 RESPONDENTS' PERCEPTIONS ON THE IMPORTANCE

OF EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS 50 4.4 RESPONDENTS' LEVEL OF COMPETENCE ON THEIR

PERCEIVED EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS 52 4.5 HYPOTHESES TESTING 57

CHAPTERS

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 64

5.0 INTRODUCTION 64 5.1 SUMMARY OF THE STUDY 64 5.2 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 65

5.2.1 Understanding the concept of employability skills 65 5.2.2 Perceptions on the importance of employability skills 66 5.2.3 Level of competence of employability skills 68 5.2.4 Summary of the results of hypotheses testing 68

5.3 IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 69 5.3.1 Implications for students 69 5.3.2 Recommendations for the organization 71 5.3.3 Recommendations for future research 72

5.4 CONCLUSION 72

REFERENCES

APPENDIX A

APPENDIX B

v

LIST OF TABLES

Table 2.1: CBC's Employability Skills 2000+

Table 3.1: Breakdowns ofquestionnaires sent out

Table 3.2: Cronbach Alpha value of the pilot test

Table 3.3: Data analysis

Table 4.1: Profile of respondents

Table 4.2: Respondents understanding the concept of skills needed in the workplace

Table 4.3: Respondents' perceptions on the importance of employability skills

Table 4.4: Respondents' level of competence on their perceived employability skills in tenns of Fundamental Skills

Table 4.5: Respondents' level of competence on their perceived employability skills in terms of Personal Management Skills

Table 4.6: Respondents' level of competence on their perceived employability skills in terms of Teamwork Skills

Table 4.7: Correlations between respondents' attitudes and their perceived importance of employability skills

Table 4.8: One-Way AN OVA results for differences between respondents' race and perceived importance of employability skills

Table 4.9: Differences in the respondents' of employability skills based on demography factor (gender).

Table 4.10: Independent t-test results for differences in the respondents' perceived level of competence in employability skills based on rural or urban education background

Table 4.11: Independent t-test results for differences in the respondents' competence in employability skills based on MUET scores

Table 4.12: One-Way ANOVA results for differences in the perceptions on the level of competence in employability skills based on CGPA.

Table 4.13: A summary of the null hypotheses tested

vi

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1.1: The conceptual framework of the study

Figure 3.1: Example of modifications to questionnaire

Figure 3.2: Part of the questionnaire

Figure 3.3: Part of the questionnaire

vii

CHAPTERl

INTRODUCTION

1.0 Introduction

Over the last four decades, Malaysia has experienced a continual increase in GDP, and a

relatively low inflation and illiteracy rates as well as unemployment. However, the 1997

Asian financial crisis has ended this success story. The demand for labour reduced as the

output contracted (Bronner, 2003). Inflation and unemployment rate rose sharply, from only

2.7 percent prior to 1997 and doubling-up to almost 600,000 in 1998 (Ministry of Finance,

Malaysia, 1998). The economy started to bounce and experienced a robust expansion to 7.1

percent in 2004, spurred by continued increase in domestic business investment and

consumption spending. A positive growth has been recorded especially in the manufacturing,

service-related industries, and trading and export sectors. Similar economic growth was also

recorded in other developing countries in the Asia and Pacific region which saw on the

aggregate, a 3.7 percent ofGDP growth as well as the revival of the US, Japan and European

economy (Asian Development Bank, 2005). This revival led to increase job creation, which

has also resulted in a reduction of unemployment rate from 3.6 percent in 2003 to 3.5 percent

in 2004. However, this overall economic expansion was not reflected in the unemployment

problem among university graduates (Asian Development Bank, 2005), which reached the

level of 18,000 in 2004 (BERNAMA, 2005).

The new economy of the 21 51 century, depicted by the increased globalization and rapid

changes in technology has transformed the way business is run, which created new

I

competitive landscape for organizations and its people (Hitt, Keats & DeMarie, 1998). In

addressing these uncertainties and instabilities in the external environment, the writers

suggested a number of actions, which include developing employee skills, effective use of

new technologies, and building cultures that foster learning and innovation, all of which are

closely tied to human resource development. A nation's competitiveness and ability to

respond to the challenges of the new world economy, is very much dependent on the skills,

knowledge and ability acquired by its people especially the youths.

1.1 Background of the Study

Universities are responsible in preparing their graduates with solid education in the areas

beneficial for the growth of the society and the nation, as well as in preparing them for the

transition from being full-time students into full-time income earners. Universities have long

been regarded as establishments to provide education in selected areas of discipline, cultivate

the love for learning and develop skills in critical thinking (Fong, 2005). There is, however,

increasing expectation that universities should be able to prepare students for the job market.

Such public expectations have oftentimes led to increased criticism regarding the weaknesses

and inabilities of our universities. Yusof Ghani (2005), citing Professor Emeritus Khoo Kay

Kim, criticised universities as producing scores of graduates to meet the demand of the job

markets but failed in their efforts to supply high quality employable products to better suit the

employers' and market requirements. Ironically, this has also created a controversy by itself;

a mismatch between the quality of the graduates available in the market and the demand from

the industry. The curriculum has also been blamed for not being market-driven. At present,

there are nearly 15,000 surplus IT graduates in the market (The Star, 2004). According to Dr.

2

Selliapan Palaniappan, an academic with the IT programme at Malaysian University of

Science and Technology (MUST), most of the IT graduates were trained purely in IT whilst

the critical needs are those who are competent in computer science. Hence, it is not surprising

that at present most IT companies are hiring foreign graduates proficient in language

programming and software development (The Star, 2004).

Universities have also been criticised for the quality of graduates produced. They may have

produced first-class honours graduates, but the ability to secure good jobs which are in line

with the courses taken during their undergraduate studies, as well as that meet the job

requirements, have raised serious concerns. These graduates may need time to undergo a

process of learning, unlearning and relearning new capabilities once they are in the job. The

issue is how many of them have the opportunity to learn, unlearn and relearn if they are not

being employed? Furthermore, the amount of budget allocated for the retraining ' of these

graduates is enormous. In November 2001, the government allocated RM256.1 million to

support the implementation of a Training and Attachment Programme for Unemployed

Graduates (Economic Planning Unit, 2005).

Graduates themselves are not spared from criticism. According to Professor Emeritus Khoo

Kay Kim cited by Yusof Ghani (2005), the qualities of students are low compared to students

in the past. He compared them with parrots, having a tendency to memorize things instead of

understanding what was learned. Datuk Dr Fong Chang ann (2005), Minister in the Human

Resources Department commented that today's graduates are also said to have poor

command of the English language, are not multi-skilled, passive and rather hesitant to ask

questions. Another well-known academician and former Universiti Malaya Vice-Chancellor,

Professor Datuk Dr Syed Hussein Alatas was quoted as saying that the purpose of tertiary

3

,

I'

education is not only to build a better career for a person but also embraces the building and

development of a society and its nation, which can only be achieved by getting good

employment (Graduan, 2004) which better suit their qualifications.

In today's dynamic and uncertain employment environment, both the graduates and the

employers are facing new and great challenges. The market is now experiencing a surplus of

highly qualified labour pool in an economy currently having limited number of job

opportunities. Unlike the pre-financial downturn year of 1997, whereby graduates could

easily find jobs, nowadays it would have taken them much longer time to find jobs. More

graduates are competing with each other while employers have more choice to select and hire

candidates who have the greatest potential of meeting their strict job requirements. From the

employers' points of view, the main problem lies not in the difficulty of finding the right

person with the right academic qualifications, but rather in identifying employees equipped

with the necessary skills and qualities required to be successful workers (Tomlinson, 2002).

Quek (2004) explains that by having the essential skills and abilities to be highly flexible and

adaptable, a person is better able to compete in an increasingly competitive job market. This

is in line with Lankard's (1990) view on the importance of employability skills in enabling

individuals to acquire and to keep their jobs.

1.2 Statement of the problem

Of late, issues of unemployment and employability among graduates have attracted much

attention not only from the public but the government as well. The escalating number of

unemployed among the young and highly educated Malaysians is worrisome. Even though

this situation is not unique to Malaysia alone, still the issue need to be addressed. Even the

4

Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, is concerned about the situation and

has requested all parties to work together and solve the problem before it deteriorates further

(BERNAMA, 2005). In 2004, it was reported that the number of the unemployed graduates

has reached 80,000 (BERNAMA, 2005), a claim refuted by the Ministry of Higher Education

as the number also included the diploma holders. The unemployment rate among graduates

is expected to rise further as more graduates of public and private higher ins,titutions are

expected to enter the job market in the years to come (The News Straight Times, 2005).

Today, the unemployment rate stands at 3.5 percent (Asian Development Bank, 2005).

Potential employers lamented and expressed their dissatisfaction on the unpreparedness

among the new graduates at the entry-level of employment (Quek, 2005; Davies, 2000;

Arnold, Loan-Clarke, Harrington & Hart, 1999). Some have reservations on the

employability skills of these candidates and are, therefore, not very inclined to employ them

(Quek, 2005). New graduates need to face the reality that recruitments are no longer solely

dependent on their degrees. Employers are looking for a range of other attributes when

employing and retaining graduates (Harvey, Moon & Geall, 1997; Gabb,1997). In industries

such as the small-medium enterprises (SMEs), graduates face challenges from non-graduates

for low-wage jobs (Stewart & Knowles, 1999) and this, according to Datuk Dr. Fong Chan

Onn, is a waste of resources spent on their education. The Malaysian Public Service

Department has even suggested that graduates can apply for lower positions in the

government agencies. It was stated that while in service, they would be given priorities for

higher positions when vacancies arise (Berita Harian, 2005).

A study by Business in the Community on Employability in the 21 st century in 2002,

confirmed that most fresh graduates are handicapped in effective communication and lack

5

interpersonal skills, customer interaction abilities, and the ability to adapt to flexible approach

(Tomlinson, 2002; Quek, 2005). This has resulted in them not having the ability to properly

integrate classroom learning to the workplace environment (Jacobsen, 1993; The News

Straits Times, 2004; Quek, 2005), making them less marketable (Quek, 2005). This can also

be considered a loss in economic competitiveness and discouraging for a nation critically

requiring highly qualified and competent employees to spur and sustain its economic

development.

However, despite all the controversies on graduates unemployability and their perceived

weaknesses in communication and interpersonal skills, how do the tertiary students

themselves understand and perceived the importance of these skills and how do they rate their

own abilities regarding these skills? Specifically, how do Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

(UNIMAS) students perceived employability skills, how competent they were in these skills,

what were their attitudes toward employability skills and their understanding of the concept

of employability skills? To answer these four major concerns of the study, the focus were to

look into the perceptions of final year students of UNIMAS on the importance and their level

of competencies in employabmty skills.

1.3 Research Objectives

The focus of this study is to analyze UNIMAS final year students' perceptions on the

importance of employability skills and to assess their level of competence to secure

employment, to effectively perform in the workplace as well as to retain employment.

Specifically the objectives of the study are:

6

1.3.1 To analyze the respondents' understanding on the concept of skills needed to enter, to

perfonn effectively in the workplace and to retain employment.

1.3.2 To analyze respondents' perceptions of the importance of employability skills to

enter, to perfonn effectively in the workplace and to retain employment.

1.3.3 To analyze the respondents ' perceived level of competence of these employability

skills.

1.3.4 To identify the relationship between respondents' attitudes towards employability

skills and their perception on the importance of employability skills.

1.3.5 To identify the differences between personal and demography factors and the

respondent's perceived level ofcompetence in employability skills.

1.3.6 To identify the differences between personal and demography factors and the

respondents' perception on the importance of employability skills.

7

1.4 Conceptual Framework

Independent Variables Dependent Variables

+ + Attitudes towards employability

skills

Personal Factors

1. Education background • rural vs urban • MUET scores

2. Academic performance

• CGP A results

3. Demography factors

• Race • Gender

Perceived importance in employability skills

• Fundamental Skills • Personal Management Skills • Teamwork Skills

Perceived level of competence in employability skills

• Fundamental Skills • Personal Management Skills • Teamwork Skills

Figure 1.1: The conceptual Jramework ojthe study

Figure 1.1 shows the conceptual framework for the study. The dependent variables are the

students' perceived importance of employability skills as well as their level of competence in

employability skills. These employability skills are categorized under three major

components: Fundamental Skills, Personal Management Skills and the Teamwork Skills.

The independent variables investigated are the students' attitudes toward employability skills,

and personal factors which comprise education background, academic performance and

demography factors.

8

1.5 Research Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses are fonnulated:

Hoi: There is no significant relationship between the respondents' attitudes toward

employability skills and their perception on the importance of employability skills.

H02: There is no significant difference in the respondents' perception on the importance of

employability skills based on race.

H03: There is no significant difference in the respondents' perception on the importance of

employability skills based on gender.

H04: There is no significant difference in the respondents' perceived level of competence in

employability skills based on their education background.

HoS: There is no significant difference in the respondents' perceived level of competence in

employability skills based on their MUET scores.

H06: There is no significant difference in the respondents' perceived level of competence in

employability skills based on their academic perfonnance (COP A).

1.6 Significance of the Study

This study attempts to identify UNIMAS final year students' perception on employability

skills as well as to identify their perceived level of competence. This study also identifies

employability skills that could be further developed and programmes that could be introduced

to enable students to prepare themselves with the right employability skills.

9

1.7 Operational Definitions

This section provides the operational definition of the important concepts and terminologies

used in this study

Employability skills: The essential skills needed to acquire and retain employment as well as

to perform productively in the workplace.

Attitudes: Students' perceptions on the importance of having positive attitudes and

behaviours to meet the ever-changing demands of various work requirements.

Education background: Locality of schools (either urban or rural) and the students'

performance in the Malaysian University English Test (MUET).

Academic performance: Students' Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) at the time of

the study.

Oemographx factors: Students' gender and ethnic background.

Fundamental Skills: The necessary or foundation skills vital in acquiring a job and to

perform certain tasks.

Personal Management Skills: The personal qualities and skills that drive a person to progress

in their career.

Teamwork Skills: Skills and attributes needed to perform and contribute effectively to the

workplace.

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1.8 Limitation of the Study

The respondents of this study are UNIMAS final year students from all faculties. The study is

based on their perception of the importance of employability skills and their level of

competence. No actual measurements of the skills such as using inventories or performance

tests are carried out.

It is anticipated that the students' perception of their competence level and the importance of

having these skills vary. This study also reveals their perceived strengths and weaknesses.

Based on the findings, students are able to develop and improve whatever skills they

perceived they are lacking in. The findings, however, might not be representative of all final

year students of UNIMAS from other academic session as well as those from other higher

learning institutions.

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CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 Introduction

This chapter discusses the challenges in the workplace, the concept of employability skills

and reviews relevant studies on employability skills, specifically the importance of

employability skills to the workplace, components of employability skills as well as factors

influencing employability skil1s. The chapter is divided into four sections. Section 2.1

discusses a brief analysis of the challenges in the workplace. Section 2.2 provides an

introduction to the concept of employability skills and this includes a discussion on past

studies as well as current issues related to employability skills. Section 2.3 describes the

components of employability skills while Section 2.4 discusses factors that influence

students' perceptions on the importance of the level of competence as well as their attitudes

towards employability skills.

2.1 Challenges in the present work environment

The present workplace environment has, and will continue to change drastically. Changes in

the workplace environment have always been linked to the changes in organizational

structures, rapid development in digital technologies, the Internet, and the World-Wide-Web,

the emerging of K-societies as well as the increase in minorities joining the workforce. In the

90s, new industries such as in the telecommunication and information technology have

become major employers. The changes in the natures of jobs in such organizations also

12

brought changes to the traditional practices and made irrelevant many past experiences and

practices (Fallows & Steven, 2000). According to Carnevale (1991), these changes have

significantly influenced the way businesses are run, particularly due to the increase

competitive environment in creating new market standards. He points out that higher

emphasis is given on effective delivery of products and services to meet the strictest

standards and requirements of globalized market.

Recent studies on employability skills (Dench, 1997; Nabi, 2003; Quek, 2005; Nguyen,

Yoshinari & Shigeji, 2005) indicate the importance of having balanced and knowledge

workers that fit the new economic demands. More and diverse skills are required to perform

and to execute the ever increasing complexities of work.

According to Dench (1997), employment in the 21 sl century presents new challenges that

require higher level of education, further learning and training in order to succeed. Thus,

employers require more knowledge workers, especially those equipped with combinations of

skills and abilities necessary to perform effectively in the workplace. She further argues that

these new requirements suggest that employees are expected to be highly adaptable, flexible

as well as be accountable in responding to changes and challenges in workplace environment.

Thus, UNIMAS being the first university established in 1992 after the declaration of Vision

2020 by the former Prime Minister, Tun Mahathir Mohamad should be seen to translate this

agenda and the challenges of the vision into reality. Located in Sarawak, Malaysia,

UNIMAS aims to become one of the major players in the region in providing contemporary

quality education. UNIMAS believes and encourages total development of its students to

successfully contribute to nation building and achieving developed nation status by the year

13

2020. Hence, its undergraduate curriculums are developed with the objective to prepare and

train its students to be multi-skilled, creative, and flexible. The emphasis is on inculcating

positive values and attitudes that will significantly contribute to the character building of the

students. UNIMAS students are expected to not only gain knowledge and skills from the

undergraduate programmes but also to have the capability to apply and transfer the learning

to workplace (Zawawi Ismail, 1997).

2..2 Employability skills

2.2.1 Concept of employability skills

Since the mid-80s, numerous studies on employability skills have been extensively conducted

in developed countries such as the United States (US), Canada, Australia and the United

Kingdom (UK). Saterfiel and McLarty (1995) define employability skills as the skills

essential to acquire and retain employment, while Harvey and Knight (2003), describe

employability as the tendency of securing a job and progressing in a career. Supporting these

are the findings made by earlier researchers (Baxter & Young, 1982; Beach, 1982; Chatham,

1982; Carnevale, Gainer & Meltzer, 1988) who identified basic employability skills as skills

vital in acquiring and retaining a job. Collectively, they agreed that these skills referred to the

Fundamental Skills of reading, writing, arithmetic, thinking and problem solving. Lankard

(1 990) further included other attributes such as good habits, attitudes, personal image, and

interpersonal skills in the list of employability skills. Hill and Petty (1995), Harvey (2000),

and Quek (2005) expanded the definition to also cover other range of attributes and skills not

only to secure employment but required for effective performance in the workplace. These

include teamwork, adaptability, communication skills, ability to learn new things and the use

of information and communication technologies.

14

Thus, employability skills can be summarized as the skills vital for securing employment,

which include basic skills in reading, writing, arithmetic, and thinking and problem-solving

skills; the skills vital for effective performance in the workplace as well as the skills

important in retaining one in employment. These skills include interpersonal skills,

communication skills, teamwork, and information management.

1.1.1 Studies on employability skills

<8> Past studies

Several studies have been carried out since the 80s to identify the various types of skills

needed by job seekers and employers. This section reviews these early studies in an effort to

identify the various skills that can be identified with employability skills.

In the 80s, economic difficulties and the intense competition in the global market faced by

many developed countries seemed to be the major motivations for labour authorities,

policymakers, business people as well as the educators, to identify the profiles of

employability skills. They were expected to investigate the requirements necessary for

tomorrow's workforce which include good foundation of generic skills and knowledge, and

the ability to respond to globalization and internationalization (Callan, 2003).

O'Neil, Allred and Baker (1992) reviewed several major studies significant to the issue of

employability skills. A study conducted by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in

1984 (in O'Neil et aI., 1992) aimed at examining the skills vital for high school graduates to

enter employment revealed several important findings. These are (a) the ability to learn new

15