In order to be employed, an individual needs to not only have the required knowledge but also a skill set that would allow the individual to perform the task well. Both the required knowledge and the skill set needed can be obtained from tertiary education at universities and higher institutions. However, it seems that graduates are lacking in that skill set, namely, soft skills. This paper is a systemic review on what soft skills employers value and yet are lacking among graduates and what are the roles of universities and the government pertaining to this issue. The findings have shown that the graduates are lacking soft skills that are highly valued by the employers. To overcome this issue,, universities and the government has a part to play in order to build and develop the nation’s human capital.

Graduates of higher education institutions (HEIs) should not only graduate with hard skills but also soft skills. Therefore, it is the responsibility of HEIs as platforms to provide sufficient holistic skills to their graduates so they may perform well at their future workplace. Despite that, graduates are still deemed lacking when it comes to soft skills. The same goes for trainee teachers, as having soft skills is a pertinent aspect as future educators, even for Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) graduates. This paper aims to discuss the role of HEIs in developing soft skills of their TESL graduates. This study applied a mixed methodology via questionnaires and interviews to investigate the respondents' soft skills development which are, (a) critical thinking and problem-solving skills, (b) entrepreneurial skills and (c) moral and professional ethics based on their TESL program. The research findings showed that the respondents perceived the program generally to sufficiently develop their critical thinking and problem solving, entrepreneurship and moral and professional ethics skills as an outcome from the TESL program. However, improvements could be made to the TESL program in order to enhance their development of soft skills so to further improve the quality of teaching and learning and also aid employability. The findings are believed to be useful for future curriculum development of TESL programs in HEIs to consider the ongoing needs of stakeholders like schools when redesigning the curriculum of Teacher Education program.

The English literature component has been around in the Malaysian Education system since 2000. However, literature as a subject has always been learned more for transactional purposes rather than for its aesthetic value. Basically, a regurgitation of knowledge from years of learning, poured out in one major examination. In this research, the researcher applies a teaching method, called the literature circle in a classroom to study how it could be an effective way to learning literature beyond the classroom and for completing exam papers. Accompanying the literature circle activity is the writing of personal responses to gauge the students' understanding and views on the literature component being studied. This paper discusses the findings of the study that investigates the effect of literature circle in the students' personal responses and also to examine the students' perception towards literature circle. The findings of this study, obtained via qualitative and quantitative instruments, comprising of observations, interviews, personal responses, and questionnaires, provide insights for educators and other researchers into another dimension of the teaching and learning of literature component.

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