Employers’ Perceptions on Graduates in Malaysian Services Sector

Prospects of Problem-Based Learning in Building Critical Thinking Skills among Technical College Students in Nigeria

“…It is also reported in Nigeria that most of the TVET graduates do not perform well in jobs interviews because they only have general and theoretical knowledge that does little to prepare them for the actual tasks or skills they will encounter in their jobs (Isah Usman et al, 2013;Udofia et al, 2012;Umunadi, 2012), while most companies are looking for TVET graduates with skills beyond the standard paper degree (Agus, Awang, Yussof, & Mohamed Makhbul, 2011;Beder, 2000;A. L. Brown & Campione, 2002;Daud, 2013;Goddard, 2002;Goold & Augar, 2009;Isah Usman et al, 2013;Ismail, Yussof, & Sieng, 2011;Young & Chapman, 2010).…”

Language Learning Strategies of Graduates for Future Employment – An Overview

“…Ismail, Yussof, and Lai (2011) noted that statistics from the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia for 2008 and 2009 showed 24.1% and 26.7% respectively of graduates were unemployed six months after they graduated. Among the main reasons for being unemployed were because they were unable to find jobs (71.8%) or jobs offered were not suitable (18.4%) (Ismail et al, 2011).…”

“…Another study which assessed employers' perception on Malaysian graduates focused on the services sector (Ismail et al, 2011). The authors had respondents who were made up of senior human resource managers in the services industry surveyed on graduates performance and the difference, if any, between local graduates and overseas graduates.…”

“…The authors found that the respondents felt that graduates needed to improve soft skills, which include communication skills, Malay and English language proficiency, writing skills, thinking skills, decision making and problem skills, ICT skills, team player, work planning, value and ethics, self-confidence, characteristic and attitude as well as leadership and personality. In addition, the authors found that employers felt that local graduates were better at skills among others such as problem solving and being a team player, while overseas graduates were better in study area, thinking skill and English language proficiency (Ismail et al, 2011). …”

Competency based Education (CBE) for IT Security: Towards Bridging the Gap

“…Lim [2] stated that IT graduates a facing lesser marketability power now compared to the early 1990s, due to some extent, to the mismatch of skills acquired and required by the job market. Following the job matching theory, a mismatch between skills possessed by a graduate and the required skills by employers have important consequences towards the success of getting a job, productivity, even wages [3]. In the highly competitive job market today, employers will choose the most suitable candidates with both technical and professional competencies to avoid the hassle of expensive training cost later [4].…”