Employers’ perspectives on skills falling short, HEIs’ education system and graduates’ attributes

• Main Author: Wahab, Nurul Asmida Abdul
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English; English
• Published: 2024
• Online Access: http://eprints.utem.edu.my/id/eprint/28845/; https://plh.utem.edu.my/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=124494

Dissatisfaction among employers regarding graduates’ skills and abilities is a worldwide issue. Employers are looking for employees with strong employability skills to enhance organizational performance. However, there is a lack of precise indications on the specific skills required by engineers in the industry, the quality of education system in the country, and the graduate attributes that make up employability among graduates. Therefore, this study aims to bridge the gap by identifying the importance of employability skills that engineers falling short, HEIs’ education system, and the important graduates’ attributes from Malaysian employers’ perspectives. This study employed quantitative method and 140 questionnaires were distributed to the senior managers at organizational level within companies located at Penang, Malaysia. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software version 29 was used to extract the survey data. Findings indicated employers agreed that engineers must be able to use and keep up with emerging technologies in engineering practice. The results suggest that Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) should update, improve, and deliver the skills with latest industry requirements to make fresh graduates more work-ready. Findings also revealed, the important graduates’ attributes to the industry are the ability to balance knowledge, skills, personality, and attitudes. Results for employers’ perspectives (EP) (β=0.551, p=0.087), skills falling short (SFS) (β=0.217, p=0.003), HEIs’ education system (HES) (β=0.469, p=<0.001), and graduates’ attributes (GA) (β=0.143, p=0.031). It is hoped that these data can be an essential reference for engineers, HEIs, and graduates to prepare themselves and take shared responsibility, especially in this challenging economic situation.