TITLE : EMPLOYABILITY

SKILLS AMONG
TECHNICAL AND
VOCATIONAL (TVET)
STUDENT IN MALAYSIA

CONTENT
Introduction
Problem Statement
Research Objectives
Research Questions
Literature Review
Methodology

INTRODUCTION
Employability skills is the most required

skill besides technical knowledge.

Most of the employers are prefer to chose
the graduates with employability skills
because they want their employee can
adapt in any field of work
Increasing number of unemployed
graduates in Malaysia

PROBLEM STATEMENT
Problem of unemployment among graduates today is

caused by the lack of communication skills, work

experience.
Other than that, the employers now require workers to
have employability skills consists of character,
appearance, self-confidence, professional communicate
and be able to make quick decisions in addition to
academic knowledge.
Foreign investors view that local graduates are not able to
support growth in this country.
Therefore, this study was undertaken to identify the
elements of employability skills that needed by the
students in polytechnics in Malaysia which considered
important by the industry.
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(Ahmad et.al.,2008)

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
To study the effect of employability skills

among the students

To determine the level of employability
skills among the students
To determine student awareness about the
employability skills for their future

RESEARCH QUESTIONS
What are the employability skills that

needed by the students to be able to work

in industry?
What are the levels of employability skills
of the students?
Are the students aware the importance of
employability skills for their future?

LITERATURE REVIEW
1. Technical and Vocational Education (TVET)
. an education and training system that

provide skills training

. In Malaysia, TVET were developed into
three different streams which is higher
education, technical and vocational
education and skills training
(Ahmad, 2003; Pang, 2011 and wilfredo et. Al.,
2013)

2. Employability Skills
Set of skills, knowledge and attributes that
likely make individual to gain, maintain and
excel in employment; obtain new
employment; move between roles within the
same organization and to get promotion
(Candy and Crebert, 1991; Dunne and Rowlins,
2000; Billing, 2003; Crebert, 2004; Hewitt, 2005;
Rasul et al., 2010; Sarimah et al.,2015).

Gainer (1988) make a summary of the

employability skills is;

a) individual skill covering (communication
skills, respect, computer skills, and cultural
skills),
b) skills that include individual reliability
(Individual management, ethical, and
vocational maturity)
c) skill economic adjustment (problem-solving
skills, learning employability, and career
development)
(Ahmad et.al.,2008)
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3. The importance of employability skills

Crucial to all stakeholders in TVET institutions,
because employers recruit and retain
employees with varied skills, including
communication, problem-solving and critical
thinking, instead of just technical or jobspecific skills
(Gibb, 2004; Neilson, 2007, and Boahin et. Al.,
2013)
Employability skills help learners become

more reflective, self-directed and capable of

maintaining family and community
relationships
(Hager et. Al., 2002 and Boahin et. Al., 2013)
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METHODOLOGY
The population - Mechanical Engineering

Instructors in Polytechnics in Malaysia and

the final year students Mechanical
Engineering in polytechnics in Malaysia.
Questionnaire as an instrument to identify
elements of employability skills needed by
the students.
Item were constructed based on research
question as to achieve the objectives
Data analysis using SPSS (Statistical Package
for the Social Sciences)
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REFERENCES
1. Peter Boahin & Adriaan Hofman (2013) A disciplinary perspective of

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

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competency-based training on the acquisition of employability skills, Journal of

Vocational Education & Training, 65:3, 385-401
Sarimah Ismail & Dahiru Sale Mohammed (2015) Employability skills in TVET
curriculum in Nigeria Federal Universities of Technology. Procedia Social and
Behavioral Sciences 204, 73-80
Ahmad Rizal Madar, Malyia Afzan Abd Aziz, Abdul Rasid Abd Razzaq, Mohamad
Zaid Mustafa & Dr. Yahya Buntat (2008) Kemahiran Employability Bagi
Memenuhi Keperluan Industri.
Wilfredo Herrera Libunao & Crystal Joan Peter (2013) Education for sustainable
development practices among polytechnics in malaysia. Proceeding of the
International Conference on Social Science Research, page 544-553
Yusmarwati Yusof, Rohayu Roddin & Halizah Awang (2014) What students need
and what teacher did : the impact of teachers teaching approaches to the
development of students generic competences. Procedia Social and
Behavioral Sciences 204, 36-44
Rupert Maclean & Margarita Pavlova (2011) Skills development for
employability (TVET) in higher education: issues and challenges, Journal of
Asian Public Policy, 4:3, 321-330,