Understanding Employer’s Perception of Employability Skills of Polytechnic Graduates in Malaysia: A Case Study

Abstract

As technology develops, employment has become more competitive and employer is selective towards hiring especially fresh graduates. Graduates produced by the Higher Education Institutions must be able to meet the needs and requirements of employers which includes graduates produced by the Polytechnic. However, it is often questioned whether the skills and knowledge possessed by the graduates able to meet the requirements of employers. This study was conducted to assess the employability skills of Polytechnic students according to the perspective of employers. This study was conducted using an interview protocol on employers who have hired polytechnic graduates in their workforce. A total of seven employers from around Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor Bahru and Ipoh were involved in this study. A total of ten elements of employability skills that have been identified include communication skills, teamwork, leadership, ethics and morals, spirituality, lifelong learning and information management, critical thinking and problem solving, technology savvy, entrepreneurship and social skills. Employers argued that polytechnic engineering students should equipped with high competency in employability skills. Employers are not particularly impressed with polytechnic engineering students' employability when it comes to communication, leadership, critical thinking, problem-solving, technology usage, and entrepreneurship, according to data from interviews.