A recent survey conducted by Malaysia's Higher Education Ministry has revealed that poor communication skills are the main obstacle preventing public university graduates from finding jobs.
The study identified soft skills, including interpersonal communication, teamwork, problem-solving skills, critical thinking skills, and English language proficiency, as weaknesses among graduates.
As a result of these deficiencies, government university graduates are struggling to secure jobs in their fields of study and are instead turning to e-hailing and delivery services like Grab, InDrive and Air Asia. Kannan Jogulu, a researcher at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, explained that graduates often fail job interviews because they cannot articulate themselves reasonably and logically in answering questions.
"Even a simple question like 'Can you introduce yourself?' during an English interview session proves challenging for many graduates. Instead, they speak in Bahasa Malaysia. Another significant reason for interview failure is a poor character, attitude, and personality," added Kannan.
The inadequacy of generic skills among job-seeking graduates is the primary cause of unemployment, resulting in a higher number of graduates being forced to take up low-paying jobs to meet their financial needs. Despite the existence of the National Graduate Employability Blueprint, Malaysia is still facing the same skills deficiency in its graduates.
Kannan, who is also a management consultant with AHC Training and Consultancy, is currently researching how public universities can produce graduates for the global employment market. The study included final year students, lecturers, and management teams from three local universities as respondents.
Kannan noted, "Many developed countries are ahead of Malaysia in terms of producing high-quality graduates who possess not only strong academic and technical skills but also the most sought-after communication or employability skills that match the discipline of study."
"The blame is usually on higher education institutions, as they are often criticized for not preparing graduates for the real contexts involved in their professional practice. It is now showing in the survey that the attitude of graduates is not meeting the needs of employers," said Kannan who is an experienced trainer, and coach in the field of organizational strategic management. He holds a Master of Education (M.Ed.) from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) where he topped in the class.
He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) at UTM, where he previously graduated with a Master of Education (Management & Administration). Furthermore, Kannan is also an HRD Corp Accredited trainer, further emphasizing his professional and academic credentials.
M. Krishnamoorthy is a media coach, associate professor, and journalist who worked and freelanced with Bernama, NST, The Star, and Malaysiakini. He also freelances as a fixer/coordinator for CNN, BBC, German and Australian Television networks and the New York Times. As an undercover journalist, he has highlighted society's concerns going undercover as a beggar, security guard, blind man, disabled salesman and Member of Parliament.
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