Are the Malaysian students “unskilled” and “unaware”?

Abstract

Aim: This paper aims to estimate the existence of âAIJunskilled and unawareâ A I phenomena using a sample of Malaysian students. Since the financial crisis of 1998, the graduate unemployment problem has been persistent, and the lack of generic skills, i.e. unskilled, has been pointed out as one of the causes. However, the âAIJunskilledâ A I alone could not lead to the persistence of graduate unemployment. The co-existence of âAIJunskilledâ A I and âAIJunawareâ A I could be the cause.Methodology: Data is obtained from the students of the Bachelor of Banking program of Universiti Utara Malaysia as well as from their interviewers. The questionnaire was used to gather responses such that students filled them before the interview and the interviewers filled them after the interview. Correlation and regression analysis were performed to attain results.Findings: Results reveal that the students significantly over-perceived their level of generic skills, as compared to employer’s evaluations. This indicates that the students are of their unskilled. Results also reveal that this is significantly related to the students. The students are more likely to be unaware. Thus, the phenomena of unskilled and unaware exist among Malaysian students.Novelty/Implications: This study has provided insights into the increased unemployment in Malaysian graduates by highlighting that Malaysian graduates are as well as unprepared for the job market.