Abstract
This study aimed to examine students’ generic skills practices (communication, IT, numeracy, learning how to learn, problem solving, working with others, and subject-specific competencies) at National University of Indonesia (UI). Survey design with quantitative method was applied in this study. Questionnaires were distributed to 355 students at economics faculty of UI. The findings show that the students rated their overall generic skills practices at the bottom of high mean score. Among seven skills, four skills were applied by the students at high level; they were communication, IT, Numeracy and team work skills, but still its mean score were at bottom level of high level. Moreover, three of seven generics skills were performed at medium level; they are numeracy, learning how to learn and problem solving and subject-specific competencies. Finally, this study suggests that the faculty of economics and the university should formulate and implement generic skills development into action in order to attain intended outcomes of higher education namely employability, lifelong learning and good citizenship.
Highlights
A number of studies such as Pumphrey and Slater (2002), Curry et al (2003), Borthwick and Wissler (2003), Crebert et al (2004), Bath et al (2004), the Business Council of Australia (BCA, 2006), and Jones (2009) have revealed that employers are not satisfied with the employability skills possessed by undergraduate students, reporting that students are not sufficiently provided with generic skills during university education
The target population of this study was all students in Faculty of Economics, national University of Indonesia (UI)
A closer examination of the mean score given by the students rated team works as the highest, followed by IT skills, communication, problem solving and learning how to learn, subject specific competencies and numeracy skills
Summary
A number of studies such as Pumphrey and Slater (2002), Curry et al (2003), Borthwick and Wissler (2003), Crebert et al (2004), Bath et al (2004), the Business Council of Australia (BCA, 2006), and Jones (2009) have revealed that employers are not satisfied with the employability (or “generic”) skills possessed by undergraduate students, reporting that students are not sufficiently provided with generic skills during university education. Most studies suggest that the development of generic skills is best facilitated by giving students opportunities for practical application, rather than talking about or demonstrating what to do. The study conducted by Jelas et al (2006) showed that students’ overall generic skills were at average level (2-11). Students perceived that their communication, IT, numeracy, learning how to learn, problem solving, working with others, and discipline-based skills, as developed at university, were at an average level. In Indonesia, Irma (2007) shows that employers ranked communication skills as the most important for the graduate employee, followed by integrity and honesty, working in a group, interpersonal skills, ethical values, good motivation, organizational skills, IT skills, and a high Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA)
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