‘You are Hired’: Technical and Vocational Education and Training Graduate Employability and Experts’ Views

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It is theoretically acknowledged that strategically organised talent management organisational mission, vision, and mission. It was reported that only 70% of universities in Malaysia declared workforce-ready graduates. As a result of the graduate employability investigation, the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE), parents, and graduates were alerted. However, a recent employers’ investigation revealed that recruiting skilled graduates remained to be seen. An investigation emphasising talent management attributes was launched to address the gap by employing the Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent (DMGT). Drawn from DMGT, interpersonal measurement was the main construct to identify the talent management attributes. First, a qualitative method and semi-structured interview were chosen for the data collection process. Second, a seven-expert panel comprising academics and industry executives were gathered to describe the ideal university graduate’s attributes. The finding revealed seven main university graduate attributes: 1) communication, 2) leadership, 3) critical thinking and problem-solving, 4) teamwork, 5) lifelong learning and information management, 6) ethics, morals, and professionalism, and 7) entrepreneurship skills. The selected academics and industry executives recommended paying attention to career adaptability and digital technology. Higher Education Institutions (HEI) might better consider meeting the demands of the workforce and industry in the context of globalisation and digitalisation by focusing on the seven graduate attributes as evident in the investigation. As such, the seven graduate attributes are instrumental in the industry workforce. Employability, graduates, HEI, soft skills, talent management