Internationalising Higher Education

This poster presentation will focus on the importance of soft skills such as English language and communication in enhancing Malaysian undergraduates' employability. Increasing unemployment among graduates is a major concern for Malaysian higher education gatekeepers and stakeholders, so the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) has set up a national task force committee to tackle the issue. One of their findings was that while a few public universities were offering courses to enhance undergraduates' intrapersonal and interpersonal skills, others were left behind. The committee recommended to MoHE that all Malaysian public universities incorporate soft-skills elements into their curriculum. In 2006 a directive and soft-skills module was announced for Malaysian universities. Prior to this, researchers at Universiti Malaysia Pahang had already embarked on a study of soft-skills awareness and understanding among students. Results showed that softskills were well received by students and that employers were impressed with the new skills in post-mock job interviews. This poster will discuss how University Malaysia Pahang is now able to produce graduates who meet the demands of the workforce.