UM LEADS LOCAL VARSITIES IN GRADUATE EMPLOYABILITY
Seven Malaysian universities are listed in the 2019 QS Graduate Employability Rankings, which was announced last week, making them among the world’s top 500 best performing universities for graduate employability.
Universiti Malaya (UM) leads the list in the 161-170 rankings, followed by Taylor’s University in the 201-250 rankings. The other five universities — International Islamic University Malaysia , UCSI University, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia and Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) — are listed in the 301-500 category.
Malaysia’s best adjusted graduate employment rate is achieved by Taylor’s University, whose score of 99.7/100 (adjusted for local economic conditions) is the fourth-best in the world.
Taylor’s University vice-chancellor and president Professor Michael Driscoll said this is testament to the quality of graduates the university produces.
The strong relationship that the university has nurtured with employers, allows us to craft a curriculum that gives our students the skills and knowledge they will need for their respective careers.
“This latest achievement comes on the heels of our strong performance in the area of employer reputation in the 2019 QS World University Rankings, which saw us place at the 216th rank internationally, or within the top one per cent of tertiary institutions in the world favoured by employers.
UiTM received a high score for the employer-student connection placing the university in the top 200. UiTM vice-chancellor Professor Emeritus Datuk Dr Hassan Said said UiTM is committed to producing graduates in all professional fields, who are competitive globally.
QS research director Ben Sowter said: “This year’s edition indicates that to make further improvements, Malaysia’s universities will need to create more work placement partnerships and research partnerships with employers and offer students more chances to meet top employers on campus.
“Rises in tuition fees and a competitive job market are making students more concerned about the likelihood that their prospective universities will help them thrive afterwards. This ranking is designed to empower them to make more informed choices, and indicates that those universities that have excellent research profiles and global reputations aren’t always those that do most to nurture student employability.”
Currently in its fourth edition, the rankings look at universities that engage with employers, nurture hireable graduates and foster industry leaders. Award scores are in five categories, namely employer reputation (30 per cent of the final score), alumni outcomes (25 per cent), employer partnerships (25 per cent). employer-student connections (10 per cent) and graduate employment rates (10 per cent).
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is the top-ranked university for employability for 2019, climbing four places from last year. MIT was also ranked the best university in the world earlier this year in the QS World University Rankings 2019.
However, according to website www.topuniversities.com, half of the top ten universities ranked in this ranking do not feature in S World University Rankings. It said: “Most notably, the University of Sydney is ranked fifth for employability, but only 42nd in the world rankings.”