Digital literacy to meet new demands
AT 3.5% in July last year, unemployment in Malaysia is at its highest since 2013 and the number continues to rise. This issue coupled with weak wages and job growth have become a cause for concern among Malaysians who placed the mounting cost of living as their priority for the Budget 2017.
To address these rising concerns and the fact that almost 200,000 fresh graduates are unemployed, INTI commissioned a landmark survey last year for 316 employers and new graduates in Malaysia to better understand the demands of the increasingly competitive job market.
Survey findings revealed several gaps in expectations between employers and new graduates in terms of the competency deemed essential to excel at a job.
The most pressing dichotomy in expectation concerned digital literacy, where 30% of employers regarded it as the most essential competency needed for job performance while most graduates rated it the least important competency at only 4%.
“The nature of knowledge is changing and in this digital age, our definition of basic digital literacy needs expanding. This stark mismatch is worrying because digital literacy, which allows you to live, learn and work in a digital society, is one that needs to be taken seriously,” says INTI International Universities & Colleges’ chief executive officer Timothy Bulow.
“If unaddressed, the consequent misguided belief that graduates have of themselves, that they are well-prepared for employment despite not being sufficiently digitally literate, will only add to the already dire unemployment issue in our nation,” he adds.
Elaborating on the importance of digital literacy, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation’s (MDEC) vice-president (enterprise development) Gopi Ganesalingam says, “We live in a digital world. This is highly reflected in the way businesses and industries are changing from the advent of technology. The world’s most popular taxi company does not actually own any vehicles.
“These businesses are all made possible with digital technology and are those that are changing the way the respective industries offer products and services. If we do not begin educating our younger generation about the impact of digital literacy, they will be left behind.”
JobStreet’s head of regional communications Simon Si shares, “We know that graduates are aspiring to be digital heroes and are already a digitally-savvy generation. The next step is to evolve curricula concurrently to meet marketplace demands.”
Another notable finding from the survey is that most graduates (29.5%) regarded communication skills as the most important differentiator while only 6.3% of employers saw it as a differentiating factor in evaluating an employee’s performance.
Employers are beginning to raise the benchmark with most considering communication skills as a given attribute rather than a discerning trait.
Jake Choy, an INTI alumnus who is currently a business development consultant in Oracle, says, “Many graduates regard communication skills as important because communicating with people is the basis of our daily work. Being good communicators also allows us to build and maintain relationships. That said, the need for good communication skills is contextual. For example, communication skills would play a huge role in first impressions during your 45-minute interview.”
To address the disparities in the survey findings, INTI’s Bachelor of Business (Hons) programme is designed with emphasis on key competencies such as digital literacy, entrepreneurial mindset and communication skills.
INTI has also revamped the curriculum to provide more practical exposures through role playing, simulation games, interview and presentation skills, in addition to its existing projects and internships.
INTI believes that the revamped programme will empower students with experience and insights that will give them an edge over their peers, not only in landing jobs but also in establishing careers as it equips them for lifelong learning.
INTI’s ongoing collaborations with more than 450 employers across industries is also one of the key reasons it has recorded outstanding employability outcomes last year as validated by BDO Governance Advisory – with 98% of students being employed within six months of graduating, 25% securing jobs even before they graduate and 82% being offered higher salaries than the market average.
For more information, visit newinti.edu.my.