SELF-PERCEIVED COMPETENCE OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE UNDERGRADUATES ON EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS AT THE WORKPLACE

In today s constantly changing and increasingly globalised job market a degree can no longer be regarded as an automatic passport to employment. This is evident with an increasing number of graduates, especially from public institutes of higher learning in Malaysia who are unemployed. Is this due to the more competitive job market or are the current batches of job seekers and graduates unmarketable? Hence this paper reports on a study done to find out whether the courses offered at the universities, adequately prepare them with the right blend and attitude to compete in the job market in terms of sufficient communication and literacy skills and the basic research knowledge to fulfil the needs of the prospective employers. A total of seven undergraduates in their final year of study shared their self-perceived competence on employability via focus group interviews. This paper ends with some recommendations on improving and integrating employability skills in undergraduate courses in terms of academic and practical knowledge.