Graduate Employability Agenda and Inculcation of Soft Skills in Higher Education

Abstract

The paper focuses on the what, why and how of the “employability agenda” and inculcation of soft skills in higher education based upon a review of relevant literature and a recent questionnaire survey conducted by the author. It begins by providing an overview of the growing concern for graduate employability and soft skills in higher education. The paper subsequently delves into the importance of soft skills, soft skills sought by Malaysian employers, soft skills lacking in Malaysian graduates, soft skills needed by Malaysian graduates to enhance their employability in the twenty-first century workplace, core components of lifelong employability, and the need for a paradigm shift in higher education pertaining to the employability agenda. The paper ends with discussing the most common approaches to developing soft skills among graduates and making recommendations for implementing the employability agenda in higher education institutions.