Graduate unemployment issues have been related to unused human resources in the country. Mainly, the unemployment of graduates could adversely impact a high-quality and educated workforce. Hence, to answer the unemployment phenomena of our graduates, the research is motivated to investigate the graduates’ competency issues in getting jobs. Based on the literature, graduate competency is viewed as the main factor for employment. To grasp the understanding of graduate competency issues in our country, this research has implemented a preliminary study to develop the scale. The competency construct that is specifically used in this study is to identify the influence of human capital and competitiveness factors that may lead to competency among graduates. A total of 30 respondents were randomly selected to represent the actual 384 sample size of the study. The respondents were Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) graduates working in several services organizations in Malaysia. Our findings for the reliability analysis of the survey items showed strong reliability of Cronbach’s alpha values within the ranges of ? = .735 and ? = .926 for all items. Then, we ran a correlational analysis to understand the relationship between items. The results show that all items were significant at p < .05 with Pearson correlation coefficient analysis. To highlight one of the key findings in our research, technical skills relate highly to graduate competency (r = .564). Additionally, the competitiveness factor towards graduates' competency level was highly related to organizational management competitiveness (r = .665), followed by general competitiveness (r = .556), employability competitiveness (r = .547) and dominant competitiveness (r = .511). It is noteworthy to mention that the aggressive competitiveness factor shows the lowest correlation coefficient value (r = .237). Our findings contribute to the understanding of how important it is to develop human capital with a high level of graduate competency values. Additionally, the research proposes that a competent graduate should be able to compete in a global workforce. Finally, it is also important to note that graduate competency should also be based on positive human values and personalities, and these two should also be augmented.
Abdullah, N., Hussin, N., Shonubi, O. A., Ghazali, S. R., & Talib, A. M. (2018). Career Decision-making Competence, Self-Knowledge and Occupational Exploration: A Model for University Students. Journal of Technical Education and Training, 10(1), 71-81. DOI: https://10.30880/jtet.2018.10.01.006
Ali, A., & Marwan, A. (2019). Exploring Career Management Competencies in Work-Based Learning (WBL) Implementation. Journal of Technical Educational and Training, 11(1), 159-166.
Aziz, A. (2009). Pembangunan Modal Insan: Asas Pendidikan Negara. Sintok: Penerbit Universiti Utara Malaysia.
Bartos, P., Kljucnikov, A., Popesko, B., & Machacek, J. (2015). Are Men More Innovative and Aggressive in Business? Case Study from the Czech Republic. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Knowledge, 2(3), 29-39. DOI: 10.1515/ijek-2015-0014
Harian, B. (2018). Teks Ucapan Penuh Kajian Separuh Penggal RMK-11 2016-2020. Retrieved from
https://www.bharian.com.my/berita/nasional/2018/10/487719/teks-ucapan-penuh-kajian-separuh-penggal-rmk-11-2016-2020.
Bonett, D. G., & Wright, T. A. (2014). Cronbach’s Alpha Reliability: Interval Estimation, Hypothesis Testing, and Sample Size Planning. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 1-13.
Cohen, L.., Manion, L., & Morrisson, K. (2007). Research Method in Education. Sixth Edition. Routledge: New York.
Colbert, A. E., Barrick, M. R., & Bradley, B. H. (2014). Personality and Leadership Composition in Top Management Teams: Implications for Organizational Effectiveness. Personnel Psychology, 67, 351-387.
Dardiri, A. (2016). Soft Skill and Entrepreneurial Career Guidance Model for Enhancing Technical Vocational Education and Training’s Graduates Competitiveness. Innovation of Vocational Technology Education, 12(1), 1-7.
Department of Statistics Malaysia. (2016). Labor Demand and Supply: DOSM Perspectives. Retrieved from https://www.dosm.gov.my.
Fatoki, O. (2014). Final Year Undergraduate Students’ Perception of their Non-Technical Skills. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 5(7), 43-47. Doi:10.5901/mjss. 2014.v5n7p43
Hatch, N. W., & Dyer, J. H. (2004). Human Capital and Learning as a Source of Sustainable Competitive Advantage. Strategic Management Journal, 25, 1155-1178.
Hinsz, V. B., & Jundt, D. K. (2005). Exploring Individual Differences in a Goal?Setting Situation Using the Motivational Trait Questionnaire. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 35(3), 551-571.
Ismail, M. H. (2012). Kajian Mengenai Kebolehpasaran Siswazah di Malaysia: Tinjauan dari Perspektif Majikan. Prosiding Perkem VII 2, 906-913.
Johanson, G. A., & Brooks, G. P. (2010). Initial Scale Development: Sample Size for Pilot Studies. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 70(3), 394–400.
Junior, A. B. O. (2015). The Aggressive Competitiveness Influence on the Retailer Company Performance. Future Studies Research Journal: Trends and Strategies, 7(1), 156-183.
Jung, J., & Lee, S. J. (2016). Influence of university prestige on graduate wage and job satisfaction: the case of South Korea. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 38(3), 297-315. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1360080X.2016.1174408
Kementerian Pendidikan Tinggi Malaysia. (2016). Peratusan Status Graduan Universiti Awam 2015. Retrieved http://www.data.gov.my
Kothari, C. R. (2012). Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques. Second Revised Edition. New Age International Publishers: India.
Krejcie, R. V., & Morgan, D. W. (1970). Determining sample size for research activities. Educational and psychological measurement, 30(3), 607-610.
Makki, B. I., Salleh, R., Memon, M. A., & Harun, H. (2016). The Relationship between Work Readiness Skills, Career Self-efficacy and Career Exploration among Engineering Graduates: A Proposed Framework. Research Journal of Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology, 10(9), 1007-1011.
Malaysian National Bank. (2016). Laporan Tahunan 2016. Pengangguran Belia di Malaysia: Perkembangan dan Pertimbangan Dasar. 109-117. Retrieved
In-Text Citation: (Ma’dan et al., 2019)
To Cite this Article: Ma’dan, M. B., Ismail, M. T. Bin, & Daud, S. (2019). The Relation of Human Capital and Competitiveness Factor towards Graduate Competencies. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 8(4), 824–835.
Copyright: © 2019 The Author(s)
Published by Human Resource Management Academic Research Society (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
