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Proceedings: International Invention, Innovative & Creative (InIIC) Conference, 2019

MNNF Publisher (ISBN number: 978-967-17324-4-1)


_________________________________________________________________________________

Industry 4.0 Skillsets and ‘Career Readiness’: Can


Malaysian University Students face the Future of
Work?
Ainol Mardhiyah Rahmat, Airil Haimi Mohd Adnan & Nor Marini Mohtar

Universiti Teknologi MARA Perak Branch (UiTM), Malaysia

dhiyarahmat@gmail.com

ABSTRACT
The World Economic Forum (WEF) in its biennial 'Future of Jobs Report' lists ten critical skills for the
Future of Work for year 2020 and beyond. Critical skillsets - complex problem solving, critical thinking,
creativity, people management, coordinating with others, emotional intelligence, judgment and decision
making, service orientation, negotiation, and cognitive flexibility - used to be viewed as 'soft' skills in the
past. For the post Industry 4.0 era, these skills are no more seen as soft or even inferior to technical
skills but as core skills that are required not just to survive but also to thrive in the future workplace.
Without these critical core skills, not only will future workers fail to secure future jobs, but they will also
fail to contribute to the Industry 4.0 economy and society in a productive manner. Without a doubt,
these critical skills are challenging for the younger generation to acquire without sustained and directed
effort. Furthermore, failure to acquire these skills will lower the career readiness level of the younger
generation of future workers. Career readiness is the bridge or preparatory stage that signals the
crossing from ‘campus life’ into the world of work. It is highly likely that university students who are not
ready for future careers will be doomed to the lower rungs of the job market of the future. In this
empirical inquiry, we examine how much Malaysian university students know about Industry 4.0
skillsets and how far they are ready to look for future careers based on the critical skills that they have
(or have not) acquired. Data were collected, firstly, through an online survey questionnaire that sought
demographical information and presented 44-items related to Industry 4.0 skillsets; 190 respondents
completed the online survey and chose one from six pre-set answers on a Likert scale from 'Strongly
Disagree' at one end to 'Strongly Agree' at the opposite end of the continuum. The 190 respondents
represented students from five Malaysian public universities. Then, qualitative data were collected
through focus group discussion sessions with a smaller number of participants (from the main group
but not reported in this research article). As expected, some skillsets were familiar to the respondents
but, a number of the respondents indicated they were not familiar with many of those skillsets we
shared. This brings into question the actual career readiness level of Malaysian university students with
regards to the post Industry 4.0 era and the future World of Work.

Key Words: Career readiness, Industry 4.0, Job skills, University students, World of work.

1. INTRODUCTION

Whether we realise it or not, and regardless of what we think about the topic, the 4th Industrial Revolution
is already starting to change the world around us – for better or for worse. In a time where great changes
are happening, seemingly at the blink of an eye, the only thing to do is to prepare to face the challenges
of tomorrow starting today. Whether within the sphere of education or in the World of Work, preparing for
an era full of ‘disruptions’ is not easy, but it must be done not just to remain relevant but also to become
more competitive. The World Economic Forum (WEF) in its biennial 'Future of Jobs Report' lists ten
critical skills for the Future of Work for year 2020 and beyond. Skillsets namely complex problem solving,
28
CITE AS: Rahmat, A. M., Adnan, A. H. M., & Mohtar, N. M. (2019). Industry 4.0 Skillsets and ‘Career Readiness’: Can Malaysian
University Students face the Future of Work? In MNNF Network (Ed.), Proceedings of the International Invention, Innovative &
Creative (InIIC) Conference, Series 2/2019 (pp. 28-37). Senawang: MNNF Network.
Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3511166
Proceedings: International Invention, Innovative & Creative (InIIC) Conference, 2019
MNNF Publisher (ISBN number: 978-967-17324-4-1)
_________________________________________________________________________________

critical thinking, creativity, people management, coordinating with others, emotional intelligence,
judgment and decision making, service orientation, negotiation, and cognitive flexibility that used to be
viewed as 'soft' skills in the past are now being seen as critical for initial career entry and towards future
career readiness. Without a shadow of doubt, for the post Industry 4.0 era, these skills will no more be
seen as soft or even inferior to technical skills but as critical skills that are required not just to survive
initially but also to thrive later in the future workplace.
Without these critical skills, not only will the future generation of workers fail to secure future jobs,
but they might also be unable to contribute to the Industry 4.0 economy and society at large, in a
productive manner. As it is, these critical skills are quite challenging for the younger generation to
acquire without sustained and directed effort. And so, colleges and universities must come to fore as one
of the main proving grounds to train critical Industry 4.0 skills. This is due to the fact that, failure to
acquire these skills will certainly lower the career readiness level of the younger generation of future
workers. The notion of career readiness is linked to the concept of a bridge or preparatory stage that will
signal the crossing from ‘campus life’ at colleges and universities into the real world of work. It is highly
likely that tertiary level students who are not ready for future careers will find it hard to join the job market
of the future. As proposed by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (2019):

The career readiness of college graduates is an important issue in higher education, in the labor
market, and in the public arena. Yet, up until now, "career readiness" has been undefined, making
it difficult for leaders in higher education, work force development, and public policy to work
together effectively to ensure the career readiness of today's graduates. (online)

Career readiness is a significant notion because it emphasises the teaching of skills that our
learners will need to succeed in the World of Work. This might sound like a ‘no-brainer’ to for individuals
who have a high level of professionalism or skills in entrepreneurship. Nevertheless, in the sphere of
education, the focus on the past has been on gravitating towards the learning of theories rather than the
acquisition of skills (see Applied Education Systems, 2019). This situation has led to a bizarre crisis in
secondary and tertiary education, commonly referred to as the ‘skills gap’. The skills gap is the
discrepancy between the knowledge that employers want from prospective workers and what these job
applicants actually know about. Simply put, current employers are not going to waste time and money
teaching their new employees new skills through on-the-job experience; companies want their new
employees to start working with the relevant skills that they already have from the outset. Nevertheless,
many students are not getting the right exposure to the right work-related skills. Thus, the result is this
bizarre variance between what companies want and what recent college and university graduates can
offer. Career readiness tries to close this gap.

2. LITERATURE REVIEW

The introduction section has highlighted the key constructs addressed in this empirical research paper.
This current section will define and review those constructs to further elucidate the links between critical
Industry 4.0 skillsets and the very significant notion of career readiness.

2.1. Critical Industry 4.0 skillsets

Schwab (2016) highlights not just the problems that the next industrial revolution might give rise to but
also the opportunities that it might bring as technological developments start to combine and interweave
physical realities, biological systems and digital innovations. In his words, “Aside from speed and
breadth, the fourth industrial revolution is unique because of the growing harmonization and integration
of so many different disciplines and discoveries” (p. 15). For the person on the street, the easiest way to
make sense of what is happening is by looking for patterns of ‘disruptions’. For instance, an Industry 4.0
enterprise today does not need to have a physical premise to operate from. In fact, this business venture
might even be staffed by just one or a few individuals but making profits that make bigger factories
29
CITE AS: Rahmat, A. M., Adnan, A. H. M., & Mohtar, N. M. (2019). Industry 4.0 Skillsets and ‘Career Readiness’: Can Malaysian
University Students face the Future of Work? In MNNF Network (Ed.), Proceedings of the International Invention, Innovative &
Creative (InIIC) Conference, Series 2/2019 (pp. 28-37). Senawang: MNNF Network.
Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3511166
Proceedings: International Invention, Innovative & Creative (InIIC) Conference, 2019
MNNF Publisher (ISBN number: 978-967-17324-4-1)
_________________________________________________________________________________

jealous. Ideas now have the power to create wealth and ‘knowledge products’ are fast becoming tangible
commodities that are sold and bought across the globe. Accordingly, the keyword that Schwab and other
proponents of Industry 4.0 keep repeating is disruption because, with reference to Industry 4.0,
disruption is not a negative thing (see Adnan, 2018; Marr, 2018). And so, the disruptions brought by the
4th Industrial Revolution also bring challenges and opportunities for growth that need to be critically
managed. As Schwab (2016) views it:

The reality of disruption and the inevitability of the impact it will have on us does not mean that we
are powerless in face of it. It is our responsibility to ensure that we establish a set of common
values to drive policy choices and to enact the changes that will make the fourth industrial
revolution an opportunity for all. (p. 17)

The disruptions brought by Industry 4.0 can indeed be managed through education and training,
particularly at tertiary (i.e., college and university) level, with focus on critical Industry 4.0 skills as follows
(refer to World Economic Forum, 2016b, 2018). The first critical skill is complex problem solving. All
future careers will require some sort of complex problem-solving skills that will include sub-skills like
breaking down problems into more manageable parts and combining solutions from intricate situations.
The second critical skill is critical thinking. Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly, logically, and
rationally about what need to be done or what needs to be believed. Critical thinkers will become assets
to their companies. The third critical skill for the workplace of the future is creativity. Creativity is the
propensity to generate and recognise ideas, alternatives or possibilities that may be useful in solving
different problems. Creative people are ‘ideas people’ who can regenerate the working process in all
working environments. The fourth critical skill is people management. People management or people
skills is indispensable for long-term career success because positive 'people managers' are also positive
leaders who can get great things done. The fifth critical skill is coordinating with others. Coordinating to
work with others means the ability to arrange the workflow to assist in executing a task and provide
assistance in achieving an effort. Coordinating includes attending to several tasks or activities
simultaneously and, prioritising and switching priorities as necessary or multi-tasking.
The sixth critical skill for the workplace of the future in the post Industry 4.0 era is emotional
intelligence. Emotional intelligence is the ability to know, use and manage one’s emotions to relieve
stress, communicate, empathise, tackle problems and handle conflicts. The seventh critical skill is
judgement and decision making. Judgement is the ability to make logical conclusions and measured
decisions. Judging and then deciding on something must be done in tandem but both need practice and
experience. The eighth critical skill is service orientation. Service orientation refers to personality traits
and a worker’s attitude to be helpful, thoughtful, considerate and co-operative with other people. It is
easy to imagine that workers with positive service orientation will be able to serve a company’s clients to
the best of her or his abilities. The ninth critical skill for the Industry 4.0 era is negotiation. To negotiate
requires a set of interpersonal and communication skills to bring desired results for two or more parties
(or to arrive at win-win situations). The tenth and final critical skill is cognitive flexibility. This is the ability
to switch between different personas or roles, to switch between thinking about two or more non-
connecting concepts and to think about many concepts at the same time. With these 10 skills, university
students should be able to weather the challenges of Industry 4.0 better than other who do not possess
these critical skills.

2.2. The notion of Career Readiness

Industrial Revolution 4.0 is characterised by advances in technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI),
augmented and virtual realities, big data and analytics, and the Internet of Things. These technology
advancements, when adapted in the workplace, are enabling new ways to execute work, bringing new
opportunities for value creation to businesses and organisations. Industrial Revolution (IR) 4.0 is now
transforming the type of work people do and how it is done. This offers countless new opportunities for
many and today’s graduates cannot stand to be left behind. In the next 10 years, today’s graduates will
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CITE AS: Rahmat, A. M., Adnan, A. H. M., & Mohtar, N. M. (2019). Industry 4.0 Skillsets and ‘Career Readiness’: Can Malaysian
University Students face the Future of Work? In MNNF Network (Ed.), Proceedings of the International Invention, Innovative &
Creative (InIIC) Conference, Series 2/2019 (pp. 28-37). Senawang: MNNF Network.
Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3511166
Proceedings: International Invention, Innovative & Creative (InIIC) Conference, 2019
MNNF Publisher (ISBN number: 978-967-17324-4-1)
_________________________________________________________________________________

face new challenges in the workforce, according to Deloitte’s global report titled “Preparing Tomorrow’s
Workforce for the Fourth Industrial Revolution”. In terms of readiness for the IR4.0 workplace, do
students or would-be graduates in Malaysia understand the concept of IR4.0 and its impact on their
future careers, and are they ready and prepared for the ever-evolving digital workplace? These are the
questions that sought to be answered.
Career readiness can explain whether individuals are ready to look for jobs and establish a career
they have chosen. It is also a process of preparing students of any age with the essential skills they need
to find, acquire, maintain, and grow within a job (Applied Educational Systems, 2018). There is an often-
confusing mix of definitions, frameworks, policies and implementation strategies for career readiness.
Some viewpoints center on learning skills for a specific entry-level job, while others define career
readiness as a broader understanding of workplace skills. To address this issue, an article in The
Glossary of Education Reform (2013) concluded career readiness is a convergence of all of these
definitions. Career readiness has no defined end point. In that article also examined the term career-
ready is generally applied to students who are considered to be equipped with the knowledge and skills
deemed to be essential for success in the modern workforce, or the kinds of educational programs and
learning opportunities that lead to improved workforce preparation. Meanwhile, Career Readiness
Partner Council concluded to be career ready in our ever-changing global economy requires adaptability
and a commitment to lifelong learning, along with mastery of key knowledge, skills and dispositions that
vary from one career to another and change over time as a person progresses along a developmental
continuum. Knowledge, skills and dispositions are inter-dependent and mutually reinforcing, they include
academic and technical knowledge and skills as well as employability knowledge, skills and dispositions.
The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) has developed a definition, based on
research among employers and defines career readiness as the attainment and demonstration of
requisite competencies that broadly prepare graduates for a successful transition into the workplace.
NACE highlights eight competencies associated with career readiness, which consists of critical
thinking/problem solving, oral/written communications, teamwork/collaboration, digital technology,
leadership, professionalism/work ethic, career management and global/intercultural fluency. Career
readiness encompasses everything that a student needs to know to launch a successful occupational
life, along with all of the accomplishment, pride, stability, and progression that entails.
With the 4th Industrial Revolution advancing, employers are demanding a greater mix of skills.
According to analysis from networking site LinkedIn, 2019’s employers are looking for a combination of
both hard and soft skills, with creativity topping the list of desired attributes. According to Carnevale,
Smith, & Strohl, (2010), the current domestic workforce demands employees who can fill middle-and
high-skills jobs that require a combination of technical and academic skills. However, employers struggle
to find such qualified workers (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2013).
Deloitte, (2018) reported that increases the need for “essential human skills” commonly referred to as
“soft skills” that include creativity, complex problem solving, relationship building, communication,
emotional intelligence, and critical thinking are the major skills that employer seeks for future job.
However, there is conflicting arguments which, to enter in Industry Revolution 4.0, soft skills should
complement technical skills to compete with other pool of candidates to increase the value of the
candidates individually. World Economic Forum (2016a), mentioned, five years from now, over one-third
of skills (35%) that are considered important in today’s workforce will have changed. The report identified
10 skills need to be thrive in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, consists of complex problem solving, critical
thinking, creativity, people management, coordinating with others, emotional intelligence, judgement &
decision making, service orientation, negotiation and cognitive flexibility.
The preparation can start by emphasizing career readiness among today’s graduates which is
foundational to an individual’s success in a workplace, ranging from initial job search to maintaining
continuous employment. Since the landscape of IR4.0 work environment seems to be complex, the best
approach to preparing the graduates for the future is to firstly shape their thinking and secondly, provide
a foundation to develop the relevant skillsets. This approach will support them in finding and securing
employment in the future.

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CITE AS: Rahmat, A. M., Adnan, A. H. M., & Mohtar, N. M. (2019). Industry 4.0 Skillsets and ‘Career Readiness’: Can Malaysian
University Students face the Future of Work? In MNNF Network (Ed.), Proceedings of the International Invention, Innovative &
Creative (InIIC) Conference, Series 2/2019 (pp. 28-37). Senawang: MNNF Network.
Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3511166
Proceedings: International Invention, Innovative & Creative (InIIC) Conference, 2019
MNNF Publisher (ISBN number: 978-967-17324-4-1)
_________________________________________________________________________________

2.3. The Future (World) of Work

This subsection discusses the transformation of current trends towards development of technologies to
improve the productivity and efficiency over the overall value chain. This literature review is supported by
Eberhard, Birgit et al. (2017), where human and mechanical are connected to complete value chain
involving digitalization and real-time analysis. The transformation towards Industry Revolution 4.0
eventually change the future of work on how employer demand on skillsets may affect graduate
employability in the future. The recent studies found that the unemployment rate among youth are at the
tormenting level due to skills mismatch. In 2020, World Economic Forum (2016a), mentioned that most of
the current skills possibly would not be consider crucial in most occupations. A study conducted in
perception of engineering students and employer perspectives found that, the students focuses more on
technical skills compares to employer which value more on personal and behavioural attributes of a
candidate (Chitra,2013). This potential skills mismatch could result in an overall economic environment,
which will lead to higher rates of unemployment among undergraduates. This literature review are not
limited to investigating students’ readiness to face career challenges and skills they possess. The author
also investigating employers’ dimensions in hiring undergraduates and their expectation on skills
required to enter into their organizations.
Indeed, the employment landscape has change over the years where there are major transformation
in business model. Major transformation of a current trend with evolvement of new technology,
integrating high-tech programme with physical items such as machine and computer influence employer
demand to have supply of skilled human capital to align with technological innovation practiced by
organization. Industrial Revolution 4.0 is the new approach to merging conservative manufacturing
process and technology includes digitization of physical assets to link with organizational process.
Industry 4.0 has started to transform working process environment completely in developed countries
which will lead to significant impact on the nature of work that transforms society, economies, jobs, and
people’s personal lives.
A study conducted by the United Nations (2018) shows that there are 1.8 billion of youth between
the ages of 15 and 29. Asia’s youth population remarks as stable while Africa’s youth population are
increasing rapidly which expected to dominate more than half of the youth population by 2050. Narrowing
the population in Malaysia country, the Department of Statistics Malaysia, (2018) note that there are 14.6
million of youth aged between 15 and 39. The statistics indicate majority of the population dominated by
youth, which expected acts as a prime mover in boosting national economy by contributing to nation
workforce. In 2030, the Education Commission predicted that half of 2 billion youth worldwide are not
equipped with the skills or qualifications necessary to enter global workforce (Deloitte, 2018). Much
attention has been focused on unemployment of recent graduates from various fields of study. Labour
Force Report Survey in 2018 reported that 35% of unemployed graduates are from Social Sciences,
Business and Law field course followed by Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction with 24.1% of
unemployment rate while Science, Mathematics and computing notes 11.3% rate. Malaysia produces a
notable number of educated graduates however, Khazanah Research found that the unemployment rate
increased tremendously from 9.94 percent in 2011 to 10.92 percent in 2018. The latest figure is an
alarming sign for youths to compete with other graduates especially in the coming years since Malaysia
is moving forward to Industry 4.0.
The researchers explored scarce views on career readiness. Recent study explored three
dimensions in identifying students’ readiness on facing challenges in future of work. Michael A., (2018),
outlined three major dimensions on measuring students’ career readiness. The first dimension
emphasises on self-assessment. This dimension measure on evaluating themselves by identifying the
values and attributes they own to portray in the workplace thus will lead to development of work related
skills and seek opportunities to enhance skills needed. The second dimension emphasised on job search
technique that investigates the level of involvement of students in searching for a job via career sites and
readiness in preparing CV to attract interest of potential employer. The third dimension focuses on self-
marketing tool, which closely related to personal branding on how to ‘sell’ yourself in a job market. The

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CITE AS: Rahmat, A. M., Adnan, A. H. M., & Mohtar, N. M. (2019). Industry 4.0 Skillsets and ‘Career Readiness’: Can Malaysian
University Students face the Future of Work? In MNNF Network (Ed.), Proceedings of the International Invention, Innovative &
Creative (InIIC) Conference, Series 2/2019 (pp. 28-37). Senawang: MNNF Network.
Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3511166
Proceedings: International Invention, Innovative & Creative (InIIC) Conference, 2019
MNNF Publisher (ISBN number: 978-967-17324-4-1)
_________________________________________________________________________________

author will measure students’ career readiness by considering the three dimensions as the benchmark in
constructing questionnaire relevant to nature of the research. Deloitte, (2018) reported that increase in
the need for ‘essential human skills’ commonly referred to as ‘soft skills’ will include creativity, complex
problem solving, relationship building, communication, emotional intelligence, and critical thinking.
However, there are conflicting arguments, to enter Industry 4.0, should soft skills complement technical
skills to compete with other pool of candidates to increase the value of the candidates individually. This
statement is supported by earlier literature mentioned, to compete in job market requires technical skills
that differentiate individuals and competitors (Bedwell, Salas & Eduardo, 2014).

3. RESEARCH METHODS

Data collection for this study was carried in the third quarter of 2019. Data were collected using an online
survey questionnaire (as a pilot survey for a Master’s degree dissertation) with Likert-scale items. 190
respondents in total managed to complete the online survey questionnaire; these were undergraduate
diploma and first degree students from several public university campuses in Peninsula Malaysia. 84.74
per cent of the respondents were female and the remaining 15.26 per cent were male. Because the
online survey questionnaire was designed as a pilot test, in the first place, the survey sought to test the
skillsets the students possess with reference to their career readiness for the future job market. The
significant results are essential for the students because those who are fully equipped with the most
relevant skillsets will be highly demand by employers.
Descriptive statistics were used to measure the basic data, which summarise the sample data to
measure the mean and standard deviation of each factor. Reliability testing was conducted to measure
the correlation coefficient between one or two variables. The reliability test employed was Internal
Consistency Approach that focuses on testing the components by measuring how the instrument and
questions set measure the characteristics within the test. This research uses Cronbach Alpha values to
estimate the reliability of specific items.

4. DATA PRESENTATION

4.1. The respondents

The figures below summarise all the respondents’ characteristics with relation to the gender of the
students either male or female. The tables also summarise the age of the respondents who completed
the survey with their qualifications and programme that they are currently enrolled in, in several public
universities. This research mainly focuses on undergraduate programs, which are Diploma, and
Bachelor’s Degree. The research successfully collected data from various course of studies offered. Four
major courses were identified, the course with highest intakes are Applied Science programs followed by
Computer Science and Accountancy respectively. The figures provide graphical representation on the
demographic characteristics of all the respondents.

Figure 1: Gender of undergraduate students


33
CITE AS: Rahmat, A. M., Adnan, A. H. M., & Mohtar, N. M. (2019). Industry 4.0 Skillsets and ‘Career Readiness’: Can Malaysian
University Students face the Future of Work? In MNNF Network (Ed.), Proceedings of the International Invention, Innovative &
Creative (InIIC) Conference, Series 2/2019 (pp. 28-37). Senawang: MNNF Network.
Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3511166
Proceedings: International Invention, Innovative & Creative (InIIC) Conference, 2019
MNNF Publisher (ISBN number: 978-967-17324-4-1)
_________________________________________________________________________________

This study managed to gather 190 responses from undergraduates in public universities at a
response rate of 84.74 per cent representing females and the remaining 15.26 per cent representing
males. The pie chart also illustrates the total number of students who answered this survey based on
gender. It shows that the number of females is greater than the males. Females dominate in answering
this survey.

Figure 2: Age frequency of undergraduate students

Figure 2 shows that the majority 90.5 per cent are final year undergraduate students who were 20
years of age with 7.5 per cent above 20 years old and only 2.1 per cent were less than 20 years old. For
higher education institutions in Malaysia, specifically public universities, the age range of Diploma
students is between 19 to 21 years old. This research focuses on final year students hence this graph
indicates the average of final year students major between 20 to 21 years old.

Figure 3: Number of students according to course / program of study

The bar chart (Figure 3) shows students from four major courses answered this survey dominated
by Applied Science course with 42.63 per cent, Computer Science at 31.05 per cent, Accountancy with
23.16 per cent and the remaining 3.16 per cent represented by Mathematical Science course. The bar
34
CITE AS: Rahmat, A. M., Adnan, A. H. M., & Mohtar, N. M. (2019). Industry 4.0 Skillsets and ‘Career Readiness’: Can Malaysian
University Students face the Future of Work? In MNNF Network (Ed.), Proceedings of the International Invention, Innovative &
Creative (InIIC) Conference, Series 2/2019 (pp. 28-37). Senawang: MNNF Network.
Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3511166
Proceedings: International Invention, Innovative & Creative (InIIC) Conference, 2019
MNNF Publisher (ISBN number: 978-967-17324-4-1)
_________________________________________________________________________________

chart also illustrates that the major responses collected are from Applied Science courses in public
universities. This might indicate that the number of student intake is greater in these compared to other
courses offered.

Figure 4: Number of students according to qualifications

The majority of the students were currently enrolled in Diploma programme in public universities.
The bar chart results of 98.95 per cent were dominated by Diploma students whilst the remaining 1.05
per cent represent Bachelor’s Degree programmes.

Table 1: Summary of Respondent Characteristics


Gender % Age %
Qualifications % Course %
Programme
Male 84.74 19-21 95.8 Diploma 98.95 Accountancy 23.16
years
Female 15.26 22-24 2.7 Bachelor’s Degree 1.05 Applied Science 42.63
years
24 years & 1.5 Computer Science 31.05
above
Mathematical 3.16
Science

4.2. Derivatives of Skill Competencies and Reliability test

At the first phase, the survey sought to measure skillsets that the students possess as part of their career
readiness to face the future job market. This is essential for the students and provide ease of access for
the students to fully equip themselves with the most relevant skillsets highly demanded by employers.
The study conducted is part of a pilot survey with a total of 190 respondents to measure the reliability of
each skillset. Descriptive statistics were to measure the basic data, which summarise the sample data to
measure the mean and standard deviation of each factor. The reliability test conducted measured the
correlation coefficient between one or two variables. The reliability test employed Internal Consistency
Approach that focuses on testing the components by measuring how the instrument and questions set
measure the characteristics within the test. Accordingly, this study used Cronbach Alpha to estimate the
reliability of specific items.
Table II provides the associated descriptive statistics and correlation coefficient which is known as
Cronbach’s Alpha to estimate the data. The item column indicates the total items integrated to each

35
CITE AS: Rahmat, A. M., Adnan, A. H. M., & Mohtar, N. M. (2019). Industry 4.0 Skillsets and ‘Career Readiness’: Can Malaysian
University Students face the Future of Work? In MNNF Network (Ed.), Proceedings of the International Invention, Innovative &
Creative (InIIC) Conference, Series 2/2019 (pp. 28-37). Senawang: MNNF Network.
Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3511166
Proceedings: International Invention, Innovative & Creative (InIIC) Conference, 2019
MNNF Publisher (ISBN number: 978-967-17324-4-1)
_________________________________________________________________________________

variable. The mean represents the average score of the variables. The highest mean is 23.67 for
Emotional Intelligence. This indicates that students believe that they possess emotional intelligence skill
whilst Service Orientation secured the lowest mean, with a figure 18.75. The results of the reliability test
is presented in Table II. The outcomes indicate that Cognitive Flexibility shows a good internal
consistency reliability for the scale with sample with values 0.87. In this variable, cognitive flexibility was
measured using four items considering the adaptability and responsibility in experiencing new role and
opportunity. It was also noticed that the students believe that they also possess high critical thinking skills
with values 0.86 which indicates good internal consistency. Negotiation skills measured by four items
involving the ability to persuade and influence people resulted 0.82, a good sign of internal consistency
followed by Decision Making skills with values 0.81 measured by five items related to ability in making
decision individually. Service orientation, which is an interesting factor, contributes to 0.80 values of
Cronbach’s Alpha, which also indicates good internal consistency.

Table 2: Descriptive Statistics and Correlation Coefficient of students’ skillsets


Items Mean SD
Cronbach’s
Alpha (α)
1. Complex Problem Solving 5 18.97 2.526 0.68
2. Critical Thinking 4 18.83 2.978 0.86**
3. Creative Thinking 4 19.75 6.391 0.80**
4. People Management 4 20.01 2.473 0.67
5. Coordinating with Others 4 19.31 2.799 0.76
6. Emotional Intelligence 5 23.67 3.765 0.73
7. Decision Making 5 23.46 3.280 0.81**
8. Service Orientation 4 18.75 2.882 0.80**
9. Negotiation 4 19.39 2.694 0.82**
10. Cognitive Flexibility 4 19.08 3.213 0.87**
Note: The value marked with ** shows high Cronbach’s Alpha (α) values in Column 5. Cronbach’s
Alpha value >0.80 are good indication for internal consistency.

5. CONCLUSION

All variables lead to the conclusion that the undergraduate students recognize the critical skills and they
believe they possess all the skills expected by employers for Industry 4.0 job demands. This research
found that the students felt they possess high levels of cognitive flexibility, critical thinking skill,
negotiation skill, decision-making skill and finally service orientation skills. Five major skills that the
students possess later will be used to investigate the relationship between career readiness and skill
competencies, generating extended research on how the competencies that the students possess will
contribute to their career readiness to venture in the job market of the future. The results of this study will
eventually expand the objectives in profiling the most significant skillsets that students possess in order
to increase the chance of employability and conduct more elaborate qualitative analysis to contextualize
the essential skills needed from the employers’ dimensions according to industry requirements. The
findings of that extended research effort should provide broader insights and recommendations that can
help stakeholders in creating succession plans for the future job market.

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36
CITE AS: Rahmat, A. M., Adnan, A. H. M., & Mohtar, N. M. (2019). Industry 4.0 Skillsets and ‘Career Readiness’: Can Malaysian
University Students face the Future of Work? In MNNF Network (Ed.), Proceedings of the International Invention, Innovative &
Creative (InIIC) Conference, Series 2/2019 (pp. 28-37). Senawang: MNNF Network.
Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3511166
Proceedings: International Invention, Innovative & Creative (InIIC) Conference, 2019
MNNF Publisher (ISBN number: 978-967-17324-4-1)
_________________________________________________________________________________

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37
CITE AS: Rahmat, A. M., Adnan, A. H. M., & Mohtar, N. M. (2019). Industry 4.0 Skillsets and ‘Career Readiness’: Can Malaysian
University Students face the Future of Work? In MNNF Network (Ed.), Proceedings of the International Invention, Innovative &
Creative (InIIC) Conference, Series 2/2019 (pp. 28-37). Senawang: MNNF Network.
Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3511166

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