Persidangan Pembangunan Pelajar Peringkat Kebangsaan 2008 Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 22- 23 Oktober 2008

Developing A Marketable Human Capital

Zamzuri Abdul Majid Multimedia University, Senior Director of Student Affairs Division 013-6802004; Fax no: 06-2317166 zamzuri@mmu.edu.my

Abstract The principal objective of this paper is to elaborate more about the approaches that should be implemented in developing a marketable human capital. Nowadays, it is very crucial for us to produce a graduate that could serve the needs in the market. We do not want to have a graduate that only has a paper qualification, but a graduate that is all-rounded in which he or she could change the world or bring benefits to others.The other perspective of this paper is about the collaboration that MMU has with the industry as well as the curriculum that MMU has designed for the students. Not only that, MMU also has one center that has been established in assisting the MMU students to become the entrepreneur. Besides, the other topic that will be discussed in this paper is about the roles of Student Affairs Division in assisting the graduates to prepare and market themselves after graduation.Generally, students are products of a particular university. The philosophy of a university mould the mind of the students, shapes their attitude and crystalize their thought. Hence, one of the aim of a university is that its students turn out to be competent professionals, well grounded in religion possess multitasking and leadership skills as well as other positive charisma.Today, it is important for universities to teach their students to think beyond the knowledge gain in class, as the degree is only a tool for future career. In the K (Knowledge ) Era, competitions for employment are very stiff. Thousands of graduates are produced each year from local and overseas higher institutions. And yet, graduates compete for only a relatively small number of jobs offered in the market.Prof Dr Khoo Kay Khim, in an interview says,If you have 100 students and 70% get all As in an exam, they cannot be the best of the best.This implies that getting straight As is no longer a measurement for todays employers to scan for suitable candidates in fulfilling vacant positions. In todays stiff economic competition, employers not only look for academic ability but also the ability to perform a job. As such, employers often ask for experience from fresh grads. How can these experiences being acquired? One of the ways is for student to take part in organisations on campus. During their graduate life, student have the opportunity to take on responsibility for example being a treasurer for career fair, committee member for convocation day and so forth. By taking part in campus activities, students are able to learn teamwork, leadership, people, financial and management skills. It also shows to employers that you are a person who knows how to manage your time, besides acquiring so many skills when organising activities.

1.

Introduction The Student Development Concept apply by Student Affairs Division (STAD) is divide into three (3) aspects which is spiritual, physical and mental. In spiritual, we try our best to inject the moral values among our students and among the values that would be concentrated are the integrity, responsibility, tolerant and independent. Meanwhile, for physical, STAD would ensure that our graduates are physically fit to carry out their responsibilities. At the last aspect, mental, STAD would equip the graduates and trained them to be more creative and proactive. Not only that, the graduates also would be groomed to learn how to develop excellent thinking skills as well intellectual.

2.

MMU Student Culture

In producing a marketable human capital, STAD has cultivated the cultures among the MMU students in which each of the students has to understand the culture and need to try their very best in comply with those cultures.

Persidangan Pembangunan Pelajar Peringkat Kebangsaan 2008 Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 22- 23 Oktober 2008

There ten (10) cultures that we want to cultivate within our students and the cultures are proactive, innovative, global, integration, entrepreneurship, leadership, responsible, IT-based, moral values as well as highly resilient.

Moral values: integrity responsibility tolerant independent

M M U G R A D U A T E S

STUDENT DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT

MENTAL
Figure 1. Student Development Model a. There are four major domains: cognitive, affective, psychomotor and spiritual. Target populations here refer to the programmes implemented at individuals, groups or community level. The intervention competencies refer to remedial programs in nature and also change of strategies if needed after assessment based on goal setting. Evaluation is where the whole plan of action is evaluated for the purpose of improvement.

SPIRITUAL

to be creative and
proactive to develop excellent thinking skills

b.

PHYSICAL

c.

physically fit to
carry out responsibilities

intellectual

d.

3.2 Three dimensional model of personality development.

Highly resilient Moral values IT-based Responsible Leadership

Pro-active Innovative Global Integration Entrepreneurship

Dr Hassan Langgulung (1990) suggested that the three dimensional conceptualization of human personality with the physical aspect, psychological component and spiritual aspect should be utilized as a model of personality development, both individual as well as collectively.

3.

Student Development 3.1 Student Development Model Dr Eddie K.W. Ho (1980 ) in his findings proposed the following model of student development:

Figure 2. Psychological Dimension

Persidangan Pembangunan Pelajar Peringkat Kebangsaan 2008 Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 22- 23 Oktober 2008

The three dimensional model development of an individual.

of

personality

University education should address student development in four major domains: a. Spiritual domain, which refers to the religious feeling and belief, and also a persons moral judgement and commitment to the society and human beings. b. Cognitive domain, which deals with problemsolving, analyzing and synthesizing, abstract thinking, comprehension, planning, creativity and so forth. It is also known as mind or intellect. c. Affective domain, which refers to feeling, personality, interpersonal, aesthetics, aspiration and so forth. It is known also as emotion. d. Psychomotor domain, which refers to the physical dimension of a person or also known as body and physique.

i. ii. iii. iv. v. 3.4.1

Integration Management skills Interpersonal skills Leadership skills Entrepreneurial skills Integration, between spiritual, mental and physical: A balance combination of the three: Spiritual - Is for developing self endurance - Inculcate moral values - Instill religious consciousness through moral activities Physical - Physically fit to carry out responsibilities Mental - Widen mental spectrum - Be creative and pro-active - Develop excellent thinking skills - Intellectual Management skills

3.3 7 habits of highly effective people. Steven R Covey suggested model of highly effective people who are: a. b. c. d. e. f. g. Pro- active Possess a sharp vision (begin with the end in mind) Know how to plan (put first things first) Cooperative (think win/win) Have a clear mission (seek first to understand, then to be understood) Able to work together (synergies) Optimistic (sharpen the saw) 3.4.2

Management skills show how good you are in organising your daily life, your studies, your time, personal relationship and so forth. Employers often acquire this information through your resume at the extra curricular activity column. Management skills that you acquire enable you to: i. Plan ii. Organise iii. Direct iv. Control Planning which is an important element in management involves formulation of objective, strategy, vision and mission. Organising is how you move your available resources such as human, financial etc to achieve the objective that you have set. Directing involves communication of orders and directions to your manpower, staffs or committee members, in the case of student activities. Last but not least is controlling. Control will be monitoring of results, follow-ups and assessment on the overall management.

3.4 Student Development: MMU experience. Our development philosophy will be focused on three inter related aspects which are the mental, spiritual and physical aspects. When these aspects are well developed, the graduates we hope to produce will be well mannered and integrated individuals, who at the same time are skillful in their respective fields. In addition to this, our students will be rich in universally accepted moral values, and placed high on the hierarchy where dynamics, innovation and entrepreneurial mentality is concerned. The skills and character that we emphasized to be developed through student activities during graduate life are:

Persidangan Pembangunan Pelajar Peringkat Kebangsaan 2008 Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 22- 23 Oktober 2008

If you excelled in your studies and still found time to be actively involved in campus and community life, you will have a clear advantage over other candidates in job hunting. You will have the opportunity to develop your confidence, courage, composure, competence and conscience. With confidence, you feel sure about your abilities, qualities and ideas. Courage enables you to do what you believe is right, while composure is your ability to control your feelings. On the other hand, you must also be competent enough to do something well or effectively and have the conscience; your sense on what is right or wrong. Students must also realize that EQ (Emotional Quotient) is as important as IQ (Intelligence Quotient). An employer would assess your EQ not only from the way you conduct yourself in an interview, but also from your extra-curricular activities at school and university. 3.4.3 Interpersonal skills

3.4.5

Entrepreneurial skills

Besides leadership skills, students must also realize the importance of entrepreneurial skills as it helps in times when it is difficult for you to find a job. Entrepreneurial skills are learnt through your participation in any fund raising or sales activities for example convo carnival, food fair, book bazaar etc, during your studies. It motivates you to possess the characters of successful entrepreneurs. Besides gaining experience, student will have the chance to learn time management and teamwork Richard Cantillon (1934) defines entrepreneurship as self-employment with uncertain return.

3.4.6

Characteristics of entrepreneurs/ Entrepreneurial skills:

Interpersonal communication is communication that takes place between two persons who have an established relationship; the people are in some way connected. Interpersonal communication would thus include what takes place between a son and his father, an employer and employee, a teacher and a student, boss and his subordinate and so forth. Each person involves formulates and sends messages and also perceives and comprehends messages. Therefore, in the case of fresh graduates, interpersonal skill is crucial as a first impression when attending interviews. Often, employers are looking for graduates, who are able to convey and present ideas, who have a good public relation (PR) or communication skills. 3.4.4 Leadership skills

Passion for business: The entrepreneur must have more than a casual interest in the business because there will be many hurdles and obstacles to be overcome. Steven Jobs, co founder of Apple Computer stated that Apple Computer succeeded not because it was a good idea, but because it was built from the heart.

Tenacity despite failure: Because of hurdles and obstacles that must be overcome, entrepreneur must be consistently persistent. Walt Disney went bankrupt three times before he made his first successful films. Confidence: Entrepreneurs are confident in their ability and business concept. Often, they have in depth knowledge about the market and industry. Self-determination: Is a crucial sign of a successful entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs believe that their success or failure depends on their own actions. Management of risk: Often, entrepreneurs do not put all of their resources and time into the venture until it appears to be viable. Seeing changes as opportunity: Entrepreneurs see change as normal and necessary. They search

Some people have an extraordinary ability to inspire others and bring forth loyalty. A person who has such personality is said to have charisma. Max Weber in his Theory of Social And Economic Organisation define that the term charisma applies to be treated as endowed with superhuman, or at least exceptional, powers or qualities. In this sense, charisma is a gift or power of leadership.

Persidangan Pembangunan Pelajar Peringkat Kebangsaan 2008 Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 22- 23 Oktober 2008

for change, respond to it and exploit it as an opportunity, which is the basis of innovation. Tolerance for ambiguity: Entrepreneurs feel comfortable with uncertainty. There is no guarantee of success as uncontrollable factors like economic, political, change in consumer taste often affect business. Initiative and need for achievement: Entrepreneurs are willing to act on their ideas and these often distinguish them from general public. Detail orientation and perfectionism: Attention to detail and the need for perfection result in a quality product or services. Perception of passing time: Entrepreneurs see that time is passing quickly and theres always a need for urgency. Creativity: Entrepreneurs have imagination and can envision alternative scenarios. They have ability to recognize ability where other people dont. Ability to see the big picture: Entrepreneurs often see things in a holistic sense, when others see only the parts. They often do research to see the entire business environment which helps to formulate business activity. Motivating factors: Besides money, other factors are more important to be entrepreneurs for example: to gain control over his/her life, to build something for the family, to use personal skills/ability etc. Self-efficiency: has been defined as a persons belief in his capability to perform a task. A sense of personal efficacy that is accurate and strong is essential to the initiation and persistence performance in all aspect of human development.

4.2 Number of clubs and societies in Cyberjaya and Melaka Currently, we have 64 clubs and societies in Cyberjaya campus and 67 clubs and societies in Melaka campus. 5. Student Activities Performance System

5.1 The objectives of Student Activities Performance System: To gauge students participation outside the academic environment To develop realistic performance standards and appropriate

To identify an all-rounder and active student sub- population within the whole student community To encourage students active participation in co- curriculum activities 6. Personality Traits of MMU Students There are few dimensions of personality traits that we want to produce within our students and the dimensions are extrovert, enterprising, social and moral value. In extrovert, we want our students to be energetic, happy, can socialize with others, like to communicate and express him/ herself and do not like to be alone. Meanwhile, for enterprising, our students should be eager to do something new and clever, a risk taker, like to interact with others, able to influence and direct people, managing other people as well as be responsible for all actions taken by him/ her. For social, MMU students should like and comfortable in meeting and spending time with other people, helpful, able to communicate with other and caring.

4.

Students Societies and Activities

4.1 The objectives of students societies and activities are: To encourage students active participation in co- curricular activities To produce active students who will become future leaders To develop interpersonal skills

Persidangan Pembangunan Pelajar Peringkat Kebangsaan 2008 Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 22- 23 Oktober 2008

Moral value
Extrovert -energetic -happy person -social -like to communicate -not comfortable to be alone

Apply the concepts learned for an advance course on cyberpreneurship Employ the concepts learned in the real life situations Establishment of Technopreneur Development Program (TDP)

8.

Personality Traits of MMU Student Social -like to meet and spend time with other people -helpful -able to communicate with people -caring

Under Unitele Multimedia Sdn Bhd, there is one program that has been established in order to assist the MMU graduates to start their own. 8.1 There are two (2) facilities offer which are: a. Fund maximum of 22 500 per project b. Rooms/operation space-maintenance fee maximum of RM 200 per month, including electricity, water, internet connection 8.2 For any startup accepted, it will be put under incubation period maximum of 2 years. 8.3 Repayment of fund shall be made within 30 months after the period with 0% interest. 9. Conclusion

Enterprising -eagerness to do something new and clever -risk taker -like to interact with others -able to influence people and to direct them -manage people -responsible

7. Curriculum Designed by Multimedia University In producing a graduate that can compete in this challenging world, MMU does not let Student Affairs and Sport Division to do it alone. Therefore, because of the awareness on how importance of MMU to produce a very competitive graduate, the faculty also has to offer a subject to equip the students with the suitable knowledge. The subject offer by faculty named Cyberprenuership subject and it is a university subject in which each of the graduates is compulsory to take this subject before they graduated. The objective of Cyberpreneurship subject is to introduce basic cyberpreneurship concepts to students. Meanwhile, the learning outcomes are: Comprehend the concepts of cyberpreneur and cyberpreneurship Apprehend the concepts of innovation and creativity in cyberpreneurial setting Describe and interpret the basics of cyberpreneurial management, financing and marketing Comprehend the importance of business plan Describe and interpret the business plan components and design Describe and interpret real life examples of cyberpreneurs through case study analysis

It is important for graduates today to prepare for any uncertainties that might happen after their graduation from the university. Uncontrollable factors such as the economy, the political stability, environment, can change without any prior signs as, change is the only permanent thing. As such, graduates must not only receive the knowledge that is being delivered in the classroom for examinations, but besides that, they are to ensure that extra skills are obtained during their undergraduate studies. It is not only for the purpose of seeking for employment but can also be alternative tools for unemployment. Bibliography: 1. 2. 3. The Art of Leadership, George Manning & Kent Curtis, McGraw Hill 2003. Entrepreneurship, Peggy Lambing & Charles Kuehl, Prentice Hall 2003. Kajian Separuh Penggal, Rancangan Malaysia Kelapan 2001-2005, Unit Perancang Ekonomi Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Percetakan Nasional Malaysia Berhad 2003. Masalah Pengangguran Di Kalangan Siswazah, Institut Penyelidikan Pengajian Tinggi Negara, Monograf 2004. Excellence Student Development Journal Vol 1, Student Affairs Division IIUM 1995. The Interpersonal Communication Book , Joseph A Devito, Harper Collins College 1995.

4.

5. 6.