Author

  • Farhana Akter

    • School of Business and Social Sciences, Albukhary International University, Alor Setar, Malaysia
    • Malaysia
  • Md Rofi Uddin Shakil

    • School of Business and Social Sciences, Albukhary International University, Alor Setar, Malaysia
    • Malaysia
  • Yeasmin Akter

    • School of Business and Social Sciences, Albukhary International University, Alor Setar, Malaysia
    • Malaysia
  • Kanij Fatema

    • School of Business and Social Sciences, Albukhary International University, Alor Setar, Malaysia
    • Malaysia
  • Noor Jannah Binti Afi

    • School of Business and Social Sciences, Albukhary International University, Alor Setar, Malaysia
    • Malaysia
  • Norizan Azizan

    • School of Business and Social Sciences, Albukhary International University, Alor Setar, Malaysia
    • Malaysia
  • Kamal Ab Hamid

    • International Islamic University Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah Kuala Ketil, Kedah, Malaysia
    • Malaysia

Abstract

This study analyses the value of collaborative education strategies for improving workforce development in Malaysia, focusing on collaborations between educational institutions and industry. In recent years, the Malaysian job market has experienced major challenges, especially in terms of graduate preparation for employment. Many graduates struggle due to inadequate skills and limited employment opportunities, emphasizing the critical need for comprehensive educational changes. These coordinated activities aim to bridge the education-industry divide by developing connections between academia and the business sector. Moreover, the study uses a qualitative approach, conducting in-depth interviews with industry managers to understand better the impact of partnership programs, government support, and community participation on workforce readiness. Through these interviews, the study emphasizes the importance of collaborative education in providing graduates with the skills and competencies they need to succeed in a competitive work market. The findings show that, while these collaborations significantly boost graduates' employability and skill sets, issues such as unequal access to opportunities and an overreliance on government assistance remain. Furthermore, the analysis discovers gaps in the available literature, particularly in the context of Malaysia, emphasizing the need for further research targeted to this environment. Future research directions will include empirical investigations to quantify the impact of collaborative education initiatives, quantitative analyses to evaluate the efficacy of various programs, and policy recommendations to improve Malaysia's workforce development and foster long-term economic growth. By addressing these issues, the study hopes to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of how collaborative education may effectively bridge Malaysia’s skills gap.

Keywords

References

  • Ahmad, Z., Arshad, R., & Ahmad. (2024). NGOs and community: A case study of roles of NGOs in Malaysia. AIP Conference Proceedings, 2799(1). https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0181974
  • Angolia, M.G., Pickard, J., Pagliari, L., & Lesko, C.J. (2014). Building Sustainable Industry Partnerships That Engage Faculty and Prepare Job-Ready Students.
  • Asefer, A., & Abidin, Z. (2021). Soft skills and graduates’ employability in the 21st century from employers’ perspectives: A review of literature. International Journal of Infrastructure Research and Management, 9(2), 44-59.
  • Bray, J., Painter, R., & Rosin, M. (2011). Developing Human Capital: Meeting The Growing Global Need for A Skilled and Educated Workforce. Business and Education Working Together Can Reduce Barriers to Employment and Create New Pathways to Career Development and Job Growth. Chief Executive Officer National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB). Introduction: Businesspeople from Mars? Educators from Venus?
  • Brewer, M.L., & Jones, S.C. (2014). A University-Community Engagement and Leadership Model.
  • Dali, N. R. S. M., Nawang, W. R. W., Hamid, H. A., Misbah, H., Nawai, N., Johari, F., ... & Lee, U. H. M. S. (2023). Enhancing Graduate Employability in the Malaysian Capital Market. I-iECONS e-proceedings, 340-357. https://doi.org/10.33102/iiecons.v10i1.88
  • Feraco, T., Resnati, D., Fregonese, D., Spoto, A., & Meneghetti, C. (2023). An integrated model of school students’ academic achievement and life satisfaction. Linking soft skills, extracurricular activities, self-regulated learning, motivation, and emotions. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 38. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-022-00601-4
  • Firdaus, R. B., Mohamad, O., Mohammad, T., & Gunaratne, M. S. (2020). Community Partnership Through Knowledge Transfer Program: Assessment from the Perspectives of Academics’ Experience. SAGE Open, 10(4), 215824402098074. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020980742
  • Gill, S. (2009). Academia, industry, and community collaboration in Malaysia: Strategies and opportunities for the future. International Conference Paper. https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid =rep1&type=pdf&doi=eac5ee1e898af6ef9379baccc5a7aee5f275a59a
  • Ismail, A., & Abiddin, N. Z. (2014). Issues and challenges of technical and vocational education and training in Malaysia towards human capital development. Middle East Journal of Scientific Research, 19(2), 7-11.
  • Kamaruddin, H., Othman, N., Hassan, R., Zaki, W.M., & Sum, S.M. (2017). The Government’s Role in the Importance of Entrepreneurship Education Amongst University Students in Malaysia.
  • Kamin, Y., Cartledge, D., & Simkin, K. (2010). Work-based learning in Malaysia’s Community Colleges: Perceptions from Students, Lecturers, Training Partners and Employers. In 19th National Vocational Education and Training Research Conference, Perth, Australia. https://www.voced.edu.au/content/ngv:43617
  • Karim, M. S., Hassan, A. R., & Zakaria, Z. (2020). Industry-Academia Collaboration in Malaysia: Challenges and Opportunities. Journal of Workforce Development, 15(2), 45-60.
  • Kumar, N., Scheer, L., & Kotler, P. (2000). From market driven to market driving. European Management Journal, 18(2), 129–142. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0263-2373(99)00084-5
  • Leong, P. C., Narunan, R., & Sim, S. (2010, February). Background paper for Malaysia: Skills development in the workplace in Malaysia. In ILO skills development paper, Chiba, Japan.
  • Lim, H. E., & Mustafa, M. M. (2013). Effectiveness of industrial training in improving students' generic skills. International Journal of Business and Society, 14(3), 368-375. https://dsgate.uum.edu.my/jspui/handle/123456789/431
  • Lindsay, C., Canduela, J., & Raeside, R. (2012). Polarization in access to work-related training in Great Britain. Economic and Industrial Democracy, 34(2), 205–225. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143831x12442576
  • Mohd, W.M., Hussain, W.R., Rahman, M.N., Zainol, Z.A., & InayahYaakub, N. (2014). Mechanism and Government Initiatives Promoting Innovation and Commercialization of University Invention. Pertanika journal of social science and humanities, 22, 131-148.
  • Nadarajah, J. (2021). Measuring The Gap in Employability Skills Among Malaysian Graduates. International Journal of Modern Trends in Social Sciences, 4(15), 81–87. https://doi.org/10.35631/ijmtss.415007
  • Nathan, R. J., Shawkataly, O., & Siang, T. T. G. (2013). Universities at the crossroads: industry or society-driven? Australian Universities' Review, The, 55(2), 111-115.
  • Noel, J. R. (2014). Developing Sustainable Community Engagement by Repositioning Programs into Communities.
  • Olson, B., & Brennan, M.A. (2017). From Community Engagement to Community Emergence: The Holistic Program Design Approach. International Journal of Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement.
  • Palliam, R., Galfy, A. H., & Romaila, S. (2010). Investigating risk-return profile of graduates: corporate accountability and social responsibility perspective. Journal of Business Research. https://www.academia.edu/download/32476118/4.3-_Investigating_Risk-Return_Profile_of_Graduates.pdf
  • Parween, S. (2024). The Significance of Employee Training and Development on Enhancing Workforce Efficiency.
  • Ramli, M. F., & Senin, A. A. (2021). Factors affecting effective university-industry collaboration during the development research stage. International Journal of Management Studies (IJMS), 28(2), 127-159. https://repo.uum.edu.my/id/eprint/29268/1/IJMS%2028%2002%202021%20127-159.pdf
  • Rashidi, R. (2011). The framework for effective collaboration between public training institutions and private industries in the context of the National Dual Training System (NDTS) environment in Malaysia.
  • Rashidi, R. (2013). Evaluation of collaboration between public training institutions and private industries and its importance in improving the quality of training delivery in TVET in Malaysia TVET Online. https://tvet-online.asia/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/rashidi_tvet1.pdf
  • Rawlinson, S., & Dewhurst, P. (2013). How can effective university?industry partnerships be developed? Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 5, 255-267.
  • Sala, G. (2011). Approaches to skills mismatch in the labor market: A literature review. Papers: revista de sociologia, 96(4), 1025-1045. Approaches to Skills Mismatch in the Labour Market: A Literature Review 1. https://www.raco.cat/index.php/Papers/article/download/246735/330549
  • Salleh, M. S., & Omar, M. Z. (2013). University-industry collaboration models in Malaysia. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 102, 654-664.
  • Sánchez-García, A. M., Z., & Alwi, S. R. W. (2020). Driving a Sustainable University-Industry Partnership. In Sustainable Organizations-Models, Applications, and New Perspectives. IntechOpen.
  • https://books.google.com/books?
  • Sappar, R., Hussain, M. A. M., & Zulkifli, R. M. (2024). The Implementation of Collaborative Industry Practices in Malaysian Vocational Colleges. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 13(2). https://ijarped.com/index.php/journal/article/view/504
  • Selvaratnam, D. P. (2013). Do Student Volunteers Benefit from Community Engagement? Asian Social Science, 9(8). https://doi.org/10.5539/ass.v9n8p123
  • Seow, A.Y., Yee, V., Chong, A.L., & Kendall, G. (2015). Managing University-Industry Collaborations in Malaysia by Examining its Critical Success Factors: A Dyadic Approach.
  • Shabdin, M. R., & Sulaiman, S. (2020). Community Engagement in Industrial Training: The Malaysian Model. Journal of Education and Work, 33(5), 452-468.
  • Shabdin, N. H., Abu, A., Mohamad, R. S., Selamat, A., Abdullah, M. S., Sulaiman, N. H. M., Hashim, N. F. M., Alwi, M. F. M., Ezanee, N. a. M., & Shabdin, M. K. (2020, September 22). Leading Higher Institutional Transformation: Empowering Community Educational Engagement (CEE) through Internet of Things (IoT). Www.atlantis-Press.com; Atlantis Press. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.200921.031
  • Shah, R., Rasyidah, W., Hanifah Abdul Hamid, Hanim Misbah, Norhaziah Nawai, Fuadah Johari, Mohd, R., Nur, W., & Lee. (2023). Enhancing Graduate Employability in the Malaysian Capital Market. I-IECONS E-Proceedings, 340–357. https://doi.org/10.33102/iiecons.v10i1.88
  • Sohimi, N. E., Affandi, H. M., Rasul, M. S., Yasin, R. M., Nordin, N., & Adam, S. (2019). Malaysian Industrial Collaborations for Skills Development in 4th Industrial Revolution. Journal of Technical Education and Training, 11(3). https://publisher.uthm.edu.my/ojs/index.php/JTET/article/view/3192
  • Suparno, Sri Pudjiarti, E., & Joyo Supeno, B. (2023). Collaborative Synergy: Leveraging Competitive Advantage in University-Industry Innovation. Interciencia, 48(1), 78-85.
  • Tan, C. K., & Tee, S. C. (2020). Bridging the Skills Gap in Malaysia: An Analysis of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Programs. Journal of Technical Education and Training, 12(1), 23-34.
  • Thakur, N. (2023). Significance of Effective Communication vis-à-vis Soft Skills in Agri Graduate’s Career. Vigyan Varta An International E-Magazine for Science Enthusiast, 4(2), 68-70.
  • Yee, A. S. V., Chong, A. L., & Kendall, G. (2015). Managing university-industry collaborations in Malaysia by examining its critical success factors: A dyadic approach. World Review of Business Research, 5(3), 213-230.
  • Yusof, R., & Rahman, M. H. (2019). Enhancing Work-Based Learning through Industry Partnerships in Malaysian Universities. Asia-Pacific Journal of Cooperative Education, 20(3), 151-165.
  • Valle, I., & Castillo, M. A. (2008). Human capital and sustainable competitive advantage: an analysis of the relationship between training and performance. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 5(2), 139–163.

Downloads

No downloads have been recorded for this article yet. Figures appear here once readers begin downloading the full text.

How to Cite

Akter, F., Uddin Shakil, M. R., Akter, Y., Fatema, K., Binti Afi, N. J., Azizan, N., & Ab Hamid, K. (2024). Collaborative Models for Community-Driven Industrial Education: Enhancing Workforce Development Through Partnership Programs in Malaysia. Information Management and Business Review, 16(3(I)S), 1050-1062. https://doi.org/10.22610/imbr.v16i3(I)S.4159

Share this article

Section

Research Paper

Published

2024-10-07

Submissions

Have research to publish? Information Management and Business Review welcomes submissions.

Make a Submission