IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/mth/ijld88/v10y2020i4p1-21.html

Enhancing English Proficiency and Communication Skills Among Malaysian Graduates through Training and Coaching

Author

Listed:
  • Seetha Nesaratnam
  • Wan Hisham Wan Salleh
  • Yi Von Foo
  • Wan Mahmud Wan Syazwan Wan Hisham

Abstract

Employability of graduates has become a matter of grave concern in Malaysia where the high unemployment rate of graduates is said to be a result of poor English communication skills. English communication plays an important role in an organisation and is said to enhance efficiency and productivity. English communication is therefore, a critical skill for graduates seeking employment, regardless of position or industry. The importance of English communication skills for graduates in the Malaysian private sector and recommendations for improvement initiatives were the focal points of this study. Data was collected from in-depth interviews with 10 employers in the private sector who are in leadership positions, who recruit and manage graduates. The interview transcripts were analysed using ATLAS.ti a Computer Assisted Qualitative Data AnalysiS (CAQDAS) and the findings of the study strongly indicate that employers in the private sector place high value on English communication competency. The results also revealed that mastery of this skill enhances employability of graduates and also creates opportunities for career advancement. The findings further point towards the importance of deeper collaboration between Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and industry, graduate training and coaching.

Suggested Citation

  • Seetha Nesaratnam & Wan Hisham Wan Salleh & Yi Von Foo & Wan Mahmud Wan Syazwan Wan Hisham, 2020. "Enhancing English Proficiency and Communication Skills Among Malaysian Graduates through Training and Coaching," International Journal of Learning and Development, Macrothink Institute, vol. 10(4), pages 1-21, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:mth:ijld88:v:10:y:2020:i:4:p:1-21
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/ijld/article/download/17875/13843
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: http://www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/ijld/article/view/17875
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Isai Amutan Krishnan & Mahendran Maniam & Mazlin Binti Mohamed Mokhtar, 2024. "An Appraisal Analysis of the Performance of Malaysian Fresh Graduates in a Job Interview," SAGE Open, , vol. 14(1), pages 21582440231, January.
    2. Muhammad Aizat Azhari & Onaliza Satimin, 2024. "Evaluating English Language Education for Career Readiness in Intercultural Communication: Employer Insights and Recommendations," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 8(10), pages 2923-2934, October.
    3. Nur Iqliah Maksan & Hanna Insyirah Mohd Sukri, 2025. "The Importance of English Language Proficiency on Employability in Malaysia among Non-English Major Students," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 9(24), pages 770-781, October.
    4. Noor Syamimi Binti Zawawi & Siti Balqis Binti Abdul Aziz & Amirun Hariz Bin Azmi & Amirul Shafiq Bin Abdul Razak & Nurul Syahirah Binti Mohamad Nasir & Mohammad Radzi bin Manap & Mohammad Radzi bin Ma, 2025. "The Impact of English Proficiency in Enhancing Employment Opportunities Among University Students," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 9(22), pages 321-327, October.
    5. Lyla Jaffree & Faizah Mohamad & Alia Julia Ali Jaafar & Nur Farzana Rosli, 2025. "English Communication Apprehension at the Workplace Among Private Malaysian Employees," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 9(22), pages 184-192, October.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • R00 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General - - - General
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:mth:ijld88:v:10:y:2020:i:4:p:1-21. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Technical Support Office (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/ijld .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.