The present study examined the influence of social factors on career self-efficacy among technical students in Malaysia. This research implemented cross-sectional data with the ordinary least square analysis method. The sample consisted of 500 students from five technical vocational institutions in Terengganu, Malaysia. The sample was selected using a random sampling technique. The data were analyzed descriptively using mean and percentage alongside the inference analysis based on correlation. The results revealed that family income had a positive relationship with career self-efficacy. The study revealed that two courses, a diploma in external structure engineering and a certificate in plan drawing, positively correlate with career self-efficacy. Social factors, such as the training place, the number of households, and gender, are proven unrelated to career self-efficacy. These findings can guide an institution to improve students' career self-efficacy. Further studies are required to strengthen the findings of this study.
Top1. Introduction
The government's recent involvement in giving out funds and investment in establishing technical and vocational educational training (TVET) institutes is a significant effort to meet the labour demand in line with the nation's economic status. The responsibility of the respected TVET institutes is to educate and upskill the youth to generate skills that are in high demand and highly sought after in the industry. The biggest challenge is thus to ensure that the trained graduates are ready to enter and explore a job that is in line with their skills. According to the Ministry of Human Resources (JTKSM-Jabatan Tenaga Kerja Malaysia), almost 460,000 graduates are unemployed. Out of them, 21.7 percent comprises the engineering, construction, and manufacturing-related disciplines. Hence, serious unemployment concerns have arisen, particularly in engineering. Local graduates formally qualified in their field of study are frequently chastised by Malaysian employers for lacking generic skills. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have also raised their concern about employability as many graduates fail to secure entry-level jobs. Malaysia faces a shortfall of skilled workers as many graduates lack appropriate workplace skills.
Employers demand graduates who possess not just core academic knowledge but also generic management, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities, as well as lifelong learning and communication skills, including a firm foundation in work ethics (Shafie & Nayan, 2010). Several aspects, including the curriculum, facilities (infrastructure), teaching, and learning during their studies, might influence the graduates' readiness skills in fulfilling the industry's demanding requirements (Fauzi et al., 2016). Students' development is measured by their stellar academic achievements and the skills and qualities required by industry and the labour market (Ismail, 2012; Stewart & Knowles, 2000; Yussof et al., 2008). To succeed in the job market, students must have sufficient knowledge and information about the position they are considering. Universities and technical colleges play a vital role in preparing and producing competent, innovative graduates who meet the labour market demands. The universities must ensure that students have the skills and knowledge about the labour market they are about to join, eventually helping them meet the market demand (Abas-Mastura et al., 2013; Mahmud et al., 2017). Factors such as the context in which individual lives, their aptitudes, and educational attainment all influence the process of determining a career choice (Bandura et al., 2001; Watson et al., 2010).
Employers today are concerned about finding qualified employees who possess basic academic skills such as reading, writing, science, mathematics, oral communication, and listening. Also, employers must have higher-order thinking skills such as learning, reasoning, creative thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving. Additionally, they are looking for employees with personal qualities including responsibility, self-confidence, self-control, social skills, honesty, integrity, adaptability and flexibility, team spirit, punctuality and efficiency, self-directed, good work attitude, well-groomed, cooperative, self-motivated, and self-management. However, most graduates are unaware of the current problem, unable to see the connection between what they learn in class and the real-world jobs they will encounter later. Therefore, the lecturers must ensure that these students are well-equipped with employability skills to succeed in their job fields after graduation.
Graduates are unable to seek employment after graduation due to communication skills issues, according to Ismail (2012), while Norida et al. (2014) found that they have attitude problems, low self-esteem, and a low degree of career readiness. Meanwhile, Fauzi et al. (2016) discovered that graduates' readiness skills to meet the industry's demanding needs are influenced by several factors such as curriculum, facility (infrastructure), social-economic, method of teaching, and learning during their study. Furthermore, Talib et al. (2015) studied 120 Community College students and found that career self-efficacy can be enhanced if they concentrate fully on their future careers. It is because while they focus on their study and future career, it indirectly positively impacts their career self-efficacy.