Application of Fuzzy Delphi Technique for Developing a Higher Education Competency Model: Insights from HR practitioners

Kardina Kamaruddin; Roziyana Jafri; Syahida Abd. Aziz; Nunung Nurhayati

doi:10.21834/e-bpj.v10iSI28.6950

Authors

Kardina Kamaruddin Faculty of Business and Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Kedah, Kampus Sungai Petani, Kedah Malaysia
Roziyana Jafri Faculty of Business and Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Kedah, Kampus Sungai Petani, Kedah Malaysia
Syahida Abd. Aziz Faculty of Business and Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Kedah, Kampus Sungai Petani, Kedah Malaysia
Nunung Nurhayati Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Islam Bandung, Bandung, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v10iSI28.6950

Keywords:

Fuzzy Delphi Method, Higher Education Competency Model, Human Resource Management (HRM), Graduate Employability, Skills Development

Abstract

This study employs the Fuzzy Delphi Technique to develop a higher education competency model, addressing the significant gap between academic curricula and industry requirements. A panel of 15 experts, including academic professionals and HR practitioners, participated in a structured process to evaluate and prioritize essential skills. The expert consensus identified communication, technical proficiency, time management, and teamwork as top priorities, each with over 90% agreement. The integration of HR insights ensures the model aligns precisely with workforce demands. The findings provide actionable guidance for curriculum development, enhancing graduate employability by bridging the gap between academic preparation, and evolving employer expectations.

References

Atanasovski, A., Trpeska, M., & Lazarevska, Z. (2018). Accounting students' and employers' perceptions on employability skills in the SEE country. European Financial and Accounting Journal, 13(3), 55-71. https://doi.org/10.18267/j.efaj.214 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18267/j.efaj.214

Azmi, A., Noordin, M., Kamin, Y., Nasir, A., & Suhairom, N. (2018). Factors in non-technical skills development among engineering students: An employers’ perspective. The Turkish Online Journal of Design, Art and Communication, 8(SEPT), 918-926. https://doi.org/10.7456/1080sse/127 DOI: https://doi.org/10.7456/1080SSE/127

Baird, A., & Parayitam, S. (2019). Employers’ ratings of the importance of skills and competencies college graduates need to get hired. Education + Training, 61(5), 622-634. https://doi.org/10.1108/et-12-2018-0250 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-12-2018-0250

Barber, C., Blair, M., McCaffrey, T., & Palermo, C. (2022). Employability and employment outcomes of nutrition science graduates: A qualitative exploration. Nutrition & Dietetics, 80(3), 253-261. https://doi.org/10.1111/1747-0080.12777 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1747-0080.12777

Burrus, J., Jackson, T., Xi, N., & Steinberg, J. (2013). Identifying the most important 21st century workforce competencies: An analysis of the occupational information network (O*net). ETS Research Report Series, 2013(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2333-8504.2013.tb02328.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2333-8504.2013.tb02328.x

Clarke, M. (2017). Building employability through graduate development programmes. Personnel Review, 46(4), 792-808. https://doi.org/10.1108/pr-12-2015-0321 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-12-2015-0321

Craig, T., & Wikle, T. (2016). Perceptions and practices: Employers, educators, and students on GIS internships. Transactions in GIS, 20(6), 948-961. https://doi.org/10.1111/tgis.12201 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/tgis.12201

Croxford, S., Stirling, E., McLeod, S., Biesiekierski, J., Murray, E., Ng, A., … & Forsyth, A. (2022). An exploratory study of industry perspectives to inform undergraduate nutrition employability initiatives. Nutrition & Dietetics, 79(4), 447-455. https://doi.org/10.1111/1747-0080.12731 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1747-0080.12731

Hoque, N., Uddin, M., Ahmad, A., Mamun, A., Uddin, M., Chowdhury, R., … & Alam, A. (2023). The desired employability skills and work readiness of graduates: Evidence from the perspective of established and well-known employers of an emerging economy. Industry and Higher Education, 37(5), 716-730. https://doi.org/10.1177/09504222221149850 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/09504222221149850

McGunagle, D., & Zizka, L. (2020). Employability skills for 21st-century STEM students: The employers' perspective. Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, 10(3), 591-606. https://doi.org/10.1108/heswbl-10-2019-0148 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/HESWBL-10-2019-0148

Mello, L., Tregilgas, L., Cowley, G., Gupta, A., Makki, F., Jhutty, A., & Shanmugasundram, A. (2017). ‘Students-as-partners’ scheme enhances postgraduate students’ employability skills while addressing gaps in bioinformatics education. Higher Education Pedagogies, 2(1), 43-57. https://doi.org/10.1080/23752696.2017.1339287 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23752696.2017.1339287

Murray, E., McLeod, S., Biesiekierski, J., Ng, A., Croxford, S., Stirling, E., … & Forsyth, A. (2020). Employability initiatives in undergraduate education and application to human nutrition: A scoping review. Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability, 11(1), 63-80. https://doi.org/10.21153/jtlge2020vol11no1art921 DOI: https://doi.org/10.21153/jtlge2020vol11no1art921

Nesaratnam, S., Karan, S., & Von, F. (2018). Conceptualisation of a graduate employability framework from a Malaysian perspective. International Journal of Human Resource Studies, 8(4), 112. https://doi.org/10.5296/ijhrs.v8i4.13813 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5296/ijhrs.v8i4.13813

Nugraha, H., Kencanasari, R., Komari, R., & Kasda, K. (2020). Employability skills in technical vocational education and training (TVET). Innovation of Vocational Technology Education, 16(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.17509/invotec.v16i1.23509 DOI: https://doi.org/10.17509/invotec.v16i1.23509

O'Donovan, S. (2024). An investigation of employer perceptions of Irish nutrition graduate competencies. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 37(4), 1075-1090. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.13323 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.13323

Okolie, U., Elom, E., Igwe, P., Nwajiuba, C., Binuomote, M., & Igu, N. (2020). How TVET teachers foster employability skills: Insights from developing countries. International Journal of Training Research, 18(3), 231-249. https://doi.org/10.1080/14480220.2020.1860301 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14480220.2020.1860301

Palomino, L., Tello, J., Huerta, J., & Rivera, U. (2022). Employability skills for civil engineers in Peru: Case study: San Antonio Abad del Cusco National University. South Florida Journal of Development, 3(5), 5920-5928. https://doi.org/10.46932/sfjdv3n5-015 DOI: https://doi.org/10.46932/sfjdv3n5-015

Pang, E., Wong, M., Leung, C., & Coombes, J. (2018). Competencies for fresh graduates’ success at work: Perspectives of employers. Industry and Higher Education, 33(1), 55-65. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950422218792333 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0950422218792333

Presti et al., (2021). The route to employability: a longitudinal study on a sample of italian job seekers. international journal for educational and vocational guidance, 22(1), 227-246. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-021-09482-3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-021-09482-3

Saari, A., Rasul, M., Yasin, R., Rauf, R., Ashari, Z., & Pranita, D. (2021). Skills sets for workforce in the 4th industrial revolution: Expectation from authorities and industrial players. Journal of Technical Education and Training, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.30880/jtet.2021.13.02.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.30880/jtet.2021.13.02.001

Shet, S., & Bajpai, A. (2021). Integrating competency modelling in talent management: A framework for implications in a disruptive environment. Thunderbird International Business Review, 65(1), 177-187. https://doi.org/10.1002/tie.22246 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/tie.22246

Sitto, K. (2020). Assessing non-technical employability skills in public relations pedagogy: Reflections of an educator and students. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in the South, 4(1), 51-68. https://doi.org/10.36615/sotls.v4i1.136 DOI: https://doi.org/10.36615/sotls.v4i1.136

Suarta, I., Suwintana, I., Sudhana, I., & Hariyanti, N. (2017). Employability skills required by the 21st century workplace: A literature review of labor market demand. https://doi.org/10.2991/ictvt-17.2017.58 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2991/ictvt-17.2017.58

Suarta, I., Suwintana, I., Sudhana, I., & Hariyanti, N. (2020). Employability skills for sustainable development and supporting industrial revolution 4.0: A study for polytechnic curriculum development. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.200813.009 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.200813.009

Syahtriatna, D., Jalius, J, & Fahmi, R. (2019). Competency based learning model for programmer certification. https://doi.org/10.2991/ictvet-18.2019.110 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2991/ictvet-18.2019.110

Teshome, A. (2024). The match between higher education skill supply and employers’ skill needs in Ethiopia. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3845044/v1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3845044/v1

Thapa, H. (2024). Development of employability skills through work-based learning. Journal of Technical and Vocational Education and Training, 18(1), 102-111. https://doi.org/10.3126/tvet.v18i1.62750 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3126/tvet.v18i1.62750

Yahaya, N., Rasul, M., & Yasin, R. (2016). Social skills and social values in Malaysian dual training system apprenticeship. https://doi.org/10.2991/icieve-15.2016.36 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2991/icieve-15.2016.36