Factors affecting the working competencies of fresh graduates for enterprices during the Covid - 19 pandemic 2022

Factors affecting the working, competencies of fresh graduates, for enterprices during, the Covid - 19 pandemic 2022

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING THE STATE BANK OF VIET NAM

HO CHI MINH UNIVERSITY OF BANKING

NGUYEN PHAM THAI CUONG

FACTORS AFFECTING THE WORKING

COMPETENCIES OF FRESH GRADUATES FOR ENTERPRISES DURING THE COVID-19

PANDEMIC

GRADUATE THESIS MAJOR: BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

CODE: 7340101

HO CHI MINH CITY, 2022

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING THE STATE BANK OF VIET NAM

HO CHI MINH UNIVERSITY OF BANKING

NGUYEN PHAM THAI CUONG

FACTORS AFFECTING THE WORKING

COMPETENCIES OF FRESH GRADUATES FOR ENTERPRISES DURING THE COVID-19

PANDEMIC

GRADUATE THESIS MAJOR: BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

CODE: 7340101

SUPERVISOR

Dr PHAM HUONG DIEN

ABSTRACT

Employability if the anxiety for almost all the graduates regardless of their majors The ability to find a job that fits their study discipline is highly concerned Examining the current recruiting practices of organizations, the majority of them will demand individuals with excellent credentials and extensive work experience to readily adjust

to the environment's constant change The sample size was 247 majoring in economics and the data was obtained using an online questionnaire using Google Forms For data analysis, the quota sampling approach and structural equation modeling with SPSS were employed This dilemma has presented students with a significant challenge that must be resolved as soon as they enter school; they must refine their talents and pack their bags before leaving learn Improving the efficacy of education while still a student is a crucial step in establishing a favorable impression in the eyes of potential employers To develop lessons for other students to follow involves a great degree of modification, particularly in the setting of Covid-19

DECLARATION

I hereby certify that this is my research work and that the results given in the thesis are honest and objective The information sources cited in this thesis are explicitly identified I am accountable for my dissertation

Author Signature

Nguyen Pham Thai Cuong

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to take this opportunity to send sincerely thank for my advisors who have helped me to complete this thesis I would like to give my endless my heartfelt gratitude to my supervisor, Ph.D Pham Huong Dien, with complaisance and enthusiasm in her teaching profession, she imparts positive energy that nothing is difficult, you just haven‟t made the effort to fully explore limits yourself Her winged comments and suggestions made me feel that I still need to improve my knowledges as well as general views on my thesis

Secondly, I would like to give express my deep gratitude to my brothers, sisters and friends who were willing to spend their precious time to advise and complete the survey so that I come to the final conclusion of thesis

Last but not least, my family where ready to support me no matter what, they still belive I can do it Because that is what motivates me to strive, I always tell myself that

I must always work hard to not disappoint their expectations

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Research Statement 1

1.2 Research Objectives 2

1.3 Research Questions 3

1.4 Research Subjects and Scope 3

1.5 Research Methodology 4

1.6 Research significance 4

1.7 Expected Contribution 5

1.8 Thesis structure 5

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 8

2.1 Concept and Definitions 8

2.1.1 Working Competence 8

2.1.2 Fresh graduates 10

2.1.3 Covid-19 pandemic 12

2.1.4 Social cognitive theory 14

2.1.5 The theory of planned behavior 16

2.2 Previous Empirical Studies 18

2.2.1 The research of impact COVID-19 on graduates experiences and expectations 18

2.2.2 The research of competencies for fresh graduates‟ success at work 20

2.2.3 The research of enhancing graduates‟ employability skills through authentic learning approaches 21

2.2.4 The research of role of work experience on the future competencies of graduates 23

2.3 Research Hypotheses and Model 24

2.3.1 Research Hypotheses 24

2.3.2 Research Models 34

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 37

3.1 Process of research 37

3.2 Research methods 38

3.2.1 Qualitative approach 38

3.2.2 Quantitative approach 38

3.3 Survey design 39

3.4 Data collection 41

3.5 Data Analysis 42

3.5.1 Descriptive Statistics 42

3.5.2 Scale test 42

3.5.3 Regression analysis 44

CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH RESULTS 46

4.1 Descriptive statistic 46

4.2 Testing the reliability of cronbach‟s alpha 48

4.3 Exploratory Factor Analysis 51

4.3.1.Explored Factor Analysis for Independent Variables 51

4.3.2 Factor analysis for the dependent variable 54

4.4 Correlation Analysis 56

4.5 Regression Analysis 57

4.5.1 Analysis the fit of model 57

4.6 Testing differences based on Controlled Variables 60

4.6.1 One-Way ANOVA test of gender 60

4.6.2 One-Way ANOVA test of experiences 61

4.6.3 One-Way ANOVA test of Qualification 62

4.6.4 One-Way ANOVA test of income 62

4.7 Result discussion 62

CHAPTER 5: IMPLICATIONS 65

5.1 Conclusion 65

5.2 Implications 66

5.2.1 Academic Implications 66

5.2.2 Practical Implications 67

5.3 Limitations and future research 69

REFERENCES 71

APPENDIX 1: QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY 76

APPENDIX 2: CRONCHBACH‟S ALPHA 82

APPENDIX 3: EFA Analysis Results 89

APPENDIX 4: Pearson Correlation Table 92

APPENDIX 5: Examining the distinction between qualitative and independent variables 94

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Theory of Social Cognitive 15

Figure 2: The theory of planned behavior 18

Figure 3: Research Models 33

LIST OF TABLES Table 2 1: Summarize the hypotheses and expectations expressed by the author 35

Table 3 1: Coding the variables of the scale 39

Table 4 1: Descriptive statistic about gender 46

Table 4 2: Descriptive statistic about experiences 46

Table 4 3: Descriptive statistic about Qualification 47

Table 4 4: Descriptive statistic about income 48

Table 4 5: Summary Reliability Statistics of Cronbach‟s Alpha 48

Table 4 6: KMO and Bartlett‟s test of independent variables 51

Table 4 7: Eigenvalues and covariance deviations for independent variables 52

Table 4 8: Rotated Component Matrix of Independent Variables 52

Table 4 9: KMO and Bartlett‟s test of dependent variable 54

Table 4 10: Factor loading for the dependent variable 55

Table 4 11: Total Variance of dependent variable 55

Table 4 12: Correlations Coefficient Pearson Correlations 56

Table 4 13: Model Summaryb 57

Table 4 14: ANOVA analysis 57

Table 4 15: Coefficients Analysis for Independent Variables 58

Table 4 16: One-way analysis of variance by gender 60

Table 4 17: T-test for Gender 60

SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS TABLE

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Research Statement

The number of workers negatively affected by the Covid-19 pandemic has decreased, and the number of persons entering the workforce continues to climb even while the number of Covid-19 infections in the country approaches tens of thousands of cases per day Employment has expanded sharply about underemployment declined The income

of workers has gradually improved Despite numerous advancements, the Vietnamese labor market still contains several unsustainable issues The epidemic has profoundly damaged the work of individuals, thus enterprises must immediately adopt into the

internet working environment When it comes to earning a university degree, the

subject of employment for recent graduates is a source of stress for the majority of students When it comes to the actual recruiting of firms, the vast majority of them will require people with high qualifications and extensive work experience who will be able

to quickly adapt to the constantly changing environment This problem has provided a significant challenge for students, one that must be addressed from the beginning of their school careers Students must have the necessary skills, expertise to prepare their luggage before they leave the university to prepare for entering of company Improving the quality and efficacy of education while still a student is an extremely significant step in establishing a positive impression in the eyes of prospective employers This chapter offers the rationale for selecting this issue, provides a summary of the study objectives, research questions, methodology, and research scope, and concludes with recommendations The implications of the research for academics and practice is also discussed in this section of the report Finally, sketch out the general framework of the study topic's presentation

According to Butterwick & Benjamin (2006) workers must continually adjust to changing work environments and requirements, as well as evolving technologies In any profession, and in any country, the quality of human resources is always a cause of concern for management The quality of human resources is determined by a variety of circumstances, with vocational training playing an important role As a result, educational institutions have the responsibility of training high-quality human resources to suit the needs of society, and this is what they do It also makes it easier for students to enter the labor market soon after graduating from school, which is beneficial The reason for this is that people's expectations are that employees will have competencies that are appropriate for their jobs and will help the unit to grow and develop as a result of their employment Assessing the output capacity of learners is an important step because, based on the findings of the assessment, the quality of programs and training institutions can be determined, allowing for required adjustments to be made to improve the quality of the programs and training institutions Training industry output standards have been developed and announced by the Quality of the Education and Training Process, which will guide educational institutions in publishing training industry output standards In collaboration with society, this is a critical duty that contributes to the improvement of high quality and commitment to excellent training Recognizing the critical nature of the aforesaid issue and the need to identify answers that will aid in improving the quality of working competencies, the author decides to conduct the research “FACTORS AFFECTING THE WORKING COMPETENCIES OF FRESH GRADUATES FOR ENTERPRISES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC”

1.2 Research Objectives

The overall objectives

The research presented in this thesis aims to understand the influencing factors of the factors affecting the working capacity of new graduates majoring in economics in Ho Chi Minh City in the context of Covid- 19 and help students who have been and are preparing to enter university with the knowledge to be ready for their future career

roles

The specific objectives

First, the research is to identify factors that influence an individual's capacity to apply for a position in the appropriate industry

Second, the study evaluates the relationship between the factors and graduate‟s competencies to work

Third, the purpose of this study project was to find out what students thought about the relationship between classes and the skills they needed to be successful in a job When

it comes to career pathways, students frequently underestimate the value of employment skills and classes that are required

1.3 Research Questions

What factors influence the graduates‟ working competencies? ?

How do the factors influence the competencies of graduates?

How can students improve their ability to find jobs that suits their expertise by

improving working competencies?

1.4 Research Subjects and Scope

Fresh graduates serve as research subjects, and their experiences as recent graduates throughout the Covid-19 pandemic between January 2020 and April 2022 are of

particular interest This study focuses on people who are now enrolled at some universities in Ho Chi Minh City who have recently graduated or who have just graduated with less than two years of work experience

Author will collect data and analyse processing data according to questionnaire survey through universities such as Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh University of Natural Sciences, Ho Chi Minh City University of Information Technology, Economics and Law of Ho Chi Minh City University, Banking University of Ho Chi Minh City, Foreign Trade University of Ho Chi Minh City, Economics University of

Ho Chi Minh City and others

1.5 Research Methodology

This study conducts both quantitative research approaches and qualitative research methods In qualitative research methods, the author build questionnaires depending on questionnaire in relevance past researches Moreover, in quantitative research methodologies, author utilizes a non-probability sampling method using an accidental sample design to obtain data The respondents receive the questionnaire survey and answer all the questions based on their experience, using a 1–5 Likert-type scale for range from strongly disagree to strongly agree Cronbach's Alpha will be used to identify variables that are inconsistently observed in the sample and to delete them Besides, this research uses EFA to explore factors and evaluate the internal dependability of a scale Multivariate regression tries to identify factors that contribute

to the change of independent variables

1.6 Research significance

The purpose of this research paper was to determine whether or not students intend to work in the subject of study in which they majored after graduation There will always

be a set of students that major in a particular degree area but wind up pursuing a different professional route than they anticipated Students may not be certain of the job route they want to take, and they may not decide on a vocation until after they graduate and enter the industry An agribusiness graduate, for example, may discover that she has a passion for teaching once she graduates from college

1.7 Expected Contribution

This study provide students with direction so that they can gain vast information and fill in the gaps in their skills It is assist businesses in understanding what factors are vital for recent graduates that they need to attract and recruit and develop a theoretical framework for students' happiness with their subject matter studies by analyzing research outcomes The findings of this study will help to strengthen prior research on the importance of growing one's self-worth as a university student

1.8 Thesis structure

Chapter 1: Introduction

The author will provide brief evidence for the topic's importance in this section Additionally, the author gives context for the research by describing the research object, research scope, research questions, and research methodologies

Chapter 2: Review of the Literature

The author will spend this chapter 2 studying about the theoretical overview and associated prior works This step is critical in assisting the author in developing a deeper understanding of the subject and research field, as well as providing theoretical

frameworks or theoretical foundations The study discusses beliefs about skills, outcomes impact on working competencies

Chapter 3: Methods of Research

Following the establishment of the theoretical framework, the author proceeds to construct research models and procedures Additionally, the author gives information about the research procedure in this section, as well as a detailed questionnaire for completing the survey

Chapter 4: The Research Findings

Chapter 4 discusses data processing procedures that include the use of SPSS software and other testing methods Additionally, this section will cover the subject of descriptive statistics, the Cronbach's Alpha coefficient, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), regression analysis, and model hypothesis testing The purpose of this study is

to simulate and discover differences in work capacity

Chapter 5: Conclusion

The author will provide recommendations in this final chapter based on the results of the previous study in order to enhance and promote students' working capacity in the future Additionally, the author discusses the research's limitations and proposes a future vision, emphasizing the advantages the research provides for future contributions

Overview of chapter 1

The first chapter provided an overview of issues related to the topic of the research, the research objectives and tasks, including the significance of the topic, the research

problems and questions, the research objects and scope research, the research methods and data, and the contributions of the study

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Concept and Definitions

2.1.1 Working Competence

Working competencies that labor is objective and conceivable in a way that transcends the workers who perform it, leading to the description of work activities independent of the workers who conduct them In turn, the institution must fulfill its role in the triangle, admission standards are the culprit to consistently produce good quality co-op students Second, the educational program must provide the appropriate space to reflect and apply work-experience learning

This study examines employers' perceptions of graduate competencies that contribute

to graduate success.Underlying the split of the phenomena of competence into two distinct entities, namely, the worker and the work, is a dualistic ontology of being All

of the studies show that the examined competencies are significant to some extent

"Learning ability and willingness," "teamwork and cooperation, measurable competencies, despite the fact that all are obviously important for success (Elvy Pang

et al., 2018) The methodology utilizes a questionnaire to solicit responses from company employers regarding the significance of specific skills that contribute to the success of recent college graduates in the workplace Researchers have used the term competencies to further stress the importance of attending to worker attributes that are strictly work related With an objectivist, dualistic point of view, supporters of rationalistic approaches identify and describe human competence indirectly, considering it to be made up of two independent entities: pre-requisite worker traits and job activities Although the concept of competence has only recently gained widespread acceptance, the difficulty of determining what defines competence at work

is not a new one to researchers The engineer noted a significant difference in the

methods used by the least and most capable employees to complete their tasks while working as an engineer

In the context of job performance, 'competency' refers to both visible elements such as knowledge and skills and underlying characteristics such as attitudes, traits, and motives that are associated with superior job performance In the workplace, a list of competencies can be created by analyzing a particular working environment (Campion

et al., 2011) Specific information, skills, and attitudes required to do the job efficiently should be included in this section (Miller et al., 2012) The knowledge, skills, and abilities of individuals can also be used to define what they are capable of achieving and what they desire to do The "time and motion studies," which are widely known, were developed in part on the basis of these ideas Through the use of these research, author argued that managers should be able to determine what constitutes workers' competence by categorizing and tabulating it as well as breaking it down into rules, regulations, and formulae Using these descriptions of competence as a starting point, managers could build up systematic training and development activities that resulted in improvements in workers' competence and, as a result, boosted organizational effectiveness The classification of competencies into two categories has been attempted and Stewart et al., 2016) The distinction between hard and soft skills is that hard skills are those that are associated with the technical aspects of acquiring the knowledge necessary to perform a job (Matsouka and Mihail, 2016), and soft skills are those that are associated with personal interaction and are behavioural in nature (Matsouka and Mihail, 2016)

From the given definitions of working competencies, it can be deduced that students soft skills, learning outcomes, and receptivity to change serve as indicators of their work capability Change in social circumstance is the key to helping students make an impact and advance in their future careers is determining their level of competence

2.1.2 Fresh graduates

Fresh graduates who have studied at universities or colleges, where they are imparted with a thorough knowledge of an industry to prepare for their future career with the degree obtained in the process of studying with the status of a recent graduate The term "fresh graduate" refers to a person who has recently graduated in all of its consequences This individual possesses a limited selection of abilities As a result, when students enter the corporate world, they will be well-suited for entry-level roles, apprenticeships, and internships, among other opportunities Many recent grads have complained of being underemployed and underutilized, in addition to being burdened with enormous assignments (Holden and Jameson, 1999) Once they have completed their education and the mandatory National Youth Service Corps, most recent graduates will be faced with the task of determining what they want to do with their lives after graduation Fresh graduates has met all of the prerequisites to receive a bachelor's degree from a recognized university He or she is no longer a student and is prepared to enter the business world, where he or she will be responsible for themselves Universities and colleges stand between graduates and employers, and their major responsibility is to prepare students for today's competitive work market, whether as employees or as entrepreneurs, by teaching them relevant skills (Sewell and Pool, 2010) As a result, having a solid understanding of both students' and employers' expectations can help higher education institutions determine how to most effectively close the gaps

According to Shelley (1994), college or university graduates enter the workforce with expectations that they would find satisfying, secure, and well-paying jobs This

expectation is primarily based on what they have learned in their formal education While employers appear to have a different perspective, it has been discovered that they have excessive expectations, including management experience, excellent grades, superior presentation and communication skills and a positive attitude, even expecting entry-level graduates to have participated in charity and volunteer work, among other things (Perrone and Vickers, 2003) Given the foregoing, graduates may find themselves in actual job settings that are very different from what they had anticipated The view of skill levels among students is generally positive (Stewart et al., 2016) As

a result, the purpose of this study is to investigate employers' perceptions of the competencies that are necessary for new graduates to be successful in the workplace The way businesses work has changed dramatically over the past few decades, primarily as a result of technology innovation and globalization Consequently, there is

a greater need to analyze the requirements of employers with regard to acceptable staff competencies as a result of these transformations

Graduating students are expected to have the core technical abilities required for their specialized occupations, according to employers (Low et al., 2016) They discovered that employers placed the highest focus on soft skills and emphasized technical talents only to a lesser level An online survey done in the United Kingdom found that human resource professionals were extremely impressed with graduates' technical skills, but were concerned about their soft skills and qualities This finding lends further credence

to the idea (Poon, 2014) Employers were the most satisfied with their employees, taking responsibility and being efficient' activities are planned and organized, as well

as timely and efficient management of one's time more effectively Research on skills shows that skill sets in the areas of team leadership, achievement orientation, developing others, influence on the environment and teamwork to clarify the significance of factors affecting their ability through hypotheses

2.1.3 Covid-19 pandemic

In the context of work, COVID will affect directly to specific working competencies factors that permits people to continue their activity and thus their income even when the most stringent limits are imposed, at least for those who have regular employment arrangements In this view, telework assists people who are able to carry out their professional activity from a distance in order to avoid the economic consequences of the crisis According to Malmendier and Nagel (2016) people tend to overestimate the importance of recent events When it comes to determining whether or not students' subjective treatment effects are "right," it does not matter Regardless of whether or not students are reporting their subjective beliefs without any systematic bias, it is the perceived treatment effects, not the real ones, that are crucial to understanding the decisions that students make COVID-19, for example, could have an impact on students' future human capital decisions if they believe that college degrees aren't worth the investment (such as continuing with their education, choice of major, etc.) The COVID-19 in the first quarter of 2020 has attacked comprehensive socio-economic effects and worrying concerns with domestic as well as foreign enterprises Since January, when the first cases were reported, the number of contagions and deaths has been steadily increasing Confinement measures and restrictions on economic activities have been implemented in most countries since late February, in an effort to slow the spread of the virus and prevent it from spreading further From late February

to early April, the most stringent measures were in place for many weeks at a time, after which they began to be gradually relaxed in the majority of countries starting in May Despite the fact that the pandemic is still present and evolving, the first available studies on its economic and employment impact all seem to come to the same conclusion: the impact of the crisis is clearly asymmetric, with the most vulnerable

countries and segments of the workforce being the most severely affected by the pandemic The COVID-19 shock is expected to amplify already-existing inequalities in postsecondary education This is in line with research on the effects of COVID-19 on students in grades K-12 School closures are predicted to result in severe math and reading losses, according to Kuhfeld et al (2020) High-achieving kids are more likely

to benefit from the changes, according to the researchers' estimates of heterogeneous impacts

The most vulnerable segments of the workforce are those who are most likely to be impacted by social distancing measures and practices as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Pouliakas and Branka (2020) and Fana et al (2020) These groups include women, non-natives, those with non-standard contracts (self-employed and temporary workers), the less educated, those employed in micro-sized workplaces, and low-wage workers In accordance with these findings, Palomino et al (2020) find that the crisis is causing rises in the levels of inequality and poverty in all countries

To some extent, however, these disparities between employees with varying levels of job status and conditions can be traced back to the segregation of different sorts of workers across different economic sectors The activities related to entertainment, hospitality, and tourism, as well as low-productivity services in general, are particularly affected by the COVID crisis in the short term, as a result of both the economic lockdown and the confinement measures Precarious and vulnerable workers are over-represented in these industries, as well as in low-productivity services in general (Fana et al 2020) Because Vietnam is a developing country so that the decrease in employment caused by social distancing measures is greatest in the following industries: hotel and restaurants; arts and leisure; agriculture; service activities; food; wholesale and retail; and construction; and the lowest in computer services; telecommunications and consulting; and scientific and technical activities

2.1.4 Social cognitive theory

According to SCT, a personal sense of control is what makes behavioral change possible Those who believe that they can take action to solve a problem instrumentally are more likely to do so and to feel more strongly committed to their decision as a result Perceived self-efficacy is concerned with one's ability to exert personal action control or agency People who believe that they have the ability to cause events may lead more active and self-determined lives than those who do not One's ability to think

in terms of 'can do' reflects one's sense of control over one's environment It reflects the belief that one is capable of dealing with difficult situations through the use of adaptive action

People's feelings, thoughts, and actions are influenced by their sense of self-efficacy (Bandura, 1997) Depression, anxiety, and a sense of helplessness are all associated with a low sense of self-efficacy Researchers discovered that having a strong sense of personal efficacy is associated with greater social integration For example, a strong sense of competence in a variety of settings, such as decision-making quality, goal setting, and academic achievement (Maddux 1995; Bandura 1997; Bandura et al 2002), can facilitate cognitive processes and performance in a variety of settings

Expectations about the consequences of one's actions are the other key construct in social cognitive theory, and they are beliefs about the consequences of one's actions There have been three types of outcome expectations identified: physical, social, and self-evaluative It is possible that one's behavior will cause bodily changes, responses from others, or feelings toward oneself They have an impact on goal setting and goal pursuit when combined with self-efficacy

In areas as diverse as school achievement, emotional disorders, mental and physical health, career choice, and social political change, social cognitive theory has been used

to help explain and predict behavior Social cognitive theory has emerged as a key resource in clinical, educational, social, developmental, health, and personality psychology, among other areas of psychology

Figure 1: Theory of Social Cognitive

Source: Bandura, A (2004)

In Social Cognitive Theory, human motivation and action are heavily influenced by forethought to a large extent This anticipatory control mechanism involves having expectations about the outcomes of a specific action that may or may not come to

fruition As outlined in the theory, there are a number of important factors that influence behavior Efficacy is measured by two factors: perceived self-efficacy and perceived competence Perceived self-efficacy is concerned with people's beliefs in their abilities to perform specific actions required to achieve a desired outcome The other core construct of SCT is outcome expectancies, which is concerned with people's beliefs about the possible consequences of their actions Outcome expectancies are concerned with people's beliefs about the possible consequences of their actions SCT also includes goals, perceived impediments, and opportunity structures, in addition to these two types of cognitions and others

In summary, the relationship between Social cognitive theory and working capacity is very important in identifying factors that improve the ability of modern society to change, and at the same time improve the adaptability of learners employees because this can affect their ability to apply for jobs and also their qualifications in the future

2.1.5 The theory of planned behavior

The Planned Behavior Theory (Ajzen 1985, 1988, 1991) is one of the most commonly utilized theories of behavior's immediate determinants The Ajzen (1991) study on the TPB had been cited more than 54,000 times on Google Scholar by the end of 2017 It has been widely used in a variety of contexts, including forecasting physical activity and sport participation (Downs & Hausenblas, 2005; Hagger, Chatzisarantis, & Biddle, 2002; Hausenblas, Carron, & Mack, 1997) Personal opinions about one's own conduct are referred to as "attitudes." A person's "learned inclination to respond in a consistently favorable or negative manner with respect to a given object" is what Fishbein and Ajzen (1975, p 6) call an attitude Semantic Differential Measurement are commonly used to gauge attitudes (Ajzen, 2002a; Conner & Sparks, 2015) Subjective norms are based on a person's perceptions of how significant others think

the behavior should be We postulate that individuals' perceptions of "social pressures" (from salient referents) influence their decision to engage in a certain conduct

In order to establish a positive attitude, one must have a set of beliefs about the likelihood that a specific conduct would lead to an outcome or be linked with a particular trait Belief in the likelihood of each behavioral event and appraisal of that outcome are multiplicatively combined in expectancy-value products (Peak, 1955), according to these concepts It is then totalled up for each of the most important outcomes However, a number of scholars (e.g., French & Hankins, 2003) have raised concerns about the multiplicative mixing of beliefs and assessments with interval-level data Rescaling strategies that eliminate this problem have been advocated by Ajzen (2002a), although this practice is not widely used and has received criticism (French & Hankins, 2003)

Figure 2: The theory of planned behavior

Source: Ajzen, I (1991) The theory of planned behavior Organizational Behavior and

Human Decision Processes

Consequently, the relationship between the theory of planned behavior and work capacity is crucial for establishing the components that enhance students' skills and learning outcomes in contemporary society Increase students' adaptability, as this can impact their capacity to apply for jobs as well as their future qualifications

2.2 Previous Empirical Studies

2.2.1 The research of impact COVID-19 on graduates experiences and

expectations

According to Esteban M Aucejo and colleagues (2020) created research about COVID-19's effects on students have been studied and found to be positive School closures are predicted to result in severe math and reading losses, according to Kuhfeld

et al (2020) High-achieving kids are more likely to benefit from the changes, according to the researchers' estimates of heterogeneous impacts A study published in

2020 found that students' progress on an online math curriculum declined much more

in low-income ZIP areas following the COVID outbreak COVID-19 has a wide range

of economic and health implications, and our study shows that these differences can be partially explained by this heterogeneity COVID-19 might not worsen existing inequities in higher education if its economic and health effects are addressed, suggesting that policymakers can do so To better understand the impact of the pandemic on students, the survey was developed to capture both post-pandemic and pre-pandemic outcomes and expectations from students Students were asked about their current experiences and expectations, as well as what they would have expected had the pandemic not occurred

Overall, these findings indicate that COVID-19 will cause a significant disruption to students' academic experiences, and that it will likely have long-term consequences, including as changes in major/career choices and postponed graduation deadlines Students' bad experiences with online teaching, which may have occurred as a result of the abruptness of the change, may have an impact on their willingness to participate in online courses in the future, according to the study There has been a significant amount of research into the influence of graduating during recessions on unemployment rates White males' chances of finding work immediately after graduation were found to be substantially unaffected by economic conditions, according to Kahn (2010), who conducted research during the 1980's recession Altonji and colleagues (2016) only discovered what they describe as "modest impacts." As an example, according to Rothstein (2020), the probability of being employed increase in the unemployment rate for 22 to 23-year-olds who graduated from college during the Great Recession, a finding that is consistent with previous research We use a small but relevant set of covariates to proxy for the financial and health shocks caused by COVID-19 These covariates capture the more fundamental or first-order disruptions caused by the pandemic Financial shocks are classified according to the following criteria: whether the student lost their job as a result of COVID-19, whether the student's family members lost their income as a result of change in the student's monthly earnings and the likelihood that a student will not be able to fully meet debt payments in the next 90 days When calculating health shocks, we take into account three factors: a student's belief about the likelihood that they will be hospitalized if a student's belief about the likelihood that they will have contracted COVID-19 by summer, and a student's subjective health evaluation We then construct principal component scores as one-dimensional measures of the financial and health shock to students in order to summarize the combined effect of each set of proxies used

This is the first comprehensive examination of the impact of COVID-19 on higher education students at Arizona State University were questioned for this study and the results suggest that the pandemic had a detrimental impact on their outcomes and expectations As a follow-up to these findings, we found that the impact of the pandemic was very variable, with lower-income students more likely than their higher-income peers to delay graduation Negative economic and health implications have been much more evident for less advantaged groups, and these disparities may partially explain the underlying variability that we document According to our findings, policymakers may be able to prevent COVID-19 from worsening current achievement gaps in higher education by concentrating on mitigating factors, such as the economic and health burden COVID-19 places on society

2.2.2 The research of competencies for fresh graduates success at work

A better grasp of graduate competency requirements is becoming increasingly

important as organizations place greater emphasis on hiring recent graduates and

developing their skillsets According to Elvy Pang and colleagues (2018), employers

are looking for a varied variety of competencies in new graduates, and they consider all

26 characteristics included in the survey to be relevant to some extent for graduates' success in the workplace These needs of the labor market can be developed and nurtured in students through collaboration between universities and industry, with the ultimate goal of producing capable and competent graduates who possess the skills necessary to contribute to and advance the competitiveness of their respective companies In this context, maybe the most beneficial type of industry–university model would be one in which both the employer and the student participant were extremely driven and committed to their respective placements It is possible that this model, which is based on strong mutual cooperation, will require students to spend approximately one-third of their university time in the workplace and to be

compensated at a market rate Incoming students would spend their first year on campus and then compete for a job in their field of study starting in their second year after graduation Once they had graduated, they would rotate between study and work terms until they were able to find employment Students would be able to integrate practice and theory during the study terms, while they would be able to put theory to practice during the work periods In order to succeed in both university and the workplace, they would need to excel in both environments With readily available examples of apprenticeship programs (such as those in the United Kingdom), universities, with the support of the government, can study, learn, and then develop and implement similar programs that are clearly focused on the competencies demanded by employers in a cost-effective manner Despite the fact that employers may expect new graduates to have leadership potential, it is possible that they will not have an immediate requirement for new graduates to assume leadership positions When comparing comparisons with other research relating to graduate competencies, it is important to consider the environment in which the investigations were conducted

2.2.3 The research of enhancing graduates’ employability skills through

authentic learning approaches

Adriana Ornellas et al (2018) introduce a learning-based theoretical framework that validates approaches that can be considered in the context of higher education to design activities that enable students to develop develop job skills The results show that graduates are more likely to get a job but do not convert their employability into employment, because of local, national and international labor market conditions and economic variables Other socioeconomic influences affect the probability that graduates will be successful The results provided here consist of a theoretical framework in which a competence-centered approach to the idea of employability skills was taken This implies viewing employability skills as a combination of personal characteristics and beliefs, knowledge, skillful practices, and the ability to

reflect critically and productively on one's own and other people's experiences, all of which must be maintained and refreshed throughout a person's working life (Yorke, 2006) It is the goal of this conception to build real-world tasks and environments that are representative of how the information will be applied in real-world contexts, rather than simply creating virtual worlds In our approach, we broaden this definition of authenticity in learning to include a characteristic of learning tasks and surroundings,

as well as an assumption that authentic learning is a trait of educational processes that involve students in becoming more completely human in their learning (Scanlon, 2011)

It is important to note that this expanded definition of genuine learning includes not just the epistemological dimension what students are supposed to know and be able to accomplish, but also the ontological component – that is, who students are becoming or learning to be From the standpoint of authentic learning, the interviews had the goal of identifying good practices in the partner institutions that might be used to strengthen students' employability skills in order to prepare them for the workforce

A total of 12 interviews were performed using a purposive sample method (Patton, 2002) This entailed identifying and selecting persons who were particularly knowledgeable about the issue under investigation (Cresswell and Plano Clark, 2011) After identifying promising approaches, this paper will offer examples of these activities in order to demonstrate the parts that make up an authentic learning scenario

An online focus group with 29 participants will discuss the findings from the first cycle

of the project, which focused on the supply and demand of skills for employability of new graduates, as well as the taxonomy of employability skills defined; present the identified good practices and contrast the criteria used to identify them with a diverse sample of stakeholders from the three partner countries; and conduct a pilot test of a

questionnaire that will be used in the second cycle of the project It is possible to recreate in these scenarios the dynamics and circumstances of a real-world professional environment in the field

2.2.4 The research of working competencies of graduates

According to Ruth Helyer et al (2014) analyze the problem that many fresh graduates have difficulty getting graduate-level jobs and are unable to break into the fields they are targeting Research results have shown that in the current employment context the combination of subject knowledge and real life provides the catalyst for innovation, growth and future success of the students The final evaluation questionnaire revealed that the top three benefits of participating in the internship were highlighted by graduates as skills development, experience, and confidence An outline project brief summarizing the graduate-level job role that the intern will perform is submitted by employers A total of 152 project briefs were submitted in 2012 by 109 employers from

a wide range of industries including manufacturing and engineering, information and communication technology (ICT), the arts, entertainment, and recreation Most businesses required employees to have knowledge of business and marketing, computing and the web, media and journalism, and other related fields More than half

of all submitted ideas did not include a specific degree level in their description The demand for marketing talents, on the other hand, reflects a broader national trend The proposed employment roles were evaluated by a panel of relevant university staff members after which 87 graduates were formally interviewed and hired in a competitive procedure Despite the fact that the interns came from a variety of different academic backgrounds, the majority of them were arts graduates with degrees in media, television, and film production, graphic design, photography, history, English, and fine art, among other things Higher education study has traditionally provided graduates with learning and research skills, enabling them to innovate, think

independently, and make informed decisions and arguments; as a result, the best graduates have always been in high demand by employers, particularly in the technology sector However, the combination of economic pressures, increased competition, and employer expectations means that graduates must constantly develop themselves in order to rise to and adapt to new challenges and a future in the entrepreneurial sector of the economy In the words of Wilson, including work experience into higher education programs "allows students to be more effective in the context of their own lives and employment" (Wilson, 2013) Changes are taking place

in the way that workers are employed With an increasing number of graduates setting

up their own businesses, working in highly specialized small businesses, working on several short-term contracts at the same time, and being self-employed, effective experiential learning is becoming increasingly important in preparing them for changes

in their practice and profile that will be required in the future As previously noted, there is an increasing number of students enrolling in higher education, and, in addition

to the high likelihood of pursuing a diverse range of occupations, they will also be burdened by rising student debt After three years, the program's third iteration has begun, with the number of internships practically doubling in that time frame as well With such a rapid increase, the scheme has proven to be a successful means of establishing new employer-university partnerships, as well as demonstrating the importance of internships to employers and the local community

2.3 Research Hypotheses and Model

2.3.1 Research Hypotheses

Hypothesis 1:

Academic outcomes has a positively effect on competencies of graduates

Firms that can set specific criteria about how well their outputs should work and make determinations about who depending on an employee‟s ability to meet or exceed those criteria given about the quality of outputs in these knowledge-intensive firms is subject

to debate over relevant criteria (Alvesson, 2001; Lowendahl, Revang, & Fosstenlokken, 2001; von Nordenflycht, 2010) The emphasis that taxonomic contributors gave to knowledge and expertise was understandable as recognised professions typically had a stronger formal knowledge and higher educational base than other occupations (Freidson, 1986) In this vein Greenwood (1957) felt that knowledge organised into a body of theory based on abstract propositions was important in defining a profession, in which preparation for practice was intellectual Functionalists presented more theoretically coherent accounts, seeing a functional relationship between professions and society (Goode, 1960 and Barber, 1963) Specifically in this context, occupations with very esoteric and complex knowledge and expertise of great importance to society

This study makes a significant contribution to the literature in a number of areas As a starting point, and building on the perceived employability theory (Vanhercke et al 2014), this study analyzes whether employability is influenced by how a job applicant

is regarded and stands out in comparison to other candidates (Brown et al., 2003) Understanding whether the contents of a résumé influence perceived employability is important since résumés are routinely used by employers to evaluate and reject applicants (Cole, Feild, Giles and Harris, 2009; Cole, Feild, Giles and Harris, 2009) The findings confirm that the dependent variables were moderately correlated, with the learning skills and personal organization and time management skills being the most highly correlated, which is consistent with earlier studies (Rocha, 2014) and the conceptualization of the bases of competencies from Evers and Rush (1996), which was applied in this study According to the findings, applicants with high academic

performance and extensive participation in extracurricular activities are considered more employable in terms of job suitability, personal organization and time management, and learning skills, whereas applicants with low academic performance and no participation in ECAs are considered the least employable in terms of the same criteria, and vice versa There were also no differences between male and female candidates in the degree to which they were judged to be job-suited, skilled in personal organization and time management, or possessed learning skills Generally speaking, these findings reflect prior studies that found that academic achievement and extracurricular activities were favorably connected to immediate employment This is especially true for women

Hypothesis 2:

Soft skills has a positively effect on competencies of graduates

Hodges and Burchell (2003) found that employers significantly rated the importance they attach to skills such as leadership, ability to inspire and influence others above the proficiency graduate students possess in these skills In case of sector or work specific skills required, the institute and the company on the basis of the discussion with the internship supervisor may conduct interventions or workshops for subsequent batches

of interns before they join the internship so that the interns quickly get into the work process of the organisation These activities must be done in a way that intern student understands and learns processes and realities of modern workplace (Hodges & Burchell, 2003) If intern student develops these skills, they will be able to work well

in competitive organizational workplace or environment, understand stakeholders' needs, resolve problems effectively and understand the rapidly changing business environment Direito, Pereira, and de Oliveira Duarte (2012) found that employers significantly rated the importance they attached to leadership skills significantly above

the proficiency graduate students possessed Various authors have identified a number

of competencies that graduates should possess or be expected to possess For example, Maes, Weldy, and Icenogle (1997) believe that oral communication abilities, problem-solving skills, and self-motivation are the three most significant competencies required

of graduates, according to their research Stasz (1997) agrees that problem-solving, teamwork, communication skills, and personal traits are the most significant competencies, but argues that their relative importance is determined by the setting of the workplace in which they are employed In a study of 280 New Zealand graduate employers, Joseph and Joseph (1997) discovered that the top ranking competencies, in descending order, were: willingness to learn; having a positive attitude; being motivated; possessing good communication skills; and having the capacity to work independently According to this document, a study of New Zealand employers' opinions on how effectively business graduates are prepared for the job has been conducted Using a seven-point Likert scale, the employers were asked to rate the importance of a selection of graduate competencies, and they were also asked to rate new graduates' performance in relation to the same graduate competencies Also explored was how much weight employers place on prior work experience for new business graduates, which was shown to be quite significant The outcomes of this study revealed a 'competency gap' between importance and performance, and the implications of these findings for cooperative education programs are examined It appears from the findings that these Auckland firms believe that business graduates must possess high levels of expertise in a broad range of topics For recent graduates working in business roles, the capacity and willingness to learn were deemed to be the most significant competencies to possess in the workplace That Stephenson (1997) asserted that employers now believe that staying capable in a changing world necessitates faith in an individual's ability to control his or her own learning is supported by this finding appears to provide additional evidence for his or her claim

Hypothesis 3:

Adaptability skills has a positively effect on competencies of graduates

Career adaptability is main point that need by a worker, especially fresh graduate who started working in some company Career adaptability has been operationalized by many researchers According to Savickas (1997) career adaptability can definitely as readiness for accepting or handling predicted work that given by the company and they're participating in the whole work to be done and it also the method how they manage the change of working conditions Career adaptability was initially proposed

by Super and Knasel (1981) as the fundamental build in grown-up vocation advancement has given dispositions, capabilities and practices that people need to fit themselves to their works and evolving working environment Several factors can affect career adaptability such as job satisfaction, training & development and work environment In this technique, the instructor serves as a facilitator and the students take an active role in completing open-ended assignments and tasks, simulating a real-world situation (Prince and Felder 2006) It is important to detect and measure changes

in skills such as adaptability and management among construction engineering and management students, if any, attributable to problem-based learning

This acknowledgment of adaptability emphasizes that flexibility is crucial for leadership and management-related success (Quinn 2004; Stein and Book 2000) Some

of the comments by participants indicated that the students saw improvements in their communication skills, ability to interact with fellow team members, and adaptability in general to the environment under constraints of resources The Career Adapt-Abilities Scale (CAS) is one of the most extensively used instruments to assess career adaptability in individuals (Savickas and Porfeli, 2012) In this instrument, there are four distinct dimensions: concern, which describes individuals' awareness of and

ability to plan for a vocational future; control, which describes individuals' ability to exercise self-discipline and take responsibility for what comes next; curiosity, which describes the tendency to explore possible selves and alternative scenarios for oneself; and confidence, which describes individuals' self-belief that they will achieve their career goal Despite the fact that the four dimensions of career adaptability share some characteristics in common, they appear to function differently depending on different career-related outcomes across diverse contexts (Guan et al., 2013; Rudolph, Lavigne, Katz, and Zacher, 2017; Guan et al., 2013) Because of the between-person disparities discovered in this study, it may be feasible to identify which students are more vulnerable in terms of career adaptation resources before making the shift from university to employment As a result, career interventions for undergraduates at various phases of their higher education courses that are tailored to their specific profiles may be particularly beneficial Many studies have revealed that even after graduation, university students still have a limited understanding of employability that

is limited to the concept of "getting a job," particularly in the early phases of their careers (Gedye and Beaumont, 2018; Tymon, 2013) These findings highlight the importance of promoting a more holistic view of employability, which includes encouraging investigation of one's own identity and environment, as well as training in areas such as job interviews and role-playing in order to overcome potential impediments, among other things

Hypothesis 4:

English Proficiency has a positively effect on competencies of graduates

English is the lingua franca of the commercial sphere with more businesses going global Since interviews are mostly conducted in English, employers often form judgements of the interviewees‟ ability based on their ability to speak English (Pandey,

2014) Pandey and Pandey (2014) stated that an employee with brilliant ideas and poor English will stay at the bottom of the management ladder In view of this, Pooja (2013) asserts that the lecturers teaching English have the responsibility “to build real competencies to bridge the gap between corporate needs and institutional offerings” However, Canning (2009) believes that academics should not promote the view that modern language degrees would enable graduates to develop competence in two or more languages and hence increase their chances of employability Although Pandey (2014) and Pooja (2013) were both writing about the importance of English for employability in India, the situations described are similar in Malaysia as both countries were previously under British rule before their independence Language proficiency is the goal of language teaching Put generally, the goal of language teaching is to enable language learners to take part in the “normal give-and-take of target language conversation” (Lowe, 1983, p 238) Lowe‟s (1983) definition focuses

on oral proficiency It is the purpose of this paper to report on graduate students' performance in a task that asks them to evaluate the quality of evidence provided in support of a claim, and specifically the quality of evidence provided in support of a claim We were particularly interested in comparing comments from students who came from a traditional natural science subject biology with those from students who came from a traditional humanities discipline (literature and philosophy) (English) We were interested with testing the pupils' critical thinking skills in a context that was as close as possible to "real life." For the purpose of this study, we provided the students with brief abstracts that made a specific claim about a discovery It was also of interest

to us to see if our level of belief in unverified phenomena was related to our level of critical abilities It is notable that these samples of advanced students did not reveal any significant variations in believing in paranormal phenomena between males and females In previous research with student populations, we have frequently discovered statistically significant disparities between males and females An investigation into