Poor English holds back job-seekers
2009/11/15
Sonia Ramachandran and Chandra Devi Renganayar
KUALA LUMPUR: The main reason companies reject job applicants is their poor command of the English language, a survey has revealed.
The survey by online recruitment company JobStreet.com in August found that 65 per cent of employers turned down job-seekers for this reason.
The survey among 1,001 major companies was conducted to gauge why graduates were unemployed.
"Our business is selling jobs to others and we want to help people as much as possible. We truly want to see if we can make a difference and this is one way of doing it," said JobStreet.com Sdn Bhd general manager Eric Sito.
The survey results have led to the introduction of an English Language Assessment (ELA) by JobStreet.
"This test is intended to provide employers a better way to assess job-seekers' command of English."
Eric Sito says the English Language Assessment provides employers a better way to assess job-seekers’ command of the language
Consisting of 40 questions to be completed in 20 minutes, the ELA assesses the job-seeker on four key areas -- conversation, grammar, comprehension and vocabulary.
"All the questions are objective and randomly generated to ensure every test has different questions."
The test is formulated by consultants from around the region, including English professors.
A person can only take the assessment, which is available for free, once every three months.
After taking it, they can choose to show it to prospective employers.
Since the ELA's soft launch early this month, more than 4,000 jobseekers have attempted the test.
"This test is not compulsory but the employer can stipulate it as a condition when applying for a job.
"Companies need to hire good people quickly and effectively. To screen 1,000 people, they might have to go through 1,000 resumes. With the ELA, one can actually benchmark and quickly decide. The recruitment and employment process will be faster."
The ELA will also be launched in Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines next month
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
PhD termuda UMS
KAMPUS
ARKIB : 11/10/2009
Zaharin penerima PhD termuda UMS
AHMAD ZAHARIN ARIS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
KOTA KINABALU 10 Okt. - Sikapnya yang tidak jemu membuat kajian membolehkan Ahmad Zaharin Aris menjadi graduan Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) termuda menerima ijazah doktor falsafah (PhD)
Pada usia 25 tahun, anak jati Kuala Lumpur itu menerima ijazah PhD dalam bidang Sains Sekitaran, selepas menyempurnakan kajian berkaitan Hidro Kimia dan Penorobosan Air Laut ke dalam Akuiser di Pulau Manukan, Sabah.
Sikapnya yang gemar membuat kajian dan menerbitkan kertas penyelidikan dalam bentuk jurnal juga telah membolehkan dia mendapat kelonggaran dengan mengikuti pengajian di peringkat PhD tanpa melalui peringkat Sarjana.
''Selain anugerah kecemerlangan, saya sudah menerbitkan lebih 11 kertas penyelidikan dalam bentuk jurnal
''Saya bersyukur kerana dapat menunaikan impian ibu bapa yang mahu melihat saya berjaya dalam pelajaran," katanya kepada pemberita pada Majlis Konvokesyen UMS Ke-11 yang disempurnakan oleh Yang Dipertua Negeri Sabah merangkap Canselor UMS, Tun Ahmadshah Abdullah di sini hari ini.
Bekas pelajar Sekolah Menengah Sains Tuanku Shah Putra, Kangar itu berkata, pada masa ini dia mahu memberi tumpuan terhadap tugasnya sebagai pensyarah Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), sebelum melanjutkan pengajian ke peringkat lebih tinggi.
Sementara itu pada majlis sama, Wan Khairul Muzammil Abdul Rahim, 23, yang berasal dari Sabah dianugerahkan Anugerah Pelajaran Diraja selepas mencatat nilai gred purata terkumpul (CGPA) 3.7 dalam bidang kejuruteraan mekanikal.
ARKIB : 11/10/2009
Zaharin penerima PhD termuda UMS
AHMAD ZAHARIN ARIS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
KOTA KINABALU 10 Okt. - Sikapnya yang tidak jemu membuat kajian membolehkan Ahmad Zaharin Aris menjadi graduan Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) termuda menerima ijazah doktor falsafah (PhD)
Pada usia 25 tahun, anak jati Kuala Lumpur itu menerima ijazah PhD dalam bidang Sains Sekitaran, selepas menyempurnakan kajian berkaitan Hidro Kimia dan Penorobosan Air Laut ke dalam Akuiser di Pulau Manukan, Sabah.
Sikapnya yang gemar membuat kajian dan menerbitkan kertas penyelidikan dalam bentuk jurnal juga telah membolehkan dia mendapat kelonggaran dengan mengikuti pengajian di peringkat PhD tanpa melalui peringkat Sarjana.
''Selain anugerah kecemerlangan, saya sudah menerbitkan lebih 11 kertas penyelidikan dalam bentuk jurnal
''Saya bersyukur kerana dapat menunaikan impian ibu bapa yang mahu melihat saya berjaya dalam pelajaran," katanya kepada pemberita pada Majlis Konvokesyen UMS Ke-11 yang disempurnakan oleh Yang Dipertua Negeri Sabah merangkap Canselor UMS, Tun Ahmadshah Abdullah di sini hari ini.
Bekas pelajar Sekolah Menengah Sains Tuanku Shah Putra, Kangar itu berkata, pada masa ini dia mahu memberi tumpuan terhadap tugasnya sebagai pensyarah Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), sebelum melanjutkan pengajian ke peringkat lebih tinggi.
Sementara itu pada majlis sama, Wan Khairul Muzammil Abdul Rahim, 23, yang berasal dari Sabah dianugerahkan Anugerah Pelajaran Diraja selepas mencatat nilai gred purata terkumpul (CGPA) 3.7 dalam bidang kejuruteraan mekanikal.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Demands Of Innovation Economy
Four Key Areas Need Special Attention To Meet Demands Of Innovation Economy
KUALA LUMPUR, August 17 (Bernama) -- The Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah on Monday stressed on four key aspects of the education system that should receive special attention in meeting the demands of a knowledge and innovation economy.
The four key areas are the curriculum at all levels of education, assessment system, teaching-learning methods and strategies, and English language.
He said the curriculum was too bogged down with teachers and university instructors dispensing chunks of information with students being passive recipients.
"Perhaps it is time to reduce the amount of content disseminated and spend the extra time on developing skills and competencies needed in the 21st century," he said at the opening of the International Conference on Education For All, here.
"Often, school teachers and university instructors lament that they have insufficient time to complete the syllabus and fear that reducing the content will deprive learners, not realising that less may in fact be more.
"The more comes from students learning to inquire and discover the facts and concepts of a discipline by themselves. With the billions of web pages available at the click of a mouse, the earlier notions of the 'sage on the stage' may have to give way to the 'guide on the side'," he said.
On the assessment system, Dr Nazrin Shah said perhaps Malaysia could do with less national examinations, thus reducing the burden and anxiety of teachers, school administrators and parents.
"We have a very examination-oriented education system with students having to sit for four public examinations before entering university. Undue pre-occupation with examinations has led to neglect in the teaching of many of the skills and competencies required of individuals in the knowledge and innovation economy."
He said the examination-oriented system had also led to schools focusing on high achievers to the exclusion of underachievers, who unfortunately tended to be from poorer backgrounds.
"Studies have shown these academic underachievers exhibit low self-esteem and a sense of hopelessness. They have negative beliefs about their abilities which tend to be reinforced by the school and the community.
"Alternative assessment methods that are more reflective of learner ability should be widely implemented, while the number of As scored by learners is important to ensure that all students master the knowledge and skills required of them to function effectively and efficiently in the workplace of the 21st century," he said.
On teaching-learning methods and strategies, he said the focus should be on students engaging in projects, analysing case studies, solving real-world problems, making decisions in different situations, making presentations and arguing their case and constructing their own knowledge.
"These are not new teaching approaches. They are being used in schools and universities in some countries.
"Often, teachers lament that they would like to use these learner-centred strategies but because of the amount of content they need to cover, are forced to resort to the lecture method because a lot more content can be disseminated to students," he said.
The Perak Raja Muda also said that English was of paramount importance in the 21st century workplace and the lingua franca of the knowledge and innovation economy, and those proficient in the language would enjoy many advantages in the global workplace.
"Teachers should be better trained. Standardised tests can be introduced to allow teachers to determine at each level of schooling how their students are faring and, if necessary, to undertake immediate remedial measures," he said.
-- BERNAMA
KUALA LUMPUR, August 17 (Bernama) -- The Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah on Monday stressed on four key aspects of the education system that should receive special attention in meeting the demands of a knowledge and innovation economy.
The four key areas are the curriculum at all levels of education, assessment system, teaching-learning methods and strategies, and English language.
He said the curriculum was too bogged down with teachers and university instructors dispensing chunks of information with students being passive recipients.
"Perhaps it is time to reduce the amount of content disseminated and spend the extra time on developing skills and competencies needed in the 21st century," he said at the opening of the International Conference on Education For All, here.
"Often, school teachers and university instructors lament that they have insufficient time to complete the syllabus and fear that reducing the content will deprive learners, not realising that less may in fact be more.
"The more comes from students learning to inquire and discover the facts and concepts of a discipline by themselves. With the billions of web pages available at the click of a mouse, the earlier notions of the 'sage on the stage' may have to give way to the 'guide on the side'," he said.
On the assessment system, Dr Nazrin Shah said perhaps Malaysia could do with less national examinations, thus reducing the burden and anxiety of teachers, school administrators and parents.
"We have a very examination-oriented education system with students having to sit for four public examinations before entering university. Undue pre-occupation with examinations has led to neglect in the teaching of many of the skills and competencies required of individuals in the knowledge and innovation economy."
He said the examination-oriented system had also led to schools focusing on high achievers to the exclusion of underachievers, who unfortunately tended to be from poorer backgrounds.
"Studies have shown these academic underachievers exhibit low self-esteem and a sense of hopelessness. They have negative beliefs about their abilities which tend to be reinforced by the school and the community.
"Alternative assessment methods that are more reflective of learner ability should be widely implemented, while the number of As scored by learners is important to ensure that all students master the knowledge and skills required of them to function effectively and efficiently in the workplace of the 21st century," he said.
On teaching-learning methods and strategies, he said the focus should be on students engaging in projects, analysing case studies, solving real-world problems, making decisions in different situations, making presentations and arguing their case and constructing their own knowledge.
"These are not new teaching approaches. They are being used in schools and universities in some countries.
"Often, teachers lament that they would like to use these learner-centred strategies but because of the amount of content they need to cover, are forced to resort to the lecture method because a lot more content can be disseminated to students," he said.
The Perak Raja Muda also said that English was of paramount importance in the 21st century workplace and the lingua franca of the knowledge and innovation economy, and those proficient in the language would enjoy many advantages in the global workplace.
"Teachers should be better trained. Standardised tests can be introduced to allow teachers to determine at each level of schooling how their students are faring and, if necessary, to undertake immediate remedial measures," he said.
-- BERNAMA
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