Exploring 21st Century Skills among Postgraduates in Malaysia

The twin forces of globalisation and internationalization have put a critical demand for resilient graduates who are able to compete at a global level. Henceforth, Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) in Malaysia are constantly challenged to produce graduates with 21st century skills which will enable them to excel in today's globalized, knowledge based society. This exploratory study aimed to investigate the 21st century skills among postgraduates from a public and a private university in Malaysia. The sample involved 59 postgraduate students and four lecturers and data were collected using a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Initial findings revealed that postgraduates articulated success in using ICT skills, collaborating, and lifelong learning in being leaders but lacked critical and creative thinking and communication skills. They also highlighted academic staff in tertiary institutions were a few steps behind them in terms of social media applications and they felt that IHL were not successful in developing their entrepreneurial skills. These findings have implications on postgraduate students’ readiness for careers and attempts to maximise 21st century skills among higher education students.