Empowering Future Talent: Students' Perception And Satisfaction Towards Upskilling Programs At Politeknik Balik Pulau

Abstract

The consistently emerging trends in different sectors more often than not push new graduates to the edge due to the disparity between the classroom concepts and the real-world applications. To bridge that gap, PBU has devised a plan that incorporates additional learning through daily living by implementing the IBM SkillsBuild ecosystem, a self-paced course library sponsored by the industry. Past research has already shown that organized upskilling enhances learners’ self-efficacy and employability. This study utilized the quantitative survey approach and relied on a pre-defined questionnaire featuring closed-ended questions crafted to gauge the level of satisfaction, mastery of relevant skills, and skills’ relevance to the industry. Two hundred final year students from the 2024 cohort were approached and 170 fully answered the survey. To analyze the data, the descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis were applied. The results indicate substantial student satisfaction, particularly concerning the technical skills competencies in the students’ field, soft skills, including effective communication and collaboration, and a strong feeling that instruction is relevant to contemporary technology. Thus, the findings suggest that polytechnic education is strengthened by corporate in-house, industry-sponsored, and polytechnic education-integrated training, which is a polytechnic model and a clear advantage for students in classroom and employment interviews. The study further recommends that PBU implement SkillsBuild in all courses and expand employer engagement to maximize the impact for students throughout the country.