By Rafiqi Yusoff
GOMBAK, 21 October 2021: The issues surrounding Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences (IRKHS) undergraduates, including their employability rate being one of the lowest with an average of 60 -70 percent, other than insufficient amount of minimum salary for fresh graduates, has triggered concerns.Â
The Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences Students Society (IRKHSSS) has pulled together with Counselling and Career Services Centre (CCSC), IIUM for a collaborative framework in augmenting graduate employability among IRKHS undergraduates.
Amirah Yasmin, the Honorary Treasurer of IRKHSSS, along with Faris Jafri, the Chairperson of Academic and Intellectual Council, IRKHSSS, held a meeting with CCSC on Wednesday (20 October) to discuss further regarding the framework.
According to Amirah Yasmin, the framework proposed by IRKHSSS is mainly to benefit all IRKHS undergraduates holistically as they are the umbrella governing body for IRKHS undergraduates.
The objectives of the framework are mainly to increase the average of employability rate among IRKHS undergraduates to 75 to 80 percent by the year 2030, to increase the minimum salary for their fresh graduates, as well as to produce well-equipped graduate skills for valuable market opportunities.
However, one of the frameworks is to conduct a series of workshops that only focus on IRKHS undergraduates where the first session will begin with CCSC, commencing in November 2021 onwards.
œThe workshop is crucial to explain to the undergraduate students about the reality in the workforce since many are not fully aware of the reality of employability after they graduate, Amirah Yasmin remarked.
And it will be followed by other workshops involving undergraduate skills which cover the personal branding on LinkedIn, Microsoft Office skills, IRKHS industrial training, as well as freelancing careers.
Besides, a mentoring programme was also proposed in helping IRKHS undergraduates to tap into the existing knowledge, skills, and experience from the industrial players or IIUM alumni in order to advance their career developments.
The mentoring programme will be conducted physically on campus and will commence in November this year.
œKIRKHSSS will also collaborate with CCSC regarding the showcase exhibition whereby the IRKHS undergraduates will present their works and to be evaluated by the company recruiters.
It will give the undergraduate students the opportunity to deliver their ideas and it will probably be held in January 2022, said Amirah Yasmin.
This collaboration with CCSC will also include the 5-year plan that focuses on the reformation of the study plans from the department of KIRKHS to provide the undergraduates with subjects that are relevant to the industrial training.
The learning outcomes in the course outlines will also be revised by adding the public speaking elements so that the IRKHS undergraduates are well trained in communication field.
The initiatives made by IRKHSSS in collaboration with CCSC are mainly for their undergraduate students’ improvement so that they will benefit from this project until they graduate. ***