READINESS OF HALAL MANAGEMENT STUDENTS FOR EMPLOYABILITY

The students readiness for employability is a growing concern for Higher Education Institutions as it directly impacts the institutions mission, reputation, relationships with stakeholders and its broader contribution to the economy and society. This paper aims to analyse the correlation and effect of personal attributes and basic Halal-related skills on the readiness of final-year Halal Management students for employability. The study was conducted quantitatively through a survey method with 211 final-year Halal Management students from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Shah Alam, Malaysia and Universiti Islam Selangor (UIS), Malaysia. The data analysis techniques employed are Correlation Analysis and Multiple Linear Regression Analysis using the IBM Statistical for Product and Service Solution (SPSS) version 28 program. The results indicated there were moderately positive significant relationships between Personal Attributes (r=.614, p<0.01) and highly positive significance between Basic Halal-Related Skills (r=.718, p<0.01) with Readiness for Employability. Moreover, the study also indicated that the two independent variables Personal Attributes (X₁) and Basic Halal-related Skills (X₂) affect the dependent variable Readiness for Employability (Y). The correlation coefficient (R) = 0.758 indicates a positive and strong relationship between Personal Attributes and Basic Halal-Related Skills on Readiness for Employability among final-year Halal students at UiTM Shah Alam and UIS. The coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.574 indicates the independent variable to predict the dependent variable by 57%, while the remaining 43% is influenced by other factors. This study accentuates the pivotal role of students personal attributes and basic Halal-related skills in fostering students readiness for employability. The research underscores the importance of these factors in equipping students with the necessary competencies to meet the job markets needs for better graduate employability.