An Educational Approach to Employability Competencies through SULAM: Evaluating Talent Acquisition Module for Job Searching Skills among Madrasah Students

This study evaluates the effectiveness of a SULAM-based Talent Acquisition Module (TAM) in enhancing employability competencies among madrasah students in Melaka, Malaysia. Grounded in Experiential Learning Theory, this study addresses the persistent gap between academic learning and labour market readiness, particularly in underrepresented educational contexts with limited exposure to structured career development. A quantitative pre–post intervention design was employed, involving 157 participants from three madrasah institutions. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire measuring programme effectiveness (PE), knowledge evaluation (KE), and SULAM implementation (SI), and analysed using descriptive statistics and gap analysis. The findings indicate a high level of PE, with consistently strong satisfaction across facilitator performance, engagement, and module delivery. KE results demonstrate substantial improvements in employability-related knowledge and confidence, particularly in understanding job search skills, application ability, and confidence in seeking employment. More importantly, the pre–post SULAM implementation analysis reveals significant gains across all items, with mean scores increasing from low baseline levels to high post-intervention levels, resulting in large gap values. These findings indicate a transformative impact of the programme on participants’ ability to apply, retain, and disseminate employability knowledge. Overall, the results suggest that structured experiential learning integrated with employability-focused training can significantly enhance job search competencies, confidence, and knowledge sustainability. The study contributes to the employability literature by extending service-learning research beyond civic outcomes to include structured career development within non-mainstream educational settings. It also highlights the effectiveness of SULAM as a scalable intervention in bridging employability gaps among underrepresented student populations.

Employability competencies; experiential learning

1. Abdull Rahman, R. H (2012). Malaysian Firms’ Role in Retaining Engineers. The Economic and Labour Relations Review, 23(4), 57-78. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Allen, J., & van der Velden, R. (2011). The flexible professional in the knowledge society: Required competencies. Springer. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Bennett, N., Dunne, E., & Carré, C. (2000). Skills development in higher education and employment. Open University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Biggs, J. (1996). Enhancing teaching through constructive alignment. Higher Education, 32(3), 347–364. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Bisschoff, T., & Massyn, L. (2025). Graduate employability and labour market adaptation in digital economies. Journal of Education and Work. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Black, J., & Warhurst, C. (2025). Simulation-based learning and employability outcomes in higher education. Studies in Higher Education. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Boone, H. N., & Boone, D. A. (2012). Analyzing Likert data. Journal of Extension, 50(2), 1–5. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Boud, D., & Falchikov, N. (2006). Aligning assessment with long-term learning. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 31(4), 399–413. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Boud, D., & Falchikov, N. (2024). Sustainable assessment revisited: Learning for lifelong capability. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). Greenwood. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Bringle, R. G., & Hatcher, J. A. (1996). Implementing service learning in higher education. Journal of Higher Education, 67(2), 221–239. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Brown, P., Hesketh, A., & Williams, S. (2003). Employability in a knowledge-driven economy. Palgrave Macmillan. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Bryman, A. (2016). Social research methods (5th ed.). Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Celio, C. I., Durlak, J., & Dymnicki, A. (2011). A meta-analysis of service-learning outcomes. Journal of Experiential Education, 34(2), 164–181. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Celio, C. I., Durlak, J., & Dymnicki, A. (2024). Service-learning and student development outcomes. Journal of Experiential Education. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Clarke, M. (2018). Rethinking graduate employability. Human Resource Development International, 21(2), 125–144. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. SAGE. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Department of Statistics Malaysia. (2024). Labour force survey report. DOSM. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Dillman, D. A., Smyth, J. D., & Christian, L. M. (2014). Internet, phone, mail, and mixed-mode surveys. Wiley. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Eyler, J., & Giles, D. E. (1999). Where’s the learning in service-learning? Jossey-Bass. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Eyler, J., & Giles, D. E. (2024). Service-learning revisited: Reflection and learning outcomes. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Field, A. (2018). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS Statistics (5th ed.). SAGE. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. International Labour Organization. (2023). Global employment trends for youth. ILO. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. International Labour Organization. (2025). World employment and social outlook. ILO. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Kirkpatrick, D. L. (1994). Evaluating training programs. Berrett-Koehler. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice Hall. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. Kristiawan, M., et al. (2025). Work-integrated learning and graduate employability outcomes. Education + Training. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

28. Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge University Press [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

29. Likert, R. (1932). A technique for the measurement of attitudes. Archives of Psychology, 22(140), 1–55. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

30. Marsh, H. W. (1982). SEQ: A review of student evaluation of teaching. Higher Education, 11(2), 143–174. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

31. McGuinness, S., & Pouliakas, K. (2019). Skills mismatch and overeducation. Labour Economics, 56, 123–140. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

32. McGuinness, S., & Pouliakas, K. (2021). Graduate underemployment and skills mismatch. Oxford Economic Papers, 73(2), 1–25. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

33. McGuinness, S., & Pouliakas, K. (2024). Skills mismatch in modern labour markets. Journal of Human Capital. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

34. McQuaid, R. W., & Lindsay, C. (2005). The concept of employability. Urban Studies, 42(2), 197–219. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

35. OECD. (2023). OECD skills outlook 2023. OECD Publishing. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

36. Pallant, J. (2020). SPSS survival manual (7th ed.). McGraw-Hill. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

37. Raghavan, M., et al. (2020). Algorithmic hiring and bias in recruitment systems. Proceedings of FAT. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

38. Rothwell, A., & Arnold, J. (2007). Self-perceived employability. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 71(1), 23–41. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

39. Rothwell, A., & Arnold, J. (2024). Employability and career management competencies. Career Development International. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

40. Rothwell, A., et al. (2025). Digital employability in emerging labour markets. International Journal of Manpower. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

41. Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2019). Research methods for business students (8th ed.). Pearson. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

42. Scheuring, S., & Thompson, R. (2024). Simulation-based experiential learning outcomes. Education and Training Review. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

43. Sekaran, U., & Bougie, R. (2016). Research methods for business (7th ed.). Wiley. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

44. Sulaiman, N., et al. (2021). Employability challenges in religious education contexts. Malaysian Journal of Education. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

45. Tomlinson, M. (2012). Graduate employability: A review. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 33(4), 549–565. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

46. Tomlinson, M. (2017). Forms of graduate capital and employability. Studies in Higher Education, 42(4), 574–588. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

47. Wahab, A., et al. (2025). Transversal skills and employability trends. Human Resource Development Review. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

48. Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

49. World Bank. (2024). Future of work in developing economies. World Bank. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Assessment of the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Repositioning TVET for Economic Development in Nigeria
• Teachers’ Use of Assure Model Instructional Design on Learners’ Problem Solving Efficacy in Secondary Schools in Bungoma County, Kenya
• “E-Booksan Ang Kaalaman”: Development, Validation, and Utilization of Electronic Book in Academic Performance of Grade 9 Students in Social Studies
• Analyzing EFL University Students’ Academic Speaking Skills Through Self-Recorded Video Presentation
• Major Findings of The Study on Total Quality Management in Teachers’ Education Institutions (TEIs) In Assam – An Evaluative Study