The Tendency of the Institute of Public Skills Training towards

Entrepreneurship

Mohd Saifularmi and Siti Haslina

School of Distance Education, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Keywords: Entrepreneurial Intention, Theory of Planned Behaviour, Entrepreneurial Curriculum and Content, Institute

of Public Skills Training

Abstract: Entrepreneurial intention among student and the tendency of the institute of public skills training towards

entrepreneurship are related. The main objective of this review is to explain student’s entrepreneurial

intention and the impact of curriculum among students in Malaysia. Previous study shows that more

research works are needed in determining entrepreneurial intentions of students because in order to choose

the right or ideal job and work career, it has to depend on many considerations and options. The findings

can be used as a reference to identify entrepreneur and to train them for entrepreneurial development. The

institute can also use the results to improve and update the curriculum and the content to develop

entrepreneurs. The institute can create some entrepreneurship initiative to motivate and make it as a part of

career path. In short, the Theory of Planned Behaviour can be used as a tool to identify and to target

students who are serious in building their own business as entrepreneur through entrepreneurship initiative.

1 INTRODUCTION

This article reviews the student entrepreneurial

intention and impact of entrepreneurial curriculum

among students at institute of public skills training

in Malaysia. The entrepreneurial development

approach differs from traditional economic

development which emphasizes on the role of

governments and private sectors in creating job

opportunities and facilities. Entrepreneurship

development has been extensive in many countries

in the early 1990s aimed at improving the weakness

of the previous economic development policy

(Nailya Kutzhanova, 2009). Entrepreneurship is

important to improve the economic capability, create

career opportunities, increase productivity and

become source of innovation (Sylvia Nabila Azwa

Ambad, 2016).

Based on the commitments and policies that have

been introduced by the government,

entrepreneurship is still open for everyone to

explore. All Institute of public skills training need to

change their mission and vision to produces skilled

manpower with the ability to become entrepreneurs.

It also allows institute of public skills training to

make improvements in course offering, training

methods, financial support and so on. The result of

previous study in this review can be used as guide

by all government agencies to develop

entrepreneurs. Businesses that operate either small

or large will create a new market flow with the

existence of cross-border products or services

(BURDUS, 2010). The business network of

entrepreneurs will embrace the economy of a

country and the global world. Institute of public

skills training in Malaysia is managed by different

ministry based on their vision and goal. It differs

from all higher education institute managed by

Ministry of Higher Education. List of Institutes of

Public Skills Training (Wan Nur Azlina Ibrahim,

2015)are shown in Table 1 :

Table 1 : List of Institutes of Public Skills Training.

Ministr

Institution

Ministry of Higher

Education

Polytechnic, Community

College and Vocational

Colle

(

)

Ministry of Human

Resources

Centre for Instructor and

Advanced Skill Training

(CIAST), Japan - Malaysia

Technical Institute (JMTI),

Advance Technology Centre

(

ADTEC

)

and Industrial

478

Saifularmi, M. and Haslina, S.

The Tendency of the Institute of Public Skills Training towards Entrepreneurship.

DOI: 10.5220/0008889304780482

In Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Multidisciplinary Research (ICMR 2018) - , pages 478-482

ISBN: 978-989-758-437-4

Trainin

Institute

(

ILP

)

Ministry Youth and

Sport

National Youth High Skill

Institute (IKTBN) and

National Youth Skill Institute

(

IKBN

)

Ministry of Rural

and Regional

Develo

ment

MARA High Skill College

(KKTM) and MARA Skill

Institute

(

IKM

)

Ministry of

riculture

Agricultural Training Institut

(

ILPP

)

2 OVERVIEW OF

ENTREPRENEURIAL

INTENTION

The term entrepreneurship is defined as the process

of identifying, assessing viability, exploiting and

expanding opportunities to create new products and

services (Saeid Karimi, 2013). Entrepreneurs can be

defined as a person who brings and combines the

resources, labour, material and makes their value

greater than in the past, makes changes, innovation

and new ideas for the growth of a business (J.F.

Maigida, 2015). They need to manage the resources

and assume the risk of business to sustain their

innovation or product and minimize the risks that

might lie ahead (J.F. Maigida, 2015).

Entrepreneurship is a method that converts

economic knowledge to economic growth because

the rate of economic development is based on

deviations from an equilibrium rate of business

ownership (Bige Askun, 2011). Continuous efforts

are required to produce successful entrepreneurs. It

requires commitment, investment, appropriates

system to educate entrepreneurial practice in life.

Entrepreneurial tendency has been studied by many

previous researcher such as Abbas (Abbas, 2015),

N.M. Tawil(N.M. Tawil, 2015), Malolos(Malolos,

2017) and Balwanz(Balwanz, 2012).

A review finds that theory of planned behaviour

are widely used to examine attitudes, behaviour and

subjective norms as a determinant of entrepreneurial

intentions (Ng Kim-Soon, 2016)(Charitomeni

Tsordia, 2015). Some researchers also use

Entrepreneurial Intention Model (EIM) as a model to

study about entrepreneurial intention (Zairon

Mustapha, 2016). EIM is built based on theory

planned behaviour.

2.1 The Theory of Planned Behaviour

and Entrepreneurial Intention

Malaysia is among the few economies in the Asian

region where finance and physical infrastructure to

support entrepreneurship are widely available

(Malaysia, 2016). The Global Entrepreneurship

Monitor (GEM) shows that entrepreneurial

intentions among Malaysian aged 18 – 64 years

only 6 percent in 2015/16 (Malaysia, 2016). The

Theory of Planned Behaviour explains that a

person’s attitude towards behaviour, subjective norm

and perceived behavioural control are the significant

factors that determine his intentions (Ajzen, 1991).

The Theory of Planned Behaviour is linked between

attitude and behaviour where behaviour can be

planned (Ajzen, 1991).

2.1.1 Attitude towards Behaviour

Attitude towards behaviour is described as a

tendency to respond consistently by giving a rating

of likes or dislikes towards an object or matter.

Attitude towards entrepreneurship behaviour refers

to personal desire to become entrepreneur or self-

employed with own business (Charitomeni Tsordia,

2015). Entrepreneurial attitudes influence an

individual’s assessment of career attractiveness and

attitude to ownership is found to be most important

predictor of entrepreneurial intentions (Jason

Fitzsimmons, 2005).

2.1.2 Subjective Norms

Subjective norms relates to someone perceptions and

beliefs about a customary practice that can influence

an action on something. They can be attracted to

something related to entrepreneurship, making it as

motivation (Ng Kim-Soon, 2016) and being

interested to become entrepreneurs (Charitomeni

Tsordia, 2015). The most influences entrepreneurial

tendencies are family, friends, reference model and

mentors (Norris F. Krueger JR, 2000).

2.1.3 Perceived Behavioural Control

Perceived behavioural control is a result of the

experience that has passed through life (Ajzen,

1991). It relates to individual perceptions of the

obstacles and difficulties that must be faced to do

something (Zairon Mustapha, 2016). The perceived

contextual barriers and support factors play a role

for the entrepreneurial behaviour of technical

students (Christian Luthje, 2003).

The Tendency of the Institute of Public Skills Training towards Entrepreneurship

479

2.2 Entrepreneurial Curriculum

Entrepreneurship education refers to formalised and

structured programme to equip students with

entrepreneurship knowledge and skills to understand

customer insight, market needs, market supply and

demand, and recognise business opportunities

(Hardy Loh Rahim, 2015). Learning to create a new

business is about learning to integrate experience,

skills, knowledge and source (Hardy Loh Rahim,

2015). Many country-level initiatives have been

developed such as education for knowledge

economy and customized it to the country specific in

environment and needs (Badawi, 2013). Everybody

should know about entrepreneurship and economy

because we are living in the knowledge era and

borderless world. Two main concepts of education

having particular roles are technical and vocational

education and training (TVET) and entrepreneurship

education (Badawi, 2013). TVET and

entrepreneurship education are closely related to

each other. Entrepreneurship education could

promote innovation and the self-reliance of learners,

while TVET continues to play a major role in

increasing the employability of students and trainees

and empowering them with relevant knowledge and

skills needed for labour market (Badawi, 2013).

GEM 2016 global report shows Malaysia has total

early-stage entrepreneurial activity (TEA) lowest

rate in Asian region (Malaysia, 2016).

Entrepreneurial curriculum needs to be thoroughly

focused, including technical students not only

academic students (Abbas, 2015). Currently, most

TVET programmes in institutes of public skills

training are basically designed to prepare students

for paid employment and many focus on

employment in large firm (Badawi, 2013).

3 ENTREPRENEUSHIP IN

INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC

SKILLS TRAINING

Previous study shows that researchers focus studies

on high school students, universities, business firm,

academic and others (Wan Nur Azlina Ibrahim,

2015). Only a few studies conduct in institute of

public skills training.

Based on previous study in IKBN and

community college (Wan Nur Azlina Ibrahim,

2015), 91.6% of students have entrepreneurial

intention, only 29.8% students reported that they

have pursued education related to entrepreneurship

at upper secondary level and 93.5% students have

entrepreneurial knowledge. This study show that

entrepreneurial curriculum is important in the

development entrepreneurship awareness and

entrepreneurial intention among students.

Educational curriculum should always be improved,

updatedand customized with economic culture and

globalization.

3.1 Support

The government provides business support to

anybody who is interested in becoming

entrepreneurs through various agencies (Ida Nadia

Hamidon, 2016)(Malaysia, 2016). Table 2 shows

entrepreneurial support programs provided after

graduates:

Table2: Entrepreneurial support programme.

Agenc

Programme

TEKUN Nasional Young Agropreneur

Programme 2017, Graduate

Entrepreneur Development

Programme (PPUS),

Bumiputera Young Professional

Entrepreneur Development

Programme

Federal

Agricultural

Marketing

Authority

(FAMA)

Farmer’s Market Entrepreneur

Programme, Fresh Fruit Stall

Entrepreneur Programme,

Kedai Rakyat Agrobazaar&

Three-Wheeled Motorcycle

Entrepreneur Programme

Selangor State

Development

Corporation

(

PKNS

)

Graduate Realizing

Opportunities Way Forward

(GROW) Programme

MajlisAmanah

Rakyat (MARA)

Entrepreneur Training

Programme, Technopreneur

Development

National

Entrepreneurship

Foundation (NEF)

Skim UsahawanSiswazah

(SUS)

Higher Institution

Department (JPT)

PUNB Graduate Apprentice,

Entrepreneurship Education

Programme

In the GEM Report 2015, Malaysia ranks sixth

out the 60 countries on the motivational index where

Malaysian entrepreneurs choose to pursue an

opportunity on the basis of their entrepreneurial

motivation, rather than starting out a business out of

a necessity (Malaysia, 2016). Business support by

government can drive motivation on entrepreneurs.

The government needs to focus on developing and

empowering the existing entrepreneurship

ICMR 2018 - International Conference on Multidisciplinary Research

480

programme with specific target group and targets of

achievement (Norziani Dahalan, 2015).

3.2 Initiative

The effort to develop entrepreneurs in higher level

institution is considerably high in Malaysia with

commitment to build entrepreneurship centre,

development of entrepreneurs, programme offered

and high competencies lecturers (Hardy Loh Rahim,

2015). The entrepreneurship development strategy in

higher education institution aims to produce

graduates with entrepreneurial mind set and

increases graduate entrepreneurs (Badariah Hj Din,

2016). The management of institute of public skills

training needs to learn from high level institution in

implementing entrepreneurship development among

students.

Previous study shows that for enhances

entrepreneurial intention among students, it needs to

provide them with attitudes, knowledge,

entrepreneurial skills, hands on learning activities,

business plan development and running simulated or

real small business (Aiste Capiene, 2017).

3.3 Entrepreneurs or Skill Employment

The graduate unemployment rate has increased since

2011 where job opportunities have been filled by

foreign low skilled and non-skilled workers

(Ibrahim, 2017). When economic crisis, millions of

worker in the world lose their job (Badawi, 2013).

Combination entrepreneurship education and

skill development may help workers secure jobs

(International Labour Office, 2010).

Entrepreneurship education needs combination of an

integrated curriculum across the disciplines,

intensified training programme, a closer link with

industry, structured process and evaluates the impact

of entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial

intention (Mansheng Zhou, 2012). A surprising

finding reportedshows students close to complete

their studies, reported having lower entrepreneurial

intention compared to first year students who are

just introduced to entrepreneurship (Charitomeni

Tsordia, 2015). However, entrepreneurship

education programmes have been able to develop

students’ entrepreneurial capabilities and improve

their chances to success as a entrepreneur (Ng Kim-

Soon, 2016). It is important to find a strategy on

how to attract students on the advantages of being an

entrepreneur (Sylvia Nabila Azwa Ambad, 2016).

Entrepreneurship education in institute of public

skills institution can support the career decisions of

individuals. Students who have entrepreneurship

knowledge as a general skills are able to optimize

their work experience and empowering them to take

career decisions (Badawi, 2013).

4 CONCLUSIONS

Both commitments are needed from educators and

student towards entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship

development demands policy makers (Christian

Luthje, 2003)(Dr. Amran Md Rasli, 2013)(Bige

Askun, 2011), practical experience, effective

pedagogical (Ida Nadia Hamidon, 2016) and

teaching method (Aiste Capiene, 2017), as well as

competent mentor (Hardy Loh Rahim, 2015).

For creating required professional, well-educated

human resources are expected to supply

entrepreneurships oriented to economy. (Bige

Askun, 2011). To sustain and develop entrepreneurs,

entrepreneurship education must be integrated into

TVET programmes to empower entrepreneurs and

potential trainee as innovators (Badawi, 2013).

Students who are really serious to start a business

should develop entrepreneurship initiative (Ng Kim-

Soon, 2016).

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