Assessing the effective marketing and employers' perception of the quality of the Diploma in Public Administration of UiTM Sarawak Branch / Kuldip Singh, Prabha Ramakrishnan and Elizabeth Caroline Augustine

This study examines the socio-economic status and employers' perception of
work quality of Diploma Public Administration (DPA) graduates' of UiTM
Sarawak Branch who graduated over the yearsfrom /997 to 2000. In addition,
the study also examines the graduates 'perception ofDPA programs relevance
to employability. Our sample consisted of 436 graduates. The response rate
for graduates was 36 percent and the employers' response is /7 percent. The
study shows that the profile of a typical DPA graduate is below 30 years old,
earning less than RM1,500 per month, has Cumulative Grade Point Average
(CGPA) of 2.80 and is employed in the Government sector. Our findings indicate
that 70 percent of DPA graduates are employed and /4 percent are pursuing
higher education. Regarding the DPA curriculum structure, majority of
respondents are of the opinion that it is relevant to the job market however
more emphasis needto be given to improving the standard of English language
amongst DPA graduates. Addition comments request extended industrial
attachment, teaching communication skills and Information Communication
Technology (ICT) skills. Employers are of the opinion that UiTM DPA graduates
exhibit comparable work quality to other local university graduates. DPA
graduates also scored well in the generic skills required by employers.