The Importance of Determining Approaches to Improve Soft Skills Transfer of Training into Workplace in Malaysian Context

The impact of Industry Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0) on human workforce is inevitable. More jobs will be automated whereby the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics will be apparent. This situation causes many routine jobs to be reduced, yet it will also create the need for quality manpower in the remaining staff, for example office and administrative roles. In spite of technological advancement, the need for soft skills will remain relevant because not all job functions can be automated and handled by AI and robots, such as jobs that require empathy, interpersonal skills and teamwork. Hence, soft skills training will be a strategic platform in an effort by employers to impart the knowledge to their staff. Thus, this conceptual paper describes the study to be undertaken in an attempt to identify the influencing factors on soft skills transfer of training amongst clerical staff. This study will employ a quantitative research design and Rasch Model for data analysis. To facilitate this study, self-developed questionnaires will be developed using Delphi Method to confirm the validity of the questionnaires. Rasch Model will analyze the construct validity and reliability of instrument prior to actual study. A 6-point Likert-type scale will be utilized to obtain data from respondents and using Rasch analysis, the findings will be presented in the form of descriptive statistics. Results of findings will be justified professionally based on current and relevant literature. It is anticipated that the contribution of this study will generate a compelling model to predict influencing factors of soft skills transfer of training. The call for this study with specific focus on clerical staff is relevant in keeping abreast with the global environment changes affecting Malaysian workforce. The study is deemed necessary to determine approaches that can improve their soft skills transfer of training back into workplace, particularly in Malaysian context.