Challenges of continuous technological disruption in the broadcasting industry and the search for ‘job-fit’ talents

¹ School of Communications, Taylors University, Subang Jaya, Malaysia
² School of Computing and IT, Taylors University, Subang Jaya, Malaysia

^* Corresponding author: ramachandran.ponnan@taylors.edu.my

Abstract

:Job placement is becoming an uphill task for new graduates when they do not have the relevant knowledge to start up on their own. This happens when their education is either sub-standard, rendered obsolete upon graduation or cannot be translated into practice at their respective workplaces. Such a shortcoming in the broadcasting industry is not with the provision of training or the supply of skilled manpower. It is rather the continuous disruption of technology when graduates require more than operational knowledge. In the absence of ‘job-fit graduates’ the broadcasting industry looks out for the best talents outside of their traditional marketplace. To address this fallout, the industry is looking to recruit new talents with emerging computing knowledge instead of the traditional Mass Communication discipline. This empirical study explores the skills shortage in the broadcasting industry from the perspective of “Challenges of Industrial Revolution 4.0 in higher education (MyHE 4.0). Qualitative data was gathered from stakeholders, training providers and vendors. Two major findings: 1) The need for talents transformation to a modern converged setting in broadcasting; and 2) The establishment of pathways to ‘Job-Fit’ training in the broadcasting industry, have emerged from the study. The study proposes six recommendations in support of the transformation in the broadcasting industry.