Paving sustainable development through generic green skills based on desk research

Abstract

Generic skills are complementary to technical skills that enable potential employees to secure a place in the job market. A myriad of studies have been conducted on generic skills, and in Malaysia’s ‘greening’ development process, generic green skills have begun to attract many academics and industry players. This paper reviews several articles on generic green skills associated with the green technology industry. Document analysis was conducted to scrutinise initial information extracted from electronic databases viz Google Scholar, ResearchGate, Science Direct, Academia and EBCOHost. The findings showed that endeavours to acquire sustainable development in Malaysia are flourishing and prolific. Government agencies were seen as playing a notable role in strengthening generic green skills among employees in the green technology industry alongside international organisations and regional partners to ensure that development is compatible with maintaining the quality of the environment. In the near future, generic green skills are expected to receive solemn attention from academics and researchers, as well as become key criteria by employers in hiring new employees. Hence, further studies are needed to refine the generic green skills in balancing the development process with environmental sustainability.