In a recent episode of Astro AWANI’s Consider This, host Melisa Idris sat down with Professor David FitzPatrick, Provost and CEO of the University of Nottingham Malaysia (UNM). Together, they unpacked the evolving investment of a university degree, how graduates can stand out in an AI-driven workforce, and why the human element remains at the center of higher education.
The Degree is the Platform, Not the Finish Line
For generations, obtaining a university degree was seen as a guaranteed golden ticket to a successful career. While that core promise still holds true, the landscape of today’s job market and employability demands has shifted.
As Professor FitzPatrick highlights, a degree now serves as an essential baseline. The real differentiator for today's graduates lies in layering additional soft skills on top of their formal qualifications with attributes like adaptiveness and curiosity.
"Getting the best education you can is absolutely a first start. But on top of that, you need to think about how you can add additional competencies... to be future-ready, not just today-ready,” says Professor FitzPatrick.
What Employers Actually Want: Bridging the "Underemployment" Gap
With the growing concern around graduate underemployment, the discussion dives into what industry leaders are actively seeking. UNM’s curricula remain agile and aligned with current market demands through its many advisory boards comprising prominent industry leaders, corporate partners, and alumni.
From their recruiting perspective, companies remain confident in their ability to train new hires on technical skills, but they are seeing critical gaps in human-centric capabilities. This includes critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills across teams to name a few.
UNM bridges this skill gap through its programme delivery and structure. "How we structure our programmes, how we deliver them to the students, what we challenge them with in the course of their studies can help develop problem solving or critical thinking,” says Professor Fitzpatrick.
Taming the AI Wave: Why Humans Stay at the Centre
Rather than fearing technological advancement or banning AI tools, universities are reframing the conversation. The challenge is not whether AI can output an answer, but whether graduates possess the critical judgment to interrogate that output.
Professor FitzPatrick shares an inspiring highlight from UNM, where International Communication Studies students created an "AI Manifesto for Education", proving that humanities and tech must intersect to keep human ethics and decision-making at the forefront.
Advice for Students: Embrace Multidisciplinary Paths
For students feeling the pressure of choosing the "perfect" degree, Professor FitzPatrick offers a reassuring perspective: Your initial degree does not lock you into a single career path forever.
Modern industries, especially tech and AI, thrive on multidisciplinary perspectives. Combining a background in humanities with tech, or biology with data analytics, creates a more agile skillset for graduates to excel in the job market. The key is to stay curious. Pick up pieces of knowledge in areas you are interested in, and you will carve out your own unique career path.
Watch the full interview on YouTube.
Posted on 4th August 2026