Ex-Offenders Employability Barriers and Practical Training Framework

Singh Jit Singh Keshminder; Soo-Cheng Chuah; Melissa Shahrom; Muhammad Azman Ibrahim; Siti Mahirah Mohamed

Singh Jit Singh Keshminder
Soo-Cheng Chuah Department of Economics & Financial Studies, Faculty of Business and Management, University Teknologi MARA, 42300 Selangor Campus, Malaysia
Melissa Shahrom Department of Technology & Supply Chain Management Studies, Faculty of Business and Management, University Teknologi MARA, 42300 Selangor Campus, Malaysia
Muhammad Azman Ibrahim Department of Entrepreneurship & Marketing Studies, Faculty of Business and Management, University Teknologi MARA, 42300 Selangor Campus, Malaysia
Siti Mahirah Mohamed Kolej MDIS Malaysia, Persiaran Graduan, Kota Ilmu, 79200, Nusajaya, Johor, Malaysia

Abstract

With the marginalised group gaining greater attention for employment, this paper explores the barriers faced by ex-offenders during the hiring process. This study uses a qualitative approach via face-to-face semi-structured. Twenty-one cases were selected from the Malaysian bakery businesses since it actively hires ex-offenders. Findings demonstrate that job barriers faced by ex-offenders generally consisted of their self-efficacy belief, attitude, job-related skills, and self-appearance, which were fairly within their control to manage. Meanwhile, the type of offence and gender discrimination were two other barriers identified; however, these obstacles were beyond their control. This study is the first to propose a training framework to help relevant authorities assist the ex-offenders in reducing the employment barriers and justifying the training performance as a testimonial in convincing potential employers of their credibility.

Research paper

Keywords: Ex-offenders; employability barriers; job barriers; training framework; prison training; marginalised individuals

Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Keshminder, S. J. S., Chuah, S. C., Shahrom, M., Ibrahim, M. A. & Mohamed, S. M. (2022). Ex-Offenders Employability Barriers and Practical Training Framework. Journal of Entrepreneurship, Business and Economics, 10(2S1), 53–78.