The issue of the employability of graduates has made social skills, also known as, soft skills an important goal for all education institutions and local skills training institutes in Malaysia. Aside from academic performance and skills in specific core skills, social skills play a vital role as elements of recruitment by employers. The Department of Skill Development (DSD), Ministry of Human Resources, has applied elements of social skills to the National Dual Training System (NDTS) curriculum development. As a result, this study aims to review employers’ perceptions of social skills and social values among NDTS apprentices. The study used a quantitative approach and the data was collected from respondent groups that include managers, supervisors and personnel involved in recruitment in their organization. The study concludes that social skills are as important as technical skills in automotive industry in Malaysia and suggests that both training institutes and the workplace (during training) should play a role in equipping apprentices with the required social skills. Furthermore, the study found that teamwork and personal qualities were the most importance social skills required by the labour market and current NDTS apprentices almost fulfil such expectations.

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