The influence of competencies on job performance among veterinary extensionists in the department of veterinary services Malaysia

This study was conducted to investigate the influence of competencies (technical,
communication and program development) on job performance among veterinary extensionists in the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) Malaysia. A total of 188 respondents were involved in this survey. The questionnaire has 47 items and used a five point Likert scale. Each hypothesis was tested using Statistics Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 16. The data were analyzed using descriptive analysis and inferential analysis namely; t-test, one way ANOVA, correlation and regression. The results of the study showed that there are significant differences in job
performance based on gender, age groups, experience and job placement except for job grade and education level. The study also found that competencies accounted for 71.0% of the variation in the veterinary extensionists' job performance. Communication competency is the best determinant followed by program planning
competency and technical competency. Meanwhile, the program implementation competency and program evaluation competency showed no significant effect on job performance of the veterinary extensionists in the DVS Malaysia. It is recommended that the management should emphasize these three competencies (communication, program planning and technical) to be included in the training program of the
veterinary extensionists.