Enhancing Employability: Programmes, Initiatives To Help Unemployed, Fresh Graduates

EVERY year, about 400,000 degree and diploma holders are produced and many of them are still without jobs.

However, many are unaware of government-funded training programmes which can help young graduates secure a stable future.

For example, since the launch of the 1Malaysia Training Scheme (SL1M) in 2011, more than 97,000 graduates have benefited and found jobs after they attended job training and improved their communication skills.

Through SL1M, fresh graduates learn to build their integrity, be competitive and responsible in implementing tasks given by their employers.

Another training programme is the Graduate Career Accelerated Programme (GCAP), a six-week training programme, sponsored by the government.

GCAP, which aims to improve the employability of unemployed graduates, is a skills upgrading training programme designed to transform graduates into highly-employable executives for the service industry.

GCAP is sponsored by TalentCorp under the Prime Minister’s Department, managed by MyPartners Sdn Bhd and designed and delivered by Scicom Education Group.

The programme is conducted in English, with special emphasis on improving graduates’ oral skills.

After completing the programme, graduates are awarded certificates and referred to companies for possible employment.

TalentCorp, in its effort to help the unemployed, has introduced another training programme called Graduate Employability Management Scheme (GEMS).

Funded by TalentCorp, the main thrust of GEMS is to enhance graduate employability with the aim of reducing talent shortages in key areas of the economy by 2020. It also equips fresh and unemployed graduates with industry-relevant skills and experience via a place-and-train methodology.

Other than the usual training programmes, an initiative by the government, through the Corporate Development Centre (CDC) Malaysia, offers the unemployed and fresh graduates an unconventional method of training.

CDC chief executive officer Shahryn Azmi explained that, instead of providing training for everyone, the company would engage each individual to find out their strengths, needs and talents.

“The reality is that everybody goes through a series of emotions, and in those series of emotions, some move through all the stages faster while some are stuck.

“For us, it’s important to help people go through this transition. So, engage each individual and find out what they need. Some may need training while others may just need someone to talk to.

“We can’t put all of them together because different people have different problems and concerns. We figure out what each person needs, as well as their talents, so that we can help them get back on their feet,” he told the New Sunday Times recently.

CDC, which is wholly-owned by Khazanah Nasional Bhd, specialises primarily in individuals’ professional advancement following a major corporate and manpower restructuring event.

Among the services provided by the company are transition planning and advisory services, communication and liaison with transitioning staff, personal discovery and career rebranding, as well as job search and market re-entry.

Aside from providing services to the unemployed, CDC also extends its career direction workshops to fresh graduates, mid-career professionals and retirees.

“CDC is passionate about creating value for people who require transitional support.

“We provide the requisite knowledge, support and encouragement on a personalised basis so that everyone can achieve their own professional goals rapidly and efficiently,” he said. Reporting by ARFA YUNUS, FAREZZA HANUM RASHID and LAILI ISMAIL

News from New Straits Times