ASEAN Internships Open To High-Achieving Youth

myASEANinternship Programme launched by MITI Minister.

PETALING JAYA, 26 January 2015 — The Minister of International Trade and Industry YB Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed today launched the myASEANinternship programme.

A collaboration between the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) and Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad (TalentCorp), myASEANinternship is aimed at increasing overall awareness on ASEAN among youth in Malaysia and looks to place 100 high-achieving students from Malaysian universities as interns in Malaysian companies with regional operations within ASEAN countries. Meanwhile, ASEAN youth studying in Malaysian universities will intern in Malaysia.

Speaking to over 150 students, Government representatives and employers at Sunway University, Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed said, "To realise our ambitions by 2020, our companies will need to be powered by talent who can look beyond borders, supporting their employers to export products and services leveraging on regional and ultimately, global markets. That is why we have launched the myASEANinternship initiative."

"At MITI, we know the power and value of close trade ties and being global in your outlook. With Malaysian talent on the move, this initiative will be a major benefit to Malaysian employers as they seek to build ASEAN-wide companies," Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed emphasised.

myASEANinternship was first mooted by Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed during the ASEAN Economic Community 2015 Dialogue on 7 August  2014 as a means of broadening perceptions of ASEAN, particularly among Malaysian youth. The programme was officially announced by the Prime Minister of Malaysia YAB Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Razak at the Business Leaders Dialogue organised by the Economic Planning Unit, the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) and TalentCorp on 26 August 2014. As the current chair of ASEAN for 2015, Malaysia has a unique opportunity to engage its future talent and move beyond the notion that ASEAN is just a political and inter-governmental entity.

Johan Mahmood Merican, Chief Executive Officer of TalentCorp, said the launch of this unique and innovative initiative couldn’t have come at a better time. "ASEAN integration, in the form of the ASEAN Economic Community, is set to have a far-reaching and long lasting impact on the future of Malaysian companies and the careers of its employees. In an era of global talent mobility, this collaboration between MITI and TalentCorp demonstrates our joint commitment in providing the Malaysian private sector with young professionals who have been nurtured to have a regional outlook," he said.

The pioneer group of employers participating in this programme comprise 12 leading organisations which have business operations in one or more ASEAN countries. These are AirAsia, Axiata, BDO, CIMB, Digi, GE, Maybank, Nestle, Securities Commission Malaysia, Sime Darby, Sunway, and ZICOlaw.

Datin Badrunnisa Mohd Yasin Khan, Group Chief Talent Officer of Axiata said, "The myASEANinternship programme is an ideal way for us to identify and groom today’s entry level talent into the regional business leaders of tomorrow. Malaysian businesses with an ASEAN footprint will be able to leverage on these interns as brand ambassadors and champions in the various ASEAN destinations they will be based."

The programme is open to all penultimate or final year Malaysian and ASEAN students in public and private Malaysian universities with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or equivalent. Additionally, students who have completed their studies within six months are eligible to apply for the programme. Successful applicants will be offered a 10-week internship starting July 2015 at the participating companies’ offices in ASEAN and Malaysia.

myASEANinternship will be officially open for applications on 10 February 2015.