Graduate training schemes are the short-term solution to reducing unemployed graduates and creating new jobs until we find a better one.

FOR Lim Su Min, the thought of speaking in public was rather daunting.

Despite having successfully completed a software engineering degree and a diploma in Piano Performance from the London College of Music, it did very little to boost her self-confidence.

“I had very low self-esteem, whether in terms of my abilities, studies or achievements. I dared not speak up if I was in a crowd,” she says.

The wake-up call came when she realised that she must beef up her soft skills in order to compete with her peers to get a job following the recent global economic slowdown.

“The competition is even tougher for fresh graduates who do not have any professional work experience,” she says.

As such, Su Min, 23, decided to step out of her comfort zone and took part in the Cyberjaya Graduate Attachment & Training (Great) programme, an initiative to offer fresh and unemployed graduates training and internship opportunities.

After weeks of training, thanks to the programme, Su Min begins to feel more confident and positive about herself.

Su Min is an example of how such training programmes can help graduates who, for whatever reason, did not manage to acquire the necessary soft skills and practical experience that are essential in job hunting and career development during their varsity studies.

Offered by Cyberview Sdn Bhd, the six-month programme provides successful applicants with an opportunity to undergo on-the-job training with participating companies of MSC status in Cyberjaya.

Aimed at enhancing the employability of local graduates and reducing unemployment, the graduates will begin the programme with two weeks of training in soft skills and team building, followed by work attachment with the companies.

When the idea of providing graduates with “extra” training was first mooted some years ago, it was meant to complement the curriculum they studied in university.

It has, however, escalated to a stage where sending graduates for intensive training programmes and job placements that cost the Government a considerable amount of money is no longer an option but a necessity so that they can hone their soft skills and are less likely to end up jobless upon graduation.

Many blame the educational institutions for failing to produce “work-ready” graduates, while others say the graduates must be accountable for their own shortcomings.

Arising from this, Government-linked companies (GLCs) are playing their part to help provide training and job placements for graduates while institutions of higher learning are making sure that the curriculum is relevant and meet the requirements of the industry standards.

The short-term solution to reduce unemployment among graduates may be costly, but it is viable and can benefit both the graduates and employers if implemented effectively.

He said the Government would ensure that the skills and knowledge of the graduates would be enhanced through training programmes.

Cyberview managing director Datuk Redza Rafiq says the recent launch of the Great programme is in line with the objectives in the stimulus package.

“The programme is a platform where we hope to discover and develop talents. It is our ultimate aim that these graduates be ‘absorbed’ as permanent staff of the companies where they receive their training,” he says.

As far as work performance is concerned, he says the graduates will be evaluated by supervising officers at their workplace and the coordinator of the programme.

“This is how we identify their strengths and help them overcome their weaknesses,” says Redza.
So how does the programme benefit the participating companies?

Webonline Dot Com Sdn Bhd chief operating officer Umadevi S. Thiagarajan has this to say: “There are several reasons for participating in the Great programme. Firstly, we are in need of new talents. Since there is no cost involved for six months and with the current economic situation, the programme was in fact a blessing in disguise for us.”

Interns who perform well and show passion towards their work will be offered a job with the company, she adds.

Mohandeep concurs: “It helps the SMEs financially (by providing them with manpower) and, at the same time, we can do our part in helping the nation to increase the number of skilled knowledge workers,” he says.

Among other graduate training schemes are the Graduate Employability Management Scheme (Gems) programme, MSC Malaysia Undergraduate Skills Programme and Graduate Trainee Programme for fresh graduates.

The Gems programme is a continuation of the Graduate Employability Enhancement Programme or Green, implemented by Khazanah Nasional in 2006.

It is an initiative for unemployed graduates nationwide to be given training and undergo attachments with the GLCs for six months.

Author Dr Ranjit Singh Malhi says employers generally are not happy with the level of soft skills of the graduates who are joining the workforce.

In his book Make Yourself Employable: How Graduates Can Hit the Ground Running!, Dr Ranjit says the major soft skills lacking in Malaysian graduates are planning and organising skills, communication skills, problem solving and decision-making skills, creativity, initiative and self-confidence.

Professional development

One of the major challenges for graduate employees is to remain employable and not merely getting employed, says Dr Ranjit.

As such, it is even more important for current employees to go for professional development from time to time.

Funded by the Federal Government under the stimulus package and jointly implemented by the Sarawak Ministry of Industrial Development and Curtin University of Technology, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak), a training programme has been drawn up to train project managers, engineers, technical supervisors and technicians of locally based companies or Government agencies in Sarawak.

Open to participants from both the public and private sectors at no cost, the Government’s Manpower Training Requirement Programme for Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (Score) recently saw its first batch of 125 trainees receive their certificates following a three-day technical training at Curtin Sarawak.

According to the university’s corporate communications manager Nicholas Leong, it is part of a series of structured manpower training programmes being carried out to develop the nation’s capacity building, knowledge acquisition and skills development. He says the next two intakes are from Oct 29 to 31 and Nov 2 to 4.

“The number of workers to be trained by the end of the programme next year is 600 to 700,” he says.

Among the modules taught at Curtin Sarawak under the programme are process technology, applied process control, transportation engineering and environmental engineering.