- Outsourcing Malaysia together with MDeC and TalentCorp announces latest batch of GEMS-SSO Graduates for Malaysia’s fast growing Global Business Services (GBS) Sector
- Success story of industry, academia and government to address unemployability issue among local graduates
- Over 250 final year students trained and absorbed into industry since 2014.
KUALA LUMPUR, 25th August 2016 – Outsourcing Malaysia (‘OM’), a chapter of the Computer and Multimedia Association of Malaysia (‘PIKOM’), together with several local universities today held a graduation ceremony for the latest batch of its Graduate Employability Management Scheme (“GEMS-SSO”) programme, towards meeting the talent needs of Malaysia’s Global Business Services sector (“GBS” and formerly known as ‘Shared Services & Outsourcing Industry, ‘SSO’).
A joint initiative by OM, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad (TalentCorp), the GEMS-SSO is the GBS-focused track under TalentCorp’s GEMS programme aimed at providing industry exposure to final year university students prior to graduation. The programme was co-funded by TalentCorp together with industry partners from the GBS sector. Since the programme’s inception in 2014, over 250 final year students have been trained and successfully placed as interns and subsequently absorbed by industry.
The latest graduation ceremony sees students from five local universities – University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM), Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), Multimedia University Malaysia (MMU) & Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM). Validated by industry, delivered by academia and supported by the government, the programme has received tremendous support from local universities who offer the 10-12 days training programme to their final year students. Aside from the earlier mentioned five, also involved in the initiative is University Teknologi Malaysia (UTM).
“The GEMS-SSO programme was conceived when in 2014, the OM Talent Council teamed up with Talent Corp and MDeC to train undergraduates while still in university. It is a win-win solution for all. The universities can offer value added industry relevant knowledge while students are able to enhance their skillset and increase their employability rate. At the same time, the GBS industry has a solution to bridge existing talent gaps,” shared OM Chairman, Cheah Kok Hoong.
Under the GEMS-SSO programme, undergraduates undergo 10-12 days of intensive training with specialisation in HR or Finance. This training is internationally certified and delivered by IAOP qualified trainers. In addition, students are required to sit for the globally recognised Certified Outsourcing Specialist (COS) IAOP certification examination as well as undergo a minimum of ten-weeks to six-months of internship with a GBS company.
Graduates are certified by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (‘IAOP®’) as Certified Outsourcing Specialists. The IAOP® is the leading global outsourcing association with more than 120,000 members and affiliates worldwide. It offers certification programmes that are recognised worldwide by the GBS industry.
“The biggest segment of demand for GBS is in the area of HR and Finance, hence the emphasis on these two skillsets. The onus now is to bring the GEMS-SSO programme to more Malaysian undergraduates nationwide,” added Cheah.
The World Bank’s Malaysia Economic Monitor published in December 2013 reported that one in five degree holders in Malaysia under the age of 25 were unemployed. In addition, the 2014 Labour Force Survey report by the Department of Statistics released in June 2014 revealed that one third (31%) of those unemployed in Malaysia had a tertiary education, translating to about 130,000 persons. This is corroborated by Ministry of Education statistics that show close to 25 % of local graduates were unemployed (51,835 out of 202,328 graduates).
Expressing its support were MMU, UKM and UNIMAS who concurred that such industry collaboration is the way forward towards building local talent and meeting the needs of a growing GBS industry.
“We are pleased to be working with Outsourcing Malaysia and the other industry partners to deliver a truly industry relevant programme that will equip our graduates with the mindset and skillsets to be relevant in the job market. Industry input is always crucial and the GEMS-SSO initiative is truly designed to deliver the best possible talents for the industry,” Dr. Mariati binti Norhashim, Faculty of Management, MMU
“New Finance and Accounting (F & A) shared service employment opportunities fail to attract young graduates mainly due to lack of awareness and mismatched skills. So, in addition to creating awareness to the GBS industry, this programme also enhances our graduates’ technical and soft skills for better internship placement and employment in the Industry,” added Dr. Aini Aman Associate Professor, UKM.
“Transforming students in a subtle yet meaningful way, this is one of the key attributes of the GEMS-SSO programme among the many other benefits it brings for a mutually beneficial collaboration,” shared Dr. Rizal Abu Bakar, Deputy Dean, Career Affairs and Alumni, UNIMAS
About Outsourcing Malaysia
Outsourcing Malaysia (OM), an initiative of the outsourcing industry and a chapter of PIKOM – the country’s national ICT industry association, is envisioned to promote and develop Malaysia’s outsourcing services industry as a global hub for high-value outsourcing. Supported by its founding partner – the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) – and spearheaded by a group of prominent industry leaders from the global services industry, OM focuses on enabling both buyers and providers to work together on addressing service needs within the aegis of global best practices and competencies.
About PIKOM
PIKOM, The National ICT Association of Malaysia is the association representing the information and communications technology (ICT) industry in Malaysia. Its membership currently stands at over 1400 comprising companies involved in a whole spectrum of ICT products and services which commands 80% of the total ICT trade in Malaysia.
About Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC)
Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), previously known as Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), was incorporated in 1996 to strategically advise the Malaysian government on legislation, policies and standards for ICT and multimedia operations as well as to oversee the development of the Malaysian Multimedia Super Corridor (now MSC Malaysia), the platform to nurture the growth of Malaysian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the IT industry whilst attracting participation from global ICT companies to invest in and develop cutting edge digital and creative solutions in Malaysia.
In 2011, MDEC’s mandate was broadened by the Prime Minister to include driving Malaysia’s transition towards a developed digital economy by 2020 through Digital Malaysia. In 2012, Digital Malaysia was officially unveiled as the nation’s transformational programme to achieve this aim. Digital Malaysia is the national agenda towards a sustainable digital economy built upon a vibrant domestic ICT industry, transformative use of digital solutions by government, businesses and citizens, as well as a robust enabling ecosystem.
Today, both MSC Malaysia and Digital Malaysia run concurrently to spur Malaysia’s ICT industry development and digital transformation, under the purview of MDEC.
For more information, please visit www.mdec.my
About Talent Corp
TalentCorp was established on 1 January 2011 under the Prime Minister’s Department to formulate and facilitate initiatives to connect leading employers to talent that Malaysia needs. Collaborating closely with relevant Government agencies and employers in priority economic sectors, TalentCorp develops demand-driven initiatives to enhance graduate employability, optimise Malaysian professionals, engage Malaysians abroad and facilitate foreign talent.
