Raja Zarith Sofiah Awards - Give them a chance to shine. NST 18th June 2013 WITH every other person having some kind of paper qualification or other, it has become more and more difficult for fresh graduates to gain employment. Job applications met with replies like “You are too fresh”, “We need someone with some work experience” and others to the same effect have frustrated many young graduates who had spent long hours and many years hitting the books and getting themselves involved in co-curricular activities, in college or university, to meet the standard in the job market. Clearly, employers are now looking for more than paper qualification. This is where programmes such as the recent Raja Zarith Sofiah Awards in Johor Baru, comes into play. The programme does not merely recognise the talent of students from local higher education institutes, but also offered the students a platform to show their abilities to industry players and better understand industry needs. Majlis Rekabentuk Malaysia, Daya One Resources Sdn Bhd, and Exacmust (M) Sdn Bhd, Tourism Malaysia, Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia, Legoland Malaysia and Kraftangan Malaysia are among those collaborating in the effort to open doors for young talents. Over 700 entries were received this year from students of polytechnics, public and private collages and universities, community colleges and art schools. Displayed at KSL Expo Centre, the entries were impressive and evidence of the creativity of the students. The four award categories, Craft Product Design, Fashion and Accessory Design, Packing Design, and Product Design, gave the students ample room to be creative and gain the attention of prospective future employers — the industry players and project partners. During their tour of the students’ booths with Deputy Education Minister Datuk Mary Yap, they were visibly impressed by the results produced by the students. The programme has also yielded good results, for it is learnt that the programme partners will be training and employing some of the students. The prizes of RM12,000, RM10,000 and RM3,000, and the certified glory, will stand the winners in good stead should they decide to start their own businesses or expand on their creations. Opportunities like this, which exposes the students to the industry and vice-versa, are important to ensure their growth and advancement. It also pushes the students to bring their best to the table, and learn more about their own abilities in the process. More such programmes, especially those that have the support of the Education Ministry and relevant corporate bodies, are needed. It is important that the students’ education do not come fully from books, but from industry experience. Read more: Give them a chance to shine - Latest - New Straits Times nst.my/latest/give-them-a-chance-to-shine-1.302987#ixzz2Wdq4dAGQ
Posted on: Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:42:02 +0000
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