800 vacancies offered to graduates in Labuan

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LABUAN: Around 800 vacancies for young university graduates were offered during the 1Malaysia Training Scheme (SL1M) walk-in-interview at the Financial Park Convention Hall here yesterday.

SL1M Secretariat chief Hjh Norashikin Hj Ismail told the media that Labuan was their first location for the programme this year where they had invited young graduates from Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan to attend the job interview.

“Until last year, SL1M has managed to help around 45,000 graduates nationwide to get jobs at government-linked companies and other private companies through the training programmes,” she said, adding that some eight giant companies were invited to interview the graduates including Aegis, Maybank, Telekom Malaysia and other service-based companies.

Hjh Norashikin added that SL1M was focusing on helping graduates from poor and underprivileged families, especially those coming from the rural areas where they would be groomed and polished through the training programmes.

“Actually, SL1M is a corporate social responsibility-based programme carried out by the companies involved in this programme where in return our government entitles them relief which is a double tax deduction incentive on allowances and training expenses incurred.

“Through this programme, the government is working closely with the private sector to enhance the employability of the underprivileged graduates to help to improve their lives and the livelihood of their poor families in the rural areas.

“Most of those unemployed are not being value added where they feel timid and hardly can speak good English during the job interviews. This SL1M programme will help them overcome those hurdles to get the jobs for them,” she said, adding that the government had saved around RM3 million for the graduates’ training programmes as they were borne by the companies.

She called on companies in Sabah to work with SL1M to minimize the unemployment rate among the graduates in Sabah where they did their first programme last year at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS).

The SL1M programme here was jointly organised by Labuan Financial Services Authority (Labuan FSA). Present to officiate at the programme was Senator Datuk Yunus Kurus.

“In October 2014, our country recorded a 2.7 per cent unemployment rate which is still considered low. However, we want all our graduates to be employed so as to improve their socio-economy and their families’ standard of living.

“I hope a programme like this will be extended in the future for Labuan to be more productive in order to attract foreign investors to come here. Good quality human capital is important for national economic growth.

“I do also hope that young graduates in East Malaysia will grab this opportunity to be employed. You must be brave and believe in yourselves. If you are employed in a location far away from your families, why not you accept the challenges with a single purpose of helping yourselves and your families?” he said, adding that since the programme was launched in 2011 it was now showing results nationwide.

Also present were the chief executive officer of Labuan Corporation, Datuk Mohd Nadzri Osman; UMS-KAL director Associate Professor Dr Murnizam Hj. Halik, and the deputy director general of Labuan FSA, Danial Mah Abdullah.

Meanwhile, one of the young graduates from UMS, Ahmady Khairil when met said he felt excited with the training and job interview but felt nervous at the same time.

“I expect to be employed by undergoing the training through this programme,” said the November 2014 graduate in psychology.

He opined that the SL1M programme was good as it was helping young graduates to get employment.

Meanwhile his friend, Mohd Redzuan Helmi who graduated in 2013 in International Marketing from UMS, Labuan International Campus (UMS-KAL), said he was expecting just like the rest to get the proper training and then to secure employment.

“This programme is good and should be continued. Probably, many other companies can join in this programme in the future,” he said.