‘Graduates need to be more open to choosing entrepreneurship as career’

KUALA SELANGOR: Graduates in this country should be more open to choosing entrepreneurship as a steady career as various forms of assistance, including initial capital of up to RM50,000, are provided by the government.

Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama) chairman, Tan Sri Badruddin Amiruldin who suggested this, said capital to venture into business was easier to obtain now, while various federal government agencies were ever ready to guide new entrepreneurs until they became successful.

“If upon graduating, our young people have no capital to start a business, it means they are unaware as the government has frequently been publicising the various assistance available, but the only thing is, they need to be disciplined and serious in this field.

“We have been providing initial funding for years now and holding free courses for new graduates in order to prepare them for entrepreneurship and be business- savvy,” he said after a chat programme with about 100 Universiti Teknologi Mara students from its Puncak Alam campus, as well as members of Kelab MyAgrosis, here, Wednesday night.

Badruddin said the close cooperation between Fama and several leading companies had often been used as a platform for graduates to take up training and acquire knowledge on entrepreneurship before starting their own business. On the chat programme with public university students, he said it was Fama’s approach to disseminating widely, information on entrepreneurship assistance provided by the agency, besides promoting interest in the field of business.

Badruddin said the government’s aspiration to produce graduate entrepreneurs with the ability to compete was no empty talk as an Agrobazaar complex on a 2.5hectare site was being developed in Precinct 4, Putrajaya, which could provide the space for 100 graduate entrepreneurs.

He said they would be selected through an interview session to ensure they were disciplined and serious enough to do business so as to avoid having half-hearted entrepreneurs. — Bernama