Working towards closing the skill gap
WHETHER you managed to hit most traditional education checkpoints or have less conventional vocational or technical qualifications, learning is lifelong and many look to improve themselves by furthering their studies.
However, work, family and social obligations can deter someone looking to pursue further study. As for fresh graduates who may be free from these responsibilities, their main concern would be trying to land a job in the first place or secure one that is relevant to their skills and interest.
Nevertheless, these are not reasons to stop learning or be complacent in your career as further study is important whether you have just graduated or been in the workforce for years.
Experience wanted
In his article titled Young and jobless in Malaysia published in The Star last month, AmBank group chief economist and head of research Anthony Dass wrote that although headline unemployment was around 3.4% last year, the youth unemployment rate was more than three times higher at around 10.8%.
These statistics support an analyst report titled Unemployment among graduates needs to be sorted out fast by M. Shanmugam published in The Star last year. In his article, he covered some reasons for the high youth unemployment rate in Malaysia.
He wrote, “Topping the list is a mismatch between the training provided at universities and skill sets required by employers. Employers contend that the current university curriculum does not reflect the (industry’s) skill requirements and cite graduates’ lack of communication skills as a major setback.”
A report published in May titled Youth Unemployment Rate Remains High as Skills Mismatch Stay Prevalent by Malaysian Industrial Development Finance Berhad claims that the skill mismatch and market uncertainties remain as challenges for every economy in tackling the issue of high youth unemployment rates.
Obtain in-demand skills
There are local institutions that recognise the issues these people are facing and provide solutions in the form of professional training courses and certification to close the gap between the lack of qualified workers and need for skilled workers.
In 1993, the Government established the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) under the Human Resources Ministry to collect funds from employers for the development of training programmes to increase the number of skilled workers in the workforce.
The main offering of HRDF is the Training Assistance Scheme, which provides training grants to employers as an incentive to retrain and upgrade their employees’ skills for the advancement of their respective companies.
As for fresh graduates who need workforce compatibility training, the Future Workers Training Scheme is employed to minimise training intervention for newly hired workers.
Self-directed growth
Institutions such as the Institute of Professional Development-Open University Malaysia (IPD-OUM), Malaysian Institute of Management (MIM) and Malaysian Institute of Human Resource Management offer personal development training programmes via membership for individuals who are looking to increase personal employability. Short courses are available for people who face time constraints. These are usually one- or twoday courses on subjects such as New Age Marketing Strategies or Assertiveness Skills for Leaders.
Targeted at people who desire skill-based training, IPD-OUM offers Malaysian Skills Certificate courses for individuals who do not have traditional qualifications so that they can improve their job prospects.
A clear example of how such courses have contributed to decreasing the youth unemployment rate is the 1Malaysia Training Scheme’s success in helping more than 144,440 graduates secure jobs upon undergoing on-the-job and communication skills training since its inception in 2011.
On a local news portal, Energy, Green Technology, Science, Climate Change and Environment Minister Yeo Bee Yin wrote, “Since we are living in a fast-changing world where the job market changes so quickly, our tertiary institutions need to equip graduates with skills that can be ‘transferred’ across different industries such as the ability to learn new things quickly and independently, adaptability to new technologies and environments, and analytical, critical and creative thinking.”
People can also learn for free or affordably through platforms such as Skillshare, Khan Academy and YouTube. These platforms are interactive forums on which users can share their knowledge online or learn from others. Although these platforms do not offer completion certificates, they are still good tools for personal growth.
For people who seek proper certification to increase their chances of landing a job or climbing the corporate ladder, there are free online university courses or massive open online courses which are available on platforms such as edX, Coursera and Open2Study.
Become a career chameleon
As the job market becomes increasingly competitive, workers can no longer expect to be spoon-fed by their supervisors and must take the initiative to obtain the skills they need.
This matter can be a point of frustration, especially when it is known that skill mismatch is not the only problem. The uncertain job market in this highly convertible age of new technologies is also a contributing factor.
Thus, workers looking to secure a job or climb the corporate ladder should obtain skills in adaptability and resourcefulness and equip themselves with an attitude of constantly seeking to learn new things.