Scholarships in early childhood education
THE Yelaoshr Education College (YEC) is offering scholarships worth up to RM1.75 bil to Malaysian women who want to pursue careers in early childhood education (ECE). The scholarships will entitle eligible candidates to enrol in YEC’S technical and vocational education and training diploma courses.
The institution aims to provide women opportunities to explore careers in ECE and to give them a platform to grow in their careers, earn a stable income and get the necessary skills to even start their own businesses.
The programme is targetted at women, particularly those who find it difficult juggling a nine-to-five job and caring for their children, as well as single mothers and those from marginalised communities who may not be able afford to further their studies.
Yelaoshr hopes to address the issues of gender pay gap and unstable professional growth for women by offering them opportunities in ECE.
“YEC wants to empower women from diverse backgrounds, be it unemployed graduates, mothers or even working adults to explore and grow in the ECE industry in Malaysia. This will help us build the industry and to bridge the talent shortage in this sector,” said YEC founder and chief executive officer David Yap.
A total of 50 candidates will be awarded full tuition scholarships worth RM35,000 each after passing the interview stage.
“During the interviews, we will ask the applicants to share some of their past experiences, whether in their school, family, or previous
working experiences in order for us to understand whether they can be the right candidates for the courses. We are looking for passionate teachers,” said David.
Trainee teachers will be placed at any of the 60 designated Yelaoshr centres under the supervision of experienced teachers. In addition, they will learn on-site problemsolving with children during internships to make sure they grasp the full extent of their roles as ECE educators.
These women will have flexibility as their classes will be online and they do not have to worry about how to juggle their responsibilities at home. Even though their internships will demand that they physically be at the centres, mothers will be allowed to bring their children (aged between three to seven) along with them.
Once they graduate, these fresh educators will have the option of joining the Yelaoshr centres.
YEC Founder Carol Yap hopes that women will apply for the scholarships even though they may not have prior experience in ECE or may be unsure about venturing into a new area.
“We are sometimes afraid of trying something new, be it in our career or in furthering our studies. We want women to know and understand that early childhood education is an area where they potentially can grow both as individuals and professionally. You even might be able to start your own education centres with our programmes that focus not just on building educators but also entrepreneurs,” said Yap.
For more information, visit https://yec.edu.my/