Bridge to business
Working adults will now have a chance to learn about business skills and finance by pursuing a mini MBA programme.
Anew bridging programme called the miniMBA will be introduced soon to cater to non-business graduates.
The 18-month intensive course aims to teach business skills so that graduates are more career-ready and prepared for higher degrees, said Datuk Dr Vincent Lowe, the managing director of Rezzen Sdn Bhd, the company that is conducting the programme.
He added that the mini MBA which had been approved by the Human Resources Ministry, would provide executive training in the four core business areas of Entrepreneurship, Finance, Marketing and Managerial Economics.
It would also provide a pathway to attain an MBA.
The programme is the first of its kind to be introduced in Malaysia, said Dr Lowe, adding that such bridging programmes had gained credibility in the United States, so much so they were among the qualifications considered for those who opted to pursue MBA programmes.
“The miniMBA is a shortcut that will provide easier entry into the MBA programme,” he added.
“The introduction of the miniMBA has come at an appropriate time when graduates are not guaranteed jobs upon graduation and employers complain that they are not ready to enter the job market,” said Dr Lowe.
“The bridging programme will provide them with skills and competencies in business to increase their employability.”
Dr Lowe added, “They will take the courses they are interested in, and that’s the driving factor. For them to do well, they have to do what they are interested in.”
The company has also been offering MBA (Master of Business Administration) and DBA (Doctor of Business Administration) programmes in partnership with Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) since 2002.
Held at centres in Kuala Lumpur, Malacca and Penang, both programmes have given working adults the opportunity to pursue higher education.
Classes are conducted parttime on weekends by UUM lecturers and up to 80 students graduate from both programmes every year.
Akin to the MBA and DBA programmes, the miniMBA will be taught in the blended-learning style.
Students would be taught by doctorate and MBA-qualified lecturers in face-to-face meetings held on weekends that will be supplemented with state-of-theart e-learning support, including a virtual database of case studies subscribed from established libraries.
“We make sure that the students get the support they need, in the form of 12 hours of web tutorials.”
The miniMBA, open to working adults at all corporate levels, will have its first intake in January 2013.
Applications for the programme closes on Oct 31. For details, go to http://www.rezzen. com.my or http://www.application. rezzen.com.my.