Here’s what happened at TalentCorp’s first Semester Break Programme of the year

University students get the rare chance to interact with business leaders and YB Ong Kian Ming

On 24 Jan, 43 university students joined TalentCorp’s first Semester Break Programme for 2010. The Semester Break Programme (SBP) aims to expose students to the inner workings of a corporate life and to give them the opportunity to interact with business leaders.

During the event, Manulife, CS Eco Glass, HSBC and Ernst & Young (EY) shared insights with the students about their industries, the economy, and also shared advice and tips about climbing the corporate ladder and managing their careers.

Every single person next to you have the potential to become a CEO one day.”

Tips from the industry 

In the fast-paced era of digital technologies, companies have to level up when it comes to recruitment. Likewise, graduates have to be robust in their efforts to find employment. During the event, companies shared industry insights and offered career and job tips to the participants to navigate this new era.  

For one, many participants wondered about what kind of qualifications were needed to join the industry, and whether their choice of degrees would have an impact on their future careers.

"Do not feel limited by your (qualification),” said Aiza Aryati Kasim, Manulife’s Chief Human Resource Officer.

“As you start your career, just go with the flow. Learn, apply what you learn, and add value. That’s how you build your career profile." 

Manulife’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Lee Sang Hui, highlighted the need to young talents to always improve their skills as they are the makers of the future. He also shared the importance of money management with the students.

“A flip of a coin and you end up spending it. It all comes down to financial planning," he said.

CS Eco Glass, a company from China with branches in Malaysia, shared insights about the glass-manufacturing industry and of the job opportunities available. They, too, believed that soft skills and a good work ethic are important for one’s career.

HSBC, which has operations all around the world, gave the participants a look into their corporate culture and initiatives such as the Global Women’s Alliance (GWA), which benefits their female employees. HSBC’s GWA initiative in Malaysia include providing nursing rooms, maternity leave as well as childcare leave. 

EY’s Campus Attraction and Engagement Lead Judy Lim, believed that more students should take the opportunity to network not only with employers, but with other students all well. 

“Every single person next to you have the potential to become a CEO one day,” she said. 

At the end of the session, students had the opportunity to learn what it’s like to work at EY by talking to Lim and other staff members during a one-to-one session.

Everyone – whatever sector of the economy you’re planning to work in – have a place under the Malaysian sun.”

Lunch with YB

SBP participants also had the rare opportunity to engage with YB Ong Kian Ming who joined the students for lunch. 

During that time, he shared many insights into the economic developments of Malaysia, global trends and the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) that will affect all industries. He gave advice to the participants who asked him how they should upskill and prepare for 4IR.  

He urged them to understand what 4IR and how it will affect various industries. He also advised participants to look for opportunities to train and develop new skills. This could be in big data analytics, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, or quad-computing, he said.  

He also encouraged the participants, some of whom were studying abroad, to contribute to Malaysia from wherever they are.

“Malaysia is where your heart, your home and where your long-term potential is,” he told them. “Everyone – whatever sector of the economy you’re planning to work in – have a place under the Malaysian sun.”

This event is a very good opportunity for young students; it’s very holistic. We’ve gotten plenty insights from YB Ong and companies in a short period of time.”

Helping students succeed

The Semester Break Programme was scheduled to end at 5pm. However, with all the enjoyable activities and productive networking, it delayed to over an hour. Of course, the programme was only complete with positive feedback from the participants!

“This event is a very good opportunity for young students; it’s very holistic. We’ve gotten plenty insights from YB Ong and companies in a short period of time. I hope to see more programmes like this future, maybe opening towards high school students and more youth engagements,” said John Woo Jia Jun, Commerce undergraduate at Sunway University. 

 “This is good event for students! There are many opportunities to explore new things and interact with employers,” said Nurul Jannah binti Md. Noor, Food Bio-technology undergraduate at Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM). 

Daniel Chan, an Account and Financial Management undergraduate at Monash University, agreed. 

“It was very inspiring for me to have met and interacted with many students and employers—especially Manulife’s young CEO,” he said.