Remote Webinar Mar 2024
human resources online

MDEC partners General Assembly to develop Malaysia's digital talent

The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and US-based General Assembly, a digital training firm, have announced a partnership to establish the firm in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with an aim to further develop digital talent.

This will be General Assembly's 24th campus globally, and its fourth in the Asia Pacific, both organisations announced in a press release.

In Malaysia, General Assembly will provide training programmes targeted specifically at Malaysia's digital and tech talent, through hands-on immersion workshops, a series of classes, or customised development. For instance, by offering critical and in-demand content and processes on upskilling, reskilling programmes for talent who need to acquire new digital roles, and more.

Commenting on this, S Ryan Meyer, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, General Assembly, said the firm is working closely with companies to "build sustainable talent pipelines that meet their needs."

"In fact, 94% of our graduates from the full-time programmes are employed within six months after graduation."

In line with that, MDEC Chief Executive Surina Shukri said in a statement: "A digital-savvy pool will help propel Malaysian companies to the regional and global stage."

Having such "essential upskilling opportunities" will also help position the country as the "heart of digital ASEAN", which will help attract more global firms to establish operations in the country, she added.

Further, Minister of Communications and Multimedia, YB Gobind Singh Deo, who graced a launch event for the partnership on Tuesday (10 December), highlighted that the government is not only responsible for the growth of the economy, it is also a shared responsibility. "All parties must do their part to equip fellow Malaysians with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed as a productive member of an innovation driven and knowledge-powered nation.

"Today is a testament that we are on the right path to nurture the education and human capital development of this nation. It is our hope that with time, our digital and tech professionals are able to grow and become the very best within the global digital industry," he stressed.

This launch in Malaysia comes on the backdrop of of General Assembly's expansion of its campus in Singapore earlier this year, to provide classes and resources in technology, data and design.

These classes will span 10-12 weeks, either in the form of immersive full-time programmes aimed at career changers, or part-time courses aimed at those who wish to upskill.

Speaking to Human Resources Online at the launch event, Jake Schwartz, Chief Executive Officer, General Assembly, emphasised the need for these skills not just in one country, but around the world.

He said: "This is one of the things that makes this moment in time so unique, every company and every industry is going through some form of digital transformation. And they are all looking for the same talent – software developers, data scientists, etc., and there's just simply not enough of them. So, this represents a huge opportunity for people looking for either new career opportunities, or to shift their career ladder in."

"If you look towards the future, and the fact that every company has multi-year plans to turn themselves into a data-driven software company in one way or another, the truth is, if you look at the hiring projections over the next five years, the shortage globally is in the millions and millions of workers that today, don’t exist in the world."


Photo / iStock

Follow us on Telegram and on Instagram @humanresourcesonline for all the latest HR and manpower news from around the region!

Related topics

Free newsletter

Get the daily lowdown on Asia's top Human Resources stories.

We break down the big and messy topics of the day so you're updated on the most important developments in Asia's Human Resources development – for free.

subscribe now open in new window