Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah (left) speaking at the soft launch of national conference on ‘CEO’s Mind: Today’s Talk for Tomorrow’s Walk’. With him is Universiti Utara Malaysia College of Business dean Associate Professor Dr Nasruddin Zainuddin.
Ministry wants GLCs to provide internships
2010/05/12
BANGI: The Higher Education Ministry wants government-linked companies (GLCs) to lead the way in exposing students to the working environment through internships.
Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said the ministry would be meeting with GLCs to discuss the internship mechanism and he hoped this could be implemented by next year.
The selection of interns by GLCs, he said, would focus on students whose courses do not require industrial training, such as Islamic studies and literature.
"Industrial training is very critical in preparing students for the working world," Saifuddin said.
"When we speak to industry players, one of the reasons given for not hiring some graduates was because they did not have any experience. But how can these students gain experience if the industry does not offer the opportunity?"
He said every year, there were about 50,000 graduates without industrial training.
Saifuddin said this after a soft launch of the national conference "CEO's Mind; Today's Talk for Tomorrow's Walk" here yesterday.
He said internships were a norm in developed countries and hoped to boost the image of business schools in Malaysia. The ministry also wants to increase the quality of lecturers by hiring businessmen as lecturers.
"We want to bring real business into the class. Some universities have done this, but we need more. I am sure universities would want to make the Fortune Top 50 business schools list."
The six-day conference, organised by Universiti Utara Malaysia College of Business, will begin on May 21. It will be held at the Employees Provident Fund Institute here.
Among the speakers will be Saifuddin, Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, Performance Management and Delivery Unit CEO Senator Datuk Seri Idris Jala and former International Trade Minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz.
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