Education and professional development in a post-COVID environment will never be the same. Disruptions in how our youths perceive information, practice application, and perform in global job markets leave a class of fresh graduates and unemployed adults in limbo. Faced with limited access to learning experiences, the generation of COVID-19 must adapt to unconventional methods in the digital renaissance to find meaningful opportunities. The emerging digital economy is poised to counter employment barriers and limitations, paving the way for our youths to find employment in the future. How are we to catalyse a thriving community in the 21st century that is digitally equipped, well informed and qualified with the key skills and experiences needed to find success in the future of work.
Me.reka, the educational arm of Biji-biji Initiative, together with its partners, is working towards empowering the Malaysian talent pool to build resilient communities to take on an evolving digital job market. Through their newly launched flagship programme, the Me.reka Digital Entrepreneur, we aim to nurture 10,000 individuals across Malaysia for the future of work.
The programme brings innovative educational experiences through a combination of transformative 21st-century content and career guidance over 4 weeks. Programme participants will also be paired with simulated work opportunities to intimately understand the demands of the digital workforce, all to kickstart their careers in the gig economy. The application for the July Cohort is now open. Sign up now at http://www.mereka.my/digital-entrepreneur.
Me.reka Programme Director, Ambika Sangaran, says that the Me.reka Digital Entrepreneur programme is our most comprehensive digital upskilling and employment programme to date. “We’ve curated it to be intensive and transformative, where participants will learn technical and soft skills that are vital in the 21st-century job market”. There are currently 500 scholarships available worth over RM640,000 for Malaysian youths from B40 communities, through Me.reka’s impact partners Hong Leong Foundation and MaGIC Penjana SIM Grant.
According to Quek Sue Yian, Executive Director of Hong Leong Foundation, what is attractive about this programme is its priority on providing real-world experience for the students and how it supports resilience in the young people which is much needed in the constantly shifting gig economy. This is aligned to Hong Leong Foundation’s focus on skills and vocational training that upskills reskills or provides first-level entry skills through a combination of Technical, Digital, Character and Entrepreneurial training. We hope this will provide more diversified career opportunities for the students, helping them cope with jobs of the future and meeting the needs of an ever-changing work culture that has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“One of the 5 targeted impact areas through the SIM Grant programme is to increase Community Livelihood, through the provision of quality education, skill-based training and creating new income opportunities. It is more vital than ever to ensure digital inclusion for everyone so that everyone has equal chances to participate in the digital economy. We are glad to see this programme being launched by Me.reka as part of the SIM Grant, that applies social innovation to harness the power of the digital economy and ultimately to uplift the livelihood of our communities” said Amiruddin Abdul Shukot, Acting Chief Executive Officer from MaGIC.
The programme also brings together multiple partners from different sectors of the ecosystem, contextualizing academia within industries. Upon completing the 4 weeks programme, the participants are channelled to Microsoft’s Global Skills Initiative to build continuous learning pathways through Linkedin Learning
COVID-19 has accelerated the need for upskilling and transformed the future of work for the Malaysian workforce. To help create inclusive socio-economic opportunities for the people, Microsoft Malaysia has launched its Bersama Malaysia initiative, which includes a commitment to upskilling 1 million Malaysians by December 2023. “Our ongoing partnership with the Biji-biji initiative and their educational arm Me.reka is an extension of our commitment, as we continue to empower every Malaysian to thrive and succeed in the digital-first era,” said K Raman, Managing Director of Microsoft Malaysia.
The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), the lead digital transformation agency of the nation, has been advocating and promoting digital freelancing as an alternative form of employment since 2016. To date, a total of 10,200 participants have successfully completed MDEC's latest programme, the GLOW PENJANA (Global Online Workforce), consisting of unemployed graduates (69.5 percent), retrenched workers (19.4 percent) and workers facing a salary cut of more than 50% (11.1 percent). MDEC intends to grow the number of active Malaysian digital freelancers/entrepreneurs communities, with the aim to ultimately uplift their livelihood, and the communities surrounding them. The partnership with Me.reka is consistent with our aim to empower more Malaysians with skills to become successful digital freelancers/entrepreneurs.
At MDEC, we are committed to seeing the growth of the digital economy in Malaysia and are very supportive of local Malaysian organisations such as Me.reka contributing into this foray, in line with the goals of Malaysia 5.0, enabling a nation that is deeply integrated with technology, providing equitable digital opportunities to the people and businesses.
“The ultimate success of this programme depends on the participant's ability to deliver high-quality digital services, and create a thriving livelihood for themselves through the digital economy. Hence, one of the key factors for our team is to bridge the gap between getting our participants their first gig-project, and profiling themselves on regional and global freelancer platforms. We are approaching SMEs and Corporates alike to explore what types of digital services can be channelled to the programme students. The team is also working with recruitment and HR startups like People Hired and CORE-munity to ensure that objective is met'' said Rashvin Pal Singh, Group CEO of Mereka and Biji-biji Initiative
The programme also partners strategically with Tabung Ekonomi Gagasan Anak Sarawak (TEGAS) to align with their focus of bringing digital capacity building and entrepreneurial opportunities to Sarawakians, and Sabah Creative Economy and Innovation Centre (SCEIC) that focuses on building creative, innovative and resilient communities for Sabahans. The larger aim here is to ensure inclusive and holistic development across Malaysia.
The power of collaboration is truly visible through Me.reka Digital Entrepreneur’s design and the various ecosystem partners that are being engaged to make this a success. We are looking for more like-minded institutions and organisation that are committed to this same mission, and Me.reka welcomes them to contact the team directly to explore how they can join the movement!
Me.reka and our extensive community of strategic and content-related partners are offering limited partial and full scholarships to B40 communities interested in the programme! We are committed to ensuring that everyone gets the experience they deserve and hope to make digital entrepreneurship more accessible for our grassroots communities.
Contact: Ambika Sangaran
Biji-Biji Initiative Partner and Me.reka Programme Director
+60 14 925 7203 / [email protected]
This content is provided by Biji-Biji Initiative.
Interested in having your announcements on Malaysiakini? Contact the announcements team at [email protected] or WhatsApp on +60 17-323 0707 for urgent matters.
