Forest Interactive Foundation, in partnership with CIMB Foundation, launches #seKODlah for Malaysians who are interested to jump start their career in the tech industry.
#seKODlah is a flagship programme of Forest Interactive Foundation that aims to nurture future innovators, with particular focus on improving their skills in new technologies and employability.
Applications are now open for those who have completed their final-year study in university, are fresh university graduates, or are currently unemployed aged between 20-25 years old. A total of 40 applicants will be shortlisted to undergo a four-month-long series of structured training and mentoring programmes, before applying their acquired skills and knowledge through a capstone project (app/programme/platform-building) and internship placements at partner companies such as Forest Interactive, CIMB, and more.
Capstone Project
The capstone project will be the grand finale of the #seKODlah programme, where participants are encouraged to apply their knowledge and skills acquired during the training and mentoring sessions in real-life situations and to build a product that will benefit society, based on the specific needs of local communities in Malaysia.
In addition, this project will provide participants an edge over their peers when pursuing entry-level positions within the digital workforce by showcasing their industry skills.
Forest Interactive Foundation, sponsored by CIMB Foundation, will also award cash prizes for the following categories:
3 Best Capstone Projects
· First place: RM 5,000
· Second place: RM 2,500
· Third place: RM 2,500
2 Most Entrepreneurial Projects
· RM 2,500 each
The programme timeline is divided into two stages:
Johary Mustapha, Founder & CEO of Forest Interactive, said: “Despite the rapid national digitalization initiatives, Malaysia is still facing challenges in cultivating digital talents. The current digital workforce in the country is largely dominated by foreign talents. There are also over 200,000 unemployed graduates, most of whom have experienced the gap between their university curriculum and the expectations of the tech ecosystem today. As a result, we still see a huge gap in skills, knowledge, and technology awareness among local talents.”
“We’ve come together with CIMB Foundation to establish #seKODlah, chiefly to address the issue of industry supply shortage for local tech talents. The framework of this programme will enable future Malaysian tech talents to explore and develop in-demand skills through e-learning and mentorship from a team of trainers, as well as incentive-based projects and challenges. We hope to see graduates from the #seKODlah programme pursuing future-forward careers and leading innovation in this country,” continued Johary.
Rafe Haneef, CEO of CIMB Foundation, said: “The need to nurture digital talent has heightened over the last few years. This has been exacerbated by the pandemic, with an intense call for enhanced productivity, innovation, and efficiency. It is therefore crucial that students are exposed to relevant tech areas and careers from a young age in order to future-proof the generation of tomorrow while shaping Malaysia’s workforce to achieve the country’s goal of being the ASEAN digital hub.”
“Education is one of CIMB Foundation’s pillars, and this programme is aligned with our commitment towards improving access to quality education and learning, as well as enhancing the successful transition of youth into the workforce and society. CIMB Foundation also champions economic empowerment, and we are pleased to support a collaboration such as this, which is key in grooming future professionals, especially those from the B40 community, with the intention of increasing their economic and social mobilities. We hope #seKODlah will be the launching pad of inculcating an interest in tech in today’s youth to eventually bridge the gap between talent supply and demand in the ever-changing needs of the economy,” added Rafe.
Visit forestcares.org/sekodlah-CIMB.html or scan the QR code to register.
