KUALA LUMPUR: More than 300,000 university students will be finishing their studies this year and looking for jobs, the Dewan Rakyat was told.
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Higher Education Minister Noraini Ahmad said RM100 million has been allocated under the government’s Covid-19 initiative Penjana to help them secure employment.
Speaking during the question-and-answer session, she said the ministry will look into job-matching and placement, entrepreneurship, and jobs in the gig economy.
Noraini was replying to Wong Hon Wai (PH-Bukit Bendera), who asked for the number of graduates from public and private universities and colleges this year. Wong also wanted to know the measures taken by the ministry to ensure employment for the graduates.
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Noraini said short-term skill courses are also being offered at community colleges while the Human Resources Development Fund is also offering courses ranging from one to three months to help equip the graduates for the jobs market.
She also said more than 122,000 graduates have registered with the Social Security Organisation’s (Socso) job-matching programmes and, of this, about 32,000 have been offered jobs.
The ministry, she added, is also engaging with industry captains to look at ways to improve employability of fresh graduates.
According to a study conducted by the ministry, nearly 60% of graduates remain unemployed one year after graduation because of the gap between what is being taught at universities and colleges and the needs of the industries or job market. – FMT