The traditional route of obtaining a college education followed by a singular career path is no longer the only way to achieve success.
With many organisations offering incoming and existing employees additional education and in-house training for specialised roles, the roadmap to their eventual calling may be as varied as the choices they’ll have to make to get there.
One such institution that is proactively moulding young Malaysians into the leaders of the future is Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB).
As part of their Corporate Responsibility efforts, MAHB offers a variety of programmes in the form of scholarships designed to assist both internal and external candidates in accomplishing their goals and enhancing their competencies with a focus on developing leadership skills within the country’s talented youth.
Ihdini Muhammad Jamsyid, Executive Investor Relations at MAHB, was delighted when the company invited her to an interview and test session for their Education Scholarship Programme (ESP) in 2017.
Grabbing this opportunity, the 24-year-old is now armed with a Bachelor’s Degree from Multimedia University Cyberjaya.
For high achieving Malaysians under 21 years old, the ESP Programme offers them the opportunity to pursue their undergraduate studies at either local or foreign universities.
With RM140,000 allocated annually, MAHB has already sponsored 54 students like Ihdini and provided them with employment opportunities.
“I have been working with MAHB for a year and a half. The experience has been exciting and encouraging for me as a fresh graduate embarking on corporate life. I am currently undergoing a one-year job rotation programme called Graduate Readiness & Transition Programme (GREAT Programme) where I get to learn different areas of the business.
The goal is to upskill employed scholars so they are able to take on new tasks at different departments for a period of time before rotating back to their original position, gaining exposure and an overview of the business as a whole along the way.”
Nur Amiza Zulaika Zaidan, Manager – Client Office KLIA (Technical-TTS), holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, majoring in Automotive from the International Islamic University Malaysia.
The 37-year-old also holds a Masters of Business Administration from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, the latter with the assistance of the Education Assistance Programme (EAP).
Internally focused, the EAP Programme encourages and promotes continuous education for eligible and qualified MAHB employees like Nur Amiza via financial assistance incentives.
“I found out about the EAP scholarship programme through the company’s internal communication/e-mail during the first year of my MBA programme. During the two-year programme, I’ve been able to realign my professional goals and grow both personally and professionally.
“My biggest challenge was time management as I had to juggle work as a maintenance engineer and attend classes during the weekends. But these were the times where my decision-making and prioritisation skills were put to good use.”
Cultivating purposeful leadership by discovering new talent or high potential candidates is critical to an organisation’s continued sustainability.
As MAHB pursues its planned objectives, the Strategic Talent Accelerated Readiness (STAR), their new Management Trainee Programme, is a valuable tool recently implemented in their quest to develop and maintain the best team.
With the goal of preparing for the future demands of the industry, the STAR Programme relies on a holistic learning experience with broad exposure to nurture, equip, and develop their next generation of leaders.
Over and above a candidate’s original job scope and responsibilities, the intensively structured STAR Programme is a full-time position that marks the start of the trainees’ career at MAHB equipped with 24 months structured programme designed to maximise learning, build effectiveness, and capabilities.
Currently seven trainees have been selected for the first batch after going through a robust recruitment process. They have reported for duty in July 2022.
When asked what she would recommend to others looking to follow in her footsteps, Nur Amiza suggested, “Take action. In whatever you do … if you really want it … just take action. Do something, regardless of how small the gesture is; it will make a difference.”
Click here to embark on a journey towards a career with MAHB.