Colours of 1Malaysia
Date: 19 May 2012
Venue: Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur

Sambutan Hari Belia Negara, Himpunan 1 Juta Belia
Date: 23 – 27 May 2012
Venue: Putrajaya

World Harvest Festival
Date: 26 -27 May 2012
Venue: Sarawak Cultural Village

Tadau Kaamatan
Date:30 – 31 May 2012
Venue: Sabah

Malaysia International Tourism Exchange 2012 (MITE2012)
Date: 31 May 2012 – 3 June 2012
Opening Times: 10 am – 7 pm
Venue: MAEPS, Serdang, Selangor
Malaysia Agro – Exposition Park Serdang

GOMOBILE
Date: 11 – 13 May 2012
Venue: Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur

Asia Petrochemical Industry Conference (Apic) 2012
Date: 17 – 18 May 2012
Venue: Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur

ITEX 2012 (23rd International Invention, Innovation & Technology Exhibition)
Date: 17 – 19 May 2012
Time: 10.00am – 6.00pm (17 – 18 May 2012) | 10.00am – 4.00pm (19 May 2012 )
Time: Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Malaysia

Australian Property Expo
Date: 17 – 20 May 2012
Time: 10am – 7pm
Venue: Sheraton Imperial Hotel, Kuala Lumpur

ICA 2012
Date: 22 – 24 May 2012
Time:11.00 am – 6.00 pm daily (22 – 23 May 2012) | 11.00 am – 5.00 pm (24 May 2012)
Venue: Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur

MLAB 2012
Date: 22 – 24 May 2012
Time:11.00 am – 6.00 pm daily (22 – 23 May 2012) | 11.00 am – 5.00 pm (24 May 2012)
Venue: Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur

Office Supplies Expo 2012
Date: 23 – 25 May 2012
Venue: Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia International Gifts & Premium Expo
Date: 23 – 25 May 2012
Venue: Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur

Post Grad Asia Live 2012
Date: 26 & 27 May 2012
Time: 12pm to 6pm
Location: Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Hall 5

Beginners Acting Course with Victoria Munnich
Dates: (1, 8, 15, 22, 29) Mar (5, 12, 19, 26) Apr(3, 10, 17 May)
Time: 7-10pm

Bollywood Dancing For Beginners by Shobana Sahajananan
Date: [Mar 4, 11,18,25 ] [Apr 1, 8,15,22, 29] [May 13,20,27 ]
Time: 1pm-2pm (children) | 2pm-3pm (adults)

Intensive Acting Course with David Lim
Days & times: Wednesdays 8pm to 10.30pm | Saturdays 2.30pm to 6.30pm
Dates: March 24, 28, 31, April 4, 7, 11, 14, 18, 21, 25, 28

K-pop Dance with Zick
Date: 7 Apr – 26 May 2012
Time: 2pm-3pm

WORLD’S BEST MOVIES Screening
Date: 7 – 8 May
Time: 8:30pm
Venue: Indicine, klpac (Level 2)
Tickets: Free Admission

Asian Treasures
Date: 9 May 2012
Time: 6.30pm
Venue: Dewan Filharmonik Petronas

My name, VIRGIN NIA. Egg Chinese – Xiang Tan Ren
Date: 9 – 12 May 2012
Time: 9 – 11 May 2012 @ 8pm | 12 May 2012 @ 12noon, 4pm and 8pm
Venue: Indicine, The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre

The Platform presents THE EMPEROR
Date: 10 – 12 May
Time: 8.30pm
Venue: Pentas 2 | The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre

The GodMother
Show Dates: 11 – 13 May 2012
Time: 11 May 2012 @ 8.30pm | 12 May 2012 3pm & 8.30pm | 13 May 2012 3pm & 8.30pm
Venue: The Actors Studio @ Lot 10

Life Sdn Bhd 8 – Human Trafficking
Date: 11 – 15 May 2012
Time: 11 – 14 April 2012 @ 8.30pm | 15 @ 3pm
Venue: The Actors Studio @ Lot 10

Swingin` with the MPO
Date: 12 – 13 May 2012
Time: 12 May @ 8.30pm | 13 May @3.00pm
Venue: Dewan Filharmonik Petronas

WORLD’S BEST MOVIES Screening
Date: 14 – 15 May 2012
Time: 8:30pm
Venue: Indicine, klpac (Level 2)
Tickets: Free Admission

Anuar Zain and Dayang Nurfaizah
Date: 15 May 2012
Time: 8.30pm
Venue: Dewan Filharmonik Petronas

Teater Senapas
Date: 15 – 20 May 2012
Time:15 May 2012 @ 8.30pm | 16th – 19th May 2012 @ 8.30pm | 20th May 2012 @ 3pm
Venue: The Actors Studio @ Lot 10

Improv Jom? with Aiia
Dates & Times: 16th – 20th May @ 8:30pm | 19th & 20th May @ 3pm
Venue: Pentas 2, The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre, Sentul Park, Jalan Strachan, KL

Tchaikovsky and His Idol
Date: 19 – 20 May 2012
Time: 19 May @ 8.30pm | 20 May @3.00pm
Venue: Dewan Filharmonik Petronas

KL International Jazz Festival 2012
Date: 19 – 20 May 2012
Time: 3.15 pm – 12.30 am (19th May 2012) | 3.15 pm – 12.00 am (20th May 2012)
Venue: Plenary Hall, KL Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur

Najwa
Date: 21 May 2012
Time: 8.30pm
Venue: Dewan Filharmonik Petronas

MPO Chamber Concert
Date: 22 May 2012
Time: 6.30pm
Venue: Dewan Filharmonik Petronas

The Story of Liao Zhai: CATAN KULIT
Date: 25 – 26 May 2012
Time: 8.30pm
Venue: Pentas 2, klpac

French Dreams
Date: 26 – 27 May 2012
Time: 26 May @ 8.30pm | 27 May @3.00pm
Venue: Dewan Filharmonik Petronas

The Chamber of Wind Project
Date: 30th – 31st May 2012
Venue: Pentas 2, The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre

Speech & Drama Programme 2012
Venue: The Actors Studio Academy @ klpac

Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh, Selamat Petang dan Salam Satu Malaysia.

Terlebih dahulu saya ingin merakamkan penghargaan dan terima kasih kepada semua pihak yang hadir pada hari ini. Bersyukur kita ke hadrat Illahi kerana dengan berkat and limpah kurnia-Nya dapat kita bersama di Majlis ini yang merupakan satu lagi inisiatif yang diambil oleh pihak Kerajaan untuk meneruskan program transformasi negara ini.

It is my pleasure to be present today for the launch of the Talent Roadmap 2020. The talent agenda is one very close to my heart as I truly believe that talent is the key ingredient to our success as a nation. Our people define our country. Malaysia is what it is because of you, my fellow Malaysians.

• The Malaysian success story

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Malaysia’s journey thus far has been a great success. Transforming from a resource based, low income nation to a modern industrial upper middle income country was not easy. It was the culmination of hard work and the effective partnership between the Government and the people.

However, we cannot rest on past laurels. We must progress towards greater heights and realize our potential to join the ranks of leading nations of the world. As a nation, we are well on our journey towards Vision 2020. What once appeared an ambition, we have since translated into a detailed plan of action. The Government has initiated a holistic transformation agenda, which will culminate into the National Transformation Policy 2011 – 2020.

The transformation programmes have been formulated through extensive consultation with the rakyat and focused on achieving a higher quality of life and sustainable prosperity for all Malaysians. Our transformation agenda is therefore by the people and for the people. We will only succeed if the transformation is made, with the people. Only through harnessing the collective might of Malaysians, can we translate our goals into reality.

We often characterize our goal of Vision 2020 in terms of raising our per capita income to at least US$ 15,000. But our goals are not about achieving an economic statistic. It is about a sustainable future where all Malaysians have the opportunity of a rewarding and high quality of life.

• Talent Is Vital To Attain Vision 2020.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
We cannot be on the road to a knowledge intensive and innovation led economy without talent to drive it. Malaysia has talent, indeed we have global talent. Over decades, consistent and substantial investments by the Government into human capital development have developed Malaysians of international standing. The only problem is that the world knows it and therefore, Malaysia has to compete for its own talent.

We can ill afford to lose our talent. A country lacking talent would have industries impeded from investing and growing. This is turn dampens job opportunities which could then result in an exodus of talent, triggering a vicious cycle of fewer talent and a weakened economy.

In benchmarking ourselves against developed nations, Malaysia will need to be globally competitive in its ability to produce, attract and retain talent. Addressing the underlying issues affecting our talent environment requires all stakeholders, public and private sector to play their part. The Government has initiated wide ranging structural reform, including the Education Review, Ministry of Higher Education’s Employability initiatives, Labour Law reform, New Economic Model and enhancing liveability through the GTP.

To complement these structural reforms, we will catalyse change. The ETP drives transformative investments, which in turn creates high value added employment opportunities. At the same time, the Government will also catalyse talent interventions to boost talent availability to drive investments. Working in tandem, driving investments and talent is intended to spur a virtuous cycle of catalytic investments, which create jobs, hence attract talents, which in turn supports further transformative investments.

• Launch of Talent Roadmap 2020

With this in mind, Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad was established. After a year, TalentCorp has made good progress in driving policy initiatives such as the Returning Experts Programme and the Residence Pass in addition to talent engagement both here and abroad. The launch of “Talent Roadmap 2020″ is to articulate TalentCorp’s role and plan of action to scale up impact towards delivering greater talent availability, in line with the ETP.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
TalentCorp was established with a mandate as the focal point on the talent needs for the priority sectors of the economy. This entails working closely with leading employers and relevant Government agencies, to ascertain critical skill gaps and talent issues. To address issues, TalentCorp will drive catalytic talent interventions, whether through policy, public private collaboration and TalentCorp itself directly implementing initiatives. To this end, the Talent Roadmap 2020 identifies three strategic thrusts for talent interventions namely:

• Optimise Malaysian Talent;
• Attract And Facilitate Global Talent;
• Build Networks of Top Talent

Strategic Thrust 1 focuses on optimizing Malaysian talent, recognizing that ultimately Malaysian talent is the most important and sustainable pipeline of talent to meet the needs of future development. At the same time, Strategic Thrust 2 of attracting and facilitate global talent recognizes that with the fast changing economic requirements, Malaysians abroad and foreign talent are an important source to complement Malaysians here to drive transformation. Thrust 3 is in relation to TalentCorp building networks of top talent by key sectors and geographies to better enable leading employers to engage and source needed talent.

• Strategic Thrust 1: Optimise Malaysian Talent

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Malaysian talent represents our most precious resource and thus, the Government’s priority has always been on nurturing homegrown talent. Likewise, Malaysian homegrown talent will be TalentCorp’s priority. I am encouraged that today’s showcase includes various initiatives involving public and private collaboration on Malaysian talent.

The focus on young talent for public private collaboration is apt. In terms of engaging fresh graduates entering employment, TalentCorp sets out a 3 prong approach:

• to create awareness of job and career opportunities;
• to enhance the transition from school to workplace, such as through internships, and
• through platforms to optimize talent, such as the management of Government scholars.

Creating Awareness
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am pleased to note that TalentCorp and the Ministry of Higher Education are in collaboration together with leading companies in the private sector in the area of career awareness and internships. With respect to career awareness, it is commendable that leading organisations have agreed to contribute content to enrich the MyLinE portal, a self-directed learning resource founded by UTM.

Industry driven content will help graduates gain an insight into both technical and soft skills required to prepare them for employment. This portal is currently accessible by all students from 20 public universities.

Enhance Transition from School to Workplace
Internships play a key role in giving undergraduates exposure to industry. During the Majlis Perundingan Pelajar Kebangsaan (MPPK) last year, student leaders called for greater exposure to careers in NKEA sectors. The Government listened and committed to 12,000 internship allocations. Today, TalentCorp’s collaboration with MoHE has delivered on providing these number of internship places.

To promote the provision of high quality internship experiences, during the tabling of Budget 2012, the Government agreed to a tax incentive for a double deduction for approved structured internship programmes.

Today, it gives me great pleasure that this incentive is further extended to encompass companies under the Petroleum Income Tax Act 1967 (PITA). This is to ensure that great internships are also provided by leading companies in the Oil & Gas sector.

Build Platforms to Optimise Talents
Last year, programmes jointly managed by TalentCorp benefited over 1000 undergraduates. One such programme is the FasTrack, which is a graduate upskilling programme targeted to increase the pool of R&D engineers for the Electronics industry.

With fast changing talent needs, the Government needs to focus on upskilling requirements by leading companies. I would like to announce that TalentCorp and the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) will collaborate and coordinate upskilling programmes for graduates to ensure resources invested according to our priority sectors. The upskilling programmes are projected to benefit close to 10,000 students per annum and involve an allocation of about RM200 million per annum across various ministries.

Another key area for the Government to optimize on its investments is in scholarship management. The Government believes investing in our future generation is pertinent to ensure their full potential is optimised. To this end, the Government has recently announced that purely on merit those attaining 9A+ plus and above in their 2011 SPM examination will receive bursaries and will be funded to university level subject to gaining entrance to a top global university.

The privilege of scholarships however entails responsibility. Therefore, we encourage scholars to serve the nation, in line with priorities of the GTP and ETP. Currently, scholars who have not secured jobs within the public sector are released from their bond obligation. Beginning this year, I would like to announce the Government is collaborating with private sectors to find ways in serving their bond in Malaysia.

In 2011, Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam (JPA) and TalentCorp had introduced the STAR and TAPS initiatives to enhance the management of scholars. I am confident that further collaboration between JPA and Talent Corp will help ensure better scholarship management towards leveraging on the substantial investment made by Government into scholars.

• Strategic Thrust 2: Attract And Facilitate Global Talent

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In the global race for talent, countries and cities compete to attract, retain, and grow the best. Sufficient talent within an economy will lead to higher income, which in turn generates employment and contributes to vibrancy within the employment market. In terms of attracting and facilitating global talent, the approaches outlined by TalentCorp are as follows:

• by outreaching to Malaysians abroad;
• by facilitating returning talents, and
• by enhancing expatriate facilitation.

Outreach to Malaysians Abroad
TalentCorp is focusing efforts to ensure Malaysians abroad are well informed on the employment opportunities in Malaysia through the career fairs overseas. During the tabling of Budget 2012, the Government agreed to a tax incentive for a double deduction on expenses incurred by companies participating in approved career fairs. As per the internship incentive, I am pleased to announce that this incentive will also be expanded to include companies under the purview of PITA. With this announcement, companies within the Oil and Gas sector involved in upstream activities will benefit from this tax incentive when participating in such overseas fairs.

Facilitate Returnees
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In April of last year, I announced a revision to the Returning Expert Programme (REP) scheme, The REP scheme focuses on facilitating Malaysian professionals who are returning to contribute to the country. In 2011, 680 applicants were approved, which was more than double the previous year. The upward trend continues suggesting growing confidence amongst Malaysians abroad in the efforts of the Government to develop the economy. Beyond the statistics, REP has seen the return of notable Malaysians assuming the leadership of organisations like Malakoff Corporation Berhad, Tokio Marine, Hibiscus Petroleum Berhad as well as British India (Malaysia) just to name a few.

Moving forward, TalentCorp seeks to develop a seamless and integrated end-to-end process to facilitate returning Malaysians. Whereas previously REP was driven by applications by individuals, TalentCorp will now gradually shift towards a company-centric approach whereby companies will apply for the scheme to complement their headhunting efforts.

TalentCorp in collaboration with the Ministry of Health is committed towards facilitating the return of medical professionals. To this end, an MoU will be exchanged today between TalentCorp and the Ministry of Health to address among others issues on enabling returning medical professionals to register and practice in Malaysia.

Enhance Expatriate Facilitation
As Malaysia moves up the value chain, we face critical skill gaps in new areas generated within the NKEA sectors, for example Oil & Gas deep water drilling and other marginal fields. As such, while we work on improving our pool of domestic talent in these new areas, there is a need to reinforce and complement our talent pool with foreign talent. This infused diversity is critical to us, particularly in undertaking the ETP, to ensure continuous progress within the NKEA sectors.

Since my last announcement on the Government immigration liberalisation policy during Talent Corporation launch in December 2010, many key initiatives have been undertaken. I would like to accord special recognition to the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Immigration Department for driving innovations on expatriate-related matters.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Top expatriates from leading companies have been granted the Residence Pass, a 10-year visa enabling them to reside and continually contribute to our economy. I am also pleased to note that several initiatives on employment pass liberalisation have also taken effect. This includes the introduction of Employment Pass Category II to facilitate employment of top foreign graduates in critical sectors.

Last year indeed marked a significant milestone in the immigration liberalisation policy when the “i-Pass” was launched to facilitate ease of mobility for expatriates.

The Government welcomes highly skilled foreign talent. With this in mind, I am pleased to announce that the Residence Pass will be extended to successful entrepreneurs who are actively engaged in knowledge-intensive activities in the National Key Economic Areas (NKEAs).

The Residence Pass will also be made available to top expatriates with Malaysian ties, which, at any time, held a Malaysian passport; or is the child of a Malaysian. This enables them to maintain their linkage to Malaysia and provides greater flexibility to return.

Among on-going plans, is the formation of an oversight committee to coordinate all expat-related policies and implementation for further innovations in services. This includes the aspiration to rebrand the Immigration Department’s Expatriate Services Division, and also to establish a premier service centre for leading companies in meeting their expatriate requirements.

Moving forward, I strongly believe that collaboration between TalentCorp, the Ministry of Home Affairs along with the Immigration Department will yield further enhancements towards ensuring Malaysia secures the talent required to drive the ETP.

• Strategic Thrust 3: Build Networks of Top Talents

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Establishing networks of top talents is indeed a pertinent aspect in ensuring sufficient talent needs is met for the ETP. A talent network ensures a steady stream of talent is readily available at any point in time. To this end, TalentCorp sets out a 3 prong approach:

• building networks of future leaders;
• developing diaspora networking platform, and
• engaging the expatriate community.

Building Network Of Future Leaders
Peter Drucker observed that the most pressing task is to teach people how to learn. Motivated by this question of “how best to learn”, especially in the context of the middle management, the initial idea of the Cross Assignment Programme was mooted by Khazanah Nasional Berhad in 2007.

Aimed to build a new cadre of high performing business leaders, the Cross Assignment Programme provides selected high performers in GLCs with greater exposure and leadership developmental roles via an exchange programme between GLCs and the public sector. In January 2012, the management of the this programme has been placed under the purview of TalentCorp which will function as Secretariat of the Programme, in partnership with the JPA.

Develop Diaspora Networking Platform
Ladies and Gentlemen,
There is a Chinese proverb that says that no matter how high a tree grows, its leaves will fall to its roots. In my engagement with fellow Malaysians worldwide, I find many still have strong emotional bond with Malaysia and despite not physically present in the country, they are still very much “anak Malaysia”. As such, I feel a sense of responsibility not only to the Malaysians in Malaysia but Malaysians everywhere. Our door is always open to welcome Malaysians who would like to contribute either by returning home or from abroad. As evidenced by the TalentCorp/MDeC-Silicon Valley Workshop which was held in October 2011, this event saw a gathering of the best minds from Silicon Valley and selected MsC companies which provided platforms for the exchange of knowledge, ideas as well as explore partnership opportunities. There is another workshop planned in 2012, due to overwhelming response from participants.

Engage Expatriate Community
Malaysia has a growing number of expatriates who are employed and reside here together with their families. Through outreaches to expatriates within Malaysia and to expatriates who have been offered jobs within Malaysia, ultimately, TalentCorp envisions linking not only with expatriates in Malaysia but those abroad as well.

• Malaysia’s Aspirations Towards Vision 2020

Becoming a high-income nation will involve the creation of modern jobs within the Malaysian economy. Indeed this is no easy feat but together we will forge on to achieve our vision. Let’s ensure our aspiration of becoming a high-income nation is realized qualitatively to raise the tangible living standards of individual Malaysians.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have a dream! A dream of Malaysia as a global talent hub. I believe that Malaysia existing competitive advantage, coupled with the Government’s Structural Reforms as well as TalentCorp’s initiatives equals to a Global Talent Hub.

However, I alone cannot realize this dream, and so I need each and every one of your to walk with me in this journey to bring transformation and the light of hope to all Malaysians.

With the recital of the holy words “Bismillahirrahmanirrahim”, I take great pleasure in launching TalentCorp’s Talent Roadmap 2020.

Thank you.

Wabillahitaufik Walhidayah Wassalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.

Source: The Launching Of The Talent Roadmap 2020 – 1malaysia.com.my

The roadmap, which covers a nine-year timeframe, is designed to address the underlying issues affecting talent availability in Malaysia.

Najib said under the roadmap, TalentCorp would act as a focal point on talent issues.

“It will drive initiatives anchored to three strategic thrusts.

“The thrusts are optimising Malaysian talent, attracting and facilitating global talent and building a network of top talent,” he said when unveiling the roadmap here Tuesday.

Najib also announced a slew of incentives, including the residence pass for professional expatriates being extended to successful entrepreneurs engaged in knowledge-intensive activities.

TalentCorp was set up to spearhead efforts to deliver quality and sufficient human resource.

Source: Najib unveils nine-year talent roadmap – Nation – TheStar Online

Putrajaya, 24 April 2012 – Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad (TalentCorp) today unveiled a comprehensive roadmap which sets out TalentCorp’s strategic focus and initiatives till 2020, in addressing Malaysia’s talent needs arising from the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP).

Launched by the Prime Minister YAB Dato’ Sri Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak, the Talent Roadmap 2020 is designed to address underlying issues affecting talent availability in Malaysia as well as address the talent needs arising from key industries driving the national economic transformation agenda.

“Malaysia aspires to emerge a developed nation and a global talent destination. The Roadmap sets out the goal of Malaysia by 2020 to be among the top 20 nations in the world as a talent destination,” said YAB Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib, who is also Chairman of TalentCorp.

“Malaysian talent is our most precious resource. To optimise on Malaysian homegrown talent will be TalentCorp’s priority,” he added.

Under the Talent Roadmap 2020, TalentCorp will act as a focal point on talent issues and will drive initiatives anchored on three strategic thrusts: (1) Optimise Malaysian Talent (2) Attract and Facilitate Global Talent (3) Build Networks of Top Talent

The Prime Minister called upon the leading employers in the corporate sector to work with the Government to advance the national talent agenda. At the same time, he commended the initiatives showcased at the Roadmap launch today as demonstrating strong public private sector collaboration on Malaysian talent.

“The success of our economic transformation relies on the ability to act collectively and cohesively to nurture, attract and retain talent,” said YAB Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib.

Optimise Malaysian Talent

The strategic thrust to ‘Optimise Malaysian Talent’ includes initiatives by TalentCorp to raise career awareness, promote enhanced internships, coordinate graduate upskilling programmes and optimise on Government scholars.

Towards this end, TalentCorp entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today with the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) on various areas for collaboration. An initiative showcased today was MyLinE – 4E, whereby online content would be contributed by leading employers towards raising graduate awareness of careers and enhancing employability.

MyLineE (The Online Resources for Learning In English) is an existing MoHE portal spearheaded by Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), accessible by all students at 20 public universities. Under the 4E (For Employment) project with MyLineE, 10 leading employers today pledged their commitment to provide industry-driven content to provide graduates an insight into both technical and soft skills required for their careers. The 10 companies were Accenture, Axiata, CIMB, Ernst & Young, Intel, PwC, Maxis, Maybank, Motorola and Telekom Malaysia.

The MoU with MoHE also included collaborating on internships. In Budget 2012, the Government had announced a double tax deduction incentive for companies with structured internship programmes endorsed by TalentCorp. This incentive would now be extended to oil & gas companies under PITA (Petroleum Income Tax Act).

TalentCorp also today endorsed six sector-focused internship programmes covering National Key Economic Areas (NKEA) through collaborations with industry associations, regulators and universities. Together with other ongoing structured internship programmes, these will provide 12,000 places per year for Malaysian undergraduates at local public and private universities.

The six sector-focused programmes endorsed were by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (Telecommunications), Association of Banks Malaysia (Finance), Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants (Accounting), Universiti Teknologi Petronas (Oil & Gas), University College of Technology & Innovation (ICT) and Taylor’s University (Hospitality).

TalentCorp will also collaborate with the Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister’s Department to coordinate graduate upskilling programmes across various Ministries. The upskilling programmes are projected to benefit 10,000 graduates per year, mainly engineers and involve an allocation of RM200 million per annum. These upskilling programmes would focus on high technology areas relating to the NKEAs and implemented on a public-private partnership basis. Showcased today at the launch was the FasTrack programme, focused on accelerating top engineering graduates into an R&D career. The programme is jointly funded by the public and private sectors with curriculum developed by the industry partners (Agilent, Altera, Intel, Motorola, Siltera).

Additionally, TalentCorp and the Public Service Department (JPA) will collaborate to ensure JPA scholars are optimised in contributing to the priority areas of the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) and ETP.

As announced by YAB Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib today, beginning this year, scholarships to university will be awarded on the basis of requiring all JPA scholars to serve their bond working in Malaysia, either in public sector or approved companies in the private sector. This is to ensure that the country gains a strong return on investment on the 12,000 students who will be sponsored this year, involving an allocation of RM 2.44 billion. Previously, JPA scholarships involved a bond to work only in the public sector.

Attract and Facilitate Global Talent

To address the talent needs of the priority sectors under the ETP, TalentCorp will drive interventions that focus on Malaysians in Malaysia and in addition, measures targeted at Malaysians abroad and top foreign talent. Efforts to attract and facilitate the return of Malaysians abroad will focus on raising awareness of professional opportunities in Malaysia and providing platforms for leading employers to engage with both students and professionals.

A key platform to engage with students is career fairs. In Budget 2012, the Government had announced a double tax deduction incentive for companies participating in overseas career fairs endorsed by TalentCorp. This incentive would now also be extended to oil & gas companies under PITA.

TalentCorp announced endorsing career fairs in UK, USA, Japan and Australia. The recent UKEC-Graduan career fair in UK at end of March 2012 witnessed the largest ever overseas Malaysian career fair with the participation of almost 40 companies and attended by more than 3,000 students.

Engagement with Malaysian professionals abroad would be sector focused. At today’s launch, the Ministry of Health (MoH) and TalentCorp exchanged an MoU to collaborate on, among others, the facilitation of returning medical specialists. Earlier this month, TalentCorp and MoH, together with private hospitals KPJ, Pantai Parkway and Mahkota engaged with Malaysian medical professionals in UK and Ireland. TalentCorp also exchanged an MoU with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) today. The Prime Minister announced that the collaboration included the formation of a joint committee involving MoHA, the Immigration Department, TalentCorp and relevant agencies to coordinate expatriate-related policies and oversee innovations in services. The Residence Pass – Talent was introduced in April 2011 to provide top foreign professionals with a 10 year pass to work and reside in Malaysia. YAB Prime Minister announced today that the Residence Pass – Talent would now be extended to include knowledge based entrepreneurs.

Build Networks of Top Talent

As set out in the Talent Roadmap 2020, TalentCorp aims to build networks of top talent which will include future corporate leaders in Malaysia and also eminent Malaysians abroad. One focus area in engaging with eminent Malaysians abroad would be to explore avenues for them to contribute from abroad, such as in an advisory capacity.

To download the Talent Roadmap 2020, please click here

Source : Talentcorp Malaysia – http://www.talentcorp.com.my/2012/04/24/pm-launches-talent-roadmap-2020/

Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, berkata beliau yakin dengan langkah itu, Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam (JPA) dan Talent Corporation Malaysia Bhd (TalentCorp) akan dapat mengoptimumkan kalangan terbaik dan paling cemerlang negara, untuk memastikan lulusan terbaik menyumbang kepada keutamaan dalam Program Transformasi Kerajaan (GTP) dan Program Transformasi Ekonomi (ETP).

Perdana Menteri berkata demikian dalam ucaptama semasa melancarkan pelan tindakan bakat atau “Talent Roadmap 2020″ TalentCorp di Pusat Konvensyen Antarabangsa Putrajaya (PICC) di sini hari ini.

Ditubuhkan pada Januari bagi menyelaraskan dan meningkatkan bekalan bakat dalam bidang-bidang kritikal dalam ETP, TalentCorp hari ini melancarkan ‘Talent Roadmap 2020′ untuk memperkukuhkan peranannya dan pelan tindakan ke arah membekalkan bakat-bakat lebih baik, selaras dengan ETP.

Najib berkata, Talent Roadmap 2020 mengenal pasti tiga teras strategik untuk intervensi bakat iaitu Mengoptimumkan Bakat Malaysia, Menarik dan Memudahkan Kemasukan Bakat Global dan Membina Rangkaian Bakat Terbaik.

Beliau berkata, Malaysia tidak akan dapat mencapai ekonomi berasaskan pengetahuan intensif dan inovasi, tanpa bakat untuk memacunya.

“Malaysia mempunyai bakat, sebenarnya kita mempunyai bakat kelas global, satu-satu masalahnya ialah dunia tahu mengenai ini dan dengan itu Malaysia terpaksa bersaing untuk mendapatkan bakatnya sendiri,” katanya.

Perdana Menteri berkata, daripada segi mendapatkan graduan untuk terus memasuki sektor pekerjaan, TalentCorp menetapkan pendekatan serampang tiga mata, iaitu mewujudkan kesedaran peluang kerja dan kerjaya, meningkatkan peralihan dari sekolah ke tempat kerja seperti menerusi latihan di tempat kerja, dan menerusi platform mengoptimumkan bakat seperti menguruskan siswazah kerajaan.

Beliau berkata, pada Majlis Perundingan Pelajar Kebangsaan (MPK) tahun lalu, pemimpin pelajar menggesa diberikan lebih banyak pendedahan kepada kerjaya dalam sektor NKEA dan kerajaan komited kepada 12,000 tempat untuk latihan.

“Hari ini, saya dengan rasa gembira mengumumkan bahawa insentif itu dipanjangkan untuk meliputi semua syarikat di bawah Akta Cukai Pendapatan Petroleum 1967 (PITA),” katanya.

Najib berkata, untuk menambah baik program meningkatkan kemahiran, TalentCorp dan Unit Perancang Ekonomi (EPU) akan bekerjasama dan menyelaraskan program peningkatan kemahiran untuk graduan bagi memastikan sumber dilaburkan mengikut sektor keutamaan.

“Peningkatan kemahiran itu diunjurkan akan memberi manfaat kepada hampir 10,000 graduan setahun, khususnya jurutera dan akan melibatkan peruntukan kira-kira RM200 juta setahun bagi pelbagai kementerian,” katanya.

Sementara itu, Perdana Menteri berkata TalentCorp sudah menggariskan tiga pendekatan untuk menarik bakat global, iaitu membuat tawaran kepada rakyat Malaysia yang bekerja di luar negara, memudahkan kepulangan bakat ke tanah air dan pelaksanaan kemudahan-kemudahan untuk ekspatriat.

Katanya, sejak inovasi imigresen diperkenalkan tahun lalu, lebih 500 ekspatriat profesional daripada syarikat terkemuka sudah diberikan Pas Residen, visa 10 tahun untuk membolehkan mereka tinggal dan terus menyumbang kepada ekonomi Malaysia.

“Saya dengan rasa sukacita mengumumkan bahawa Pas Residen akan dipanjangkan kepada usahawan berjaya yang terbabit dalam aktiviti pengetahuan intensif,” katanya. – BERNAMA

Source: Penerima biasiswa perlu berkhidmat di Malaysia – Berita Harian

Working hand in hand with the same aim of overcoming Brain Drain and contributing to our nation’s economic development, UKEC and their corporate partners invite over 40 Malaysian firms and businesses to recruit the finest young Malaysian assets in the country. Amongst the finest firms we accommodate are Sime Darby, CIMB, PriceWaterCoopers, Axiata, Maxis, Zaid Ibrahim & Co, Securities Commissions, and even Bank Negara.

Here are some of the pictures from the UKEC-GRADUAN Career Fair.

Anticipation is running high.

Careers in E&E

At the STAR & TAPS briefing, opened by Johan Merican at the UKEC, Gustav Tuck room.

A lot of great Malaysian & MY-based companies at the UKEC.

The E&E team hard at work at the UKEC.

IPOH: TEN Urban Transformation Centres (UTC) will be set up in cities throughout the country, said Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah.

He said the Federal Government was discussing with state governments to develop one-stop centres for urban folk.

“The initiative is part of the Urban Transformation Programme and ensures that urban residents are not left out of the government’s transformation plan.

“The cost of living in large cities and towns is higher compared with rural areas.

“Urban residents also require government assistance from time to time,” he told reporters after launching the new Chemor market near here yesterday.

He said the UTCs would house various government agencies, non-governmental organisations, banking and financial institutions, health and medical facilities, educational centres, safety and security services, welfare aid, entrepreneurship consultancy centres as well as business space to cater to the urbanites.

“Although many of these services are readily available in cities, the UTC will provide all these under one roof.

“There will also be interpreters stationed at the UTCs to aid the elderly and those who may not be well versed in Bahasa Melayu.”

Ahmad Husni said the UTCs, which is part of the National Blue Ocean Strategy, would ideally be located in state capitals and developed through a public-private partnership.

“We are already in talks with several private institutions to collaborate and contribute financial assistance.

“Setting up the UTCs will involve minimal cost as we plan to refurbish and upgrade existing building space.”

Ahmad Husni said the participation of private companies would be considered part of their corporate social responsibility.

“The reward for cooperating in this community development project will be returned in the form of incentives such as government tax exemptions.”

He added that the first UTC would be launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in Malacca in June this year.

“In Malacca, an eight-storey government building has been identified as a suitable site to be converted into a UTC.

“The Perak state government has proposed the Ipoh Central Market building for UTC and in other states, efforts to identify suitable sites are underway,” he said.

Source: Transformation centres for cities – General – New Straits Times

The Kota Kinabalu Jazz Festival (www.kkjazzfest.com) is an annual fund raising jazz extravaganza jointly organised by the Rotary Club of Kota Kinabalu (RCKK) and the Society of Performing Arts Kota Kinabalu Sabah (SPArKS). This successful music venture has brought a melting pot of music acts from around the world. The festival was initiated in 2007 with the aim of putting KK in the international musical platform. Over the years, KKJF has grown from a 1 night concert into a 2-day event with a series of fringe stages, workshops and a talent search.

Who could forget to name the Rainforest World Music Festival (www.rwmf.net) as one of the top picks for things to do in Malaysia. This award-winning festival has bagged the PATA Gold Awards in 2006 and ASEANTA Excellence Awards in 2009. It’s a formula of informative workshops, ethno-musical lectures, jamming sessions and mini concerts, followed by evening performances on the main stage. The festival site also sets up a variety of food and drink stalls, an arts and crafts area as well as a counter for festival memorabilia, Sarawak souvenirs and CDs by the performing artists.

Music Conference Asia is the first dance music platform of its kind in the region. This two-tier conference is geared towards raising the standards of the entertainment music industry. Incorporating workshops and seminars for dance music enthusiasts, the conference aims to provide exiting opportunities for those involved. You can meet and learn from internationally acclaimed DJs about the latest mixing software and equipment.

To get the latest information on these events, you can visit Tourism Malaysia’s website or go to Lifestyle page for the latest festivals and concerts.