Outsourcing Malaysia (OM), an initiative of PIKOM, announced its latest programme to improve the local talent supply for the Shared Services and Outsourcing Industry (SSO).
David Wong, the Chairman of Outsourcing Malaysia (OM), exchanges MOU with Michael Warren, Vice President, Shared Services & Outsourcing Cluster, MDeC.Witnessed by (from left) Pattabhiraman, Chair of OM Talent Council; Prof. Dr. Nor Ghani Md. Nor, Dean, Fakulti Ekonomi dan Pengurusan, UKM; Cheah Kok Hoong, Chairman of PIKOM; Siti Nurliza Mohd Sahar, Head of Graduate Employability, TalentCorp; Imran Kunalan – Director, Talent Divison, MDeC.
Working together with Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) and Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad (TalentCorp), Outsourcing Malaysia will lead the training of university graduates through the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP) Certified Outsourcing Specialists programme and internship which is set to boost the employability of these graduates in the SSO industry.
David Wong, the Chairman of OM says, “Yet at the same time, the fast growing SSO industry is facing constant challenges in employing suitable graduates – this is a problem that is also faced by many companies across industries in Malaysia.
Which brings us to the realisation that there is mismatch of the required skills, with the academic-prepared-ness and competency of the graduates who apply for the job, who mostly lack the necessary communication skills, creative and analytical problem solving capabilities.”
Earlier in the year, OM announced the setting up of a Talent Council consisting of leading SSO Companies such as UOB Centre of Excellence, Kelly OCG, Air Asia Shared Services, Aegis, iTAC MSC Outsourcing and HSBC – in order to address the growing talent development issues faced by the industry, by overseeing the development of a training programme to enhance the skills of the workforce entering the job market.
“Today, the OM Talent Council has teamed up with TalentCorp and MDeC to create a SSO industry-focused Graduate Employability programme with the objective to start training undergraduates who are currently still studying at their respective universities,” explains Wong.
Under the programme, over the next 12 months, university students will undergo 10 days of intensive training with specialisation into HR or Finance Business Process Outsourcing. This training is internationally certified and will be carried out by IAOP certified trainers.
The International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP) is a leading global outsourcing association with more than 120,000 members and affiliates worldwide. It offers certification programmes that are recognised by the global outsourcing industry.
“The students will have the option to choose to specialise in Finance Management or Human Resources – which are the two SSO specialisation currently being offered for the first batch of students under the programme. This will be followed by the Certified Outsourcing Specialist (COS) IAOP certification examination that is recognised globally. On-field training is an important part of the development of a graduate which is why within the programme, we have also included a minimum of 10 weeks to 6 months of internship with a SSO company.”
Pattabhiraman, Chair of the OM Talent Council says, “The training programme will mutually benefit all parties involved. The universities will be able to offer value added industry relevant course content while the students are able to enhance their skillset and increase their employability rate. At the same time the SSO industry has a solution to the growing talent development issues face in the last few years.”
During the press conference, OM exchanged a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) witnessed by MDeC and TalentCorp. Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) and Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) will also be involved in this programme.
“By working at the core of academia, we hope to be able to mould a generation of industry driven talent to fill the gap of employability currently faced by the SSO industry,” ends Wong.
