GA Malaysia equips individuals with in-demand digital skills

ABOUT a quarter of all Malaysian jobs are expected to be displaced by 2030 due to digitalisation.

The pandemic has accelerated the pace of change. Even as overall unemployment rises, the number of digital job vacancies has tripled in the past year, according to the Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC).

Few careers will be left untouched by the rising demand for digital skill sets such as data science, digital marketing, product management, user experience design and more.

Forward-looking professionals are racing to adapt by investing in digital skills development to remain relevant and continue progressing in their careers.

Getting ahead

General Assembly (GA), a global pioneer in skills and career transformation, specialises in equipping individuals with today’s most in-demand skills.

More than 100,000 GA graduates are employed at 19,000 organisations globally. GA is the number one provider of digital upskilling bootcamps in the United States.

Most skills have a shelf life. You need to be constantly restocking with fresh skills or you may find that the ones you have are outdated,’ says GA Malaysia CEO Andrew Pereira.

According to GA Malaysia CEO Andrew Pereira, professionals are looking for practical digital skills development with credentials that will advance their careers.

“They want to learn immediately applicable skills from experts and earn a globally recognised qualification in the process, without an excessive time commitment,” he says.

However, many only turn their mind to upskilling or reskilling when they are out of a job or unable to move up the corporate ladder.

“Most skills have a shelf life. You need to be constantly restocking with fresh skills or you may find that the ones you have are outdated,” says Pereira.

Many of today’s most in-demand skills such as Python (a coding language commonly used in data science) and data visualisation are not even widely recognised.

“The business world is moving beyond just spreadsheets and slides. We are there to help professionals discover and develop skills to help them get ahead,” he says.

Securing a job

This need is even more pronounced among recent graduates and early career professionals. They have been disproportionately impacted by today’s tighter labour market as evidenced by the high graduate unemployment rate.

“A lot of university graduates turn to us several months into their job search because they discover that their degrees and skill sets don’t match what employers are looking for,” says Pereira.

“We have helped many change careers entirely – for instance, helping arts graduates secure data analyst or digital marketing roles.”

According to GA’s most recent audited Student Outcomes Report, 91% of GA’s reskilling students secure a position in their new digital field within 180 days of graduation. That figure rises to over 99% after 180 days.

Pereira attributes this success to the high quality of instruction and career coaching that GA provides.

“We accept fewer than 10% of applicants for instructor roles and practice project-based learning.”

MySTEP to learn digital skills

General Assembly is partnering with Khazanah Nasional to deliver the MySTEP programme 2021 to support unemployed Malaysians.

The four-month programme upskills learners in in-demand digital skills, offers globally-recognised certification, develops learners’ professional skills, and matches learners with career opportunities.

Learners also earn RM 2,000 per month during the programme, so that they can focus on learning digital skills, developing professional skills, and on securing job opportunities in digital areas such as software engineering, data analytics, digital marketing and more.

While joining the MySTEP programme 2021 is free, seats are limited and over 2,000 have applied for the programme within its first month. Applications for the programme can be made online by July 12.

For more information on the programme, visit the website.

https://www.thestar.com.my/starpicks/2021/06/14/transforming-careers-for-the-digital-age?utm_medium=thestar&utm_source=rosnawidget&utm_campaign=GAM 14 June21