Malaysia launches dedicated jobs programme for graduates

Malaysia’s Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (MEDAC) is rolling out a dedicated work programme to place some 5,000 unemployed graduates in government departments, agencies and government-linked companies under a short term employment programme.

MEDAC Minister Dato Sri Dr. Haji Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said that the move is crucial to help the government address unemployment among graduates, which currently total 232,000 nationwide. 

“Unemployment among graduates is something that requires intervention and assistance from the government. Through programmes such as PROTÉGÉ, we hope to give these graduates the necessary work exposure by working in these organisations,” said the minister. 

“Hopefully by the end of their employment tenure, these graduates will acquire new skills and work experience that would significantly improve their marketability among potential employers,” he said.

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The minister also noted that poor English proficiency and skills mismatch among graduates are reasons why they are less desirable in the job market, particularly among companies in the private sector. 

PROTÉGÉ, short for Professional Training and Education for Growing Entrepreneurs, is a unit under MEDAC tasked to carry out programmes to help improve graduates’ marketability in the job market and cultivate entrepreneurship skills.