The gathering attracted approximately 1,000 participants from prominent multinational corporations and esteemed educational institutions. Among the attendees were leaders from academia and industry, such as vice-chancellors, deputy vice-chancellors, registrars, career services practitioners, professors, and deans representing higher education institutions nationwide. The event also featured the presence of key figures including Higher Education Ministry Deputy Secretary General (Policy) Datuk Dr Megat Sany Megat Ahmad Supian, Higher Education DG Professor Dr Azlinda Azman, and Talentbank CEO Ben Ho. Ben Ho, mentioned that through the GE Index, Talentbank is taking a significant stride in addressing graduate unemployment in Malaysia. He emphasized the importance of initiating career planning early in the educational journey, not just in the final university year.
"This proactive strategy empowers students to make well-informed choices regarding their education and future career trajectories, ultimately bolstering their preparedness for the workforce upon graduation", he stated. Launched in 2020, Talentbank's GE Index research relies on extensive surveys conducted with leading employers of graduates, specifically examining their preferences in university recruitment. This three-year initiative entailed careful planning, thorough proof-of-concept development, and strategic market introduction to guarantee the validity of the methodology and the reliability of the results. The insights derived from this process are crucial for assessing the extent to which universities adequately equip graduates for the demands of the job market.
This approach encompasses three crucial elements: identifying the universities commonly targeted by employers for recruitment, quantifying the number of graduates hired from each university, and assessing the frequency of repeated hires based on positive performance. Going beyond the limitations of a typical survey, the GE Index serves as a crucial career resource strategically crafted to revolutionize students' approaches to their educational journeys. Its primary objective is to significantly decrease the rate of graduate unemployment in Malaysia by providing a proactive guide for students to align their education with the practical demands of the job market. The index evaluates numerous prominent graduate employers across key industry sectors to discern employment trends among graduates. The Talentbank GE Index is dedicated to enhancing knowledge and practical experience to foster improved employability for the nation.
