Conference To Discuss Graduate Unemployment, Mismatch
Current issues such as the mismatch between industry needs and graduates' qualifications and graduate unemployment will be among the topics to be discussed at the International Federation of Training and Development Organisations (IFTDO) conference 2006.
The conference, to be held from Aug 22 to 25 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, is organised by Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM).
UiTM vice-chancellor Datuk Seri Prof Ibrahim Abu Shah said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was scheduled to open it. He said former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had been invited as a guest speaker.
Experts in human resources development from 50 countries will share their experiences and knowledge in case studies, analyses of the latest trends and innovation in human capital policies.
****At the outset let me congratulate the organisers of this conference on two points. Firstly I admire their confidence in hoping to get both the PM and Dr Mahathir to be present at the same function. Hopefully they should have resolved their differences by then. It would be nice to see them sitting side by side smiling and chatting on less serious matters.(Sometimes I'm a little over-optimistic)
Secondly it is a good sign that the question of mismatch as well as graduate unemployability is being discussed at an international conference. Normally such issues are routinely swept under the carpet or discussed in a hush-hush tone at Umno Supreme Council meetings. It is best to get an international perspective on this increasingly worrying issue. I'm sure that other countries too have travelled on the same foolish path as us.
What is important is to first acknowledge that we have a problem. Then honestly enquire what caused this problem. Finally take courageous steps, no matter how politically difficult it may be, to overcome the problem. Of course it is easier said than done. The main problem is the over-enthusiastic admission of almost every Tom, Dick and Khairy into any damned course without a care whether the person has indicated his or her interest in the course or not. The perceived 'prestige' of being termed as a 'graduate' probably clouded the good sense of the applicants when they accepted the offer for the courses they did not apply for.
In short, the unemployed and mismatched graduate is a product of government bungling and it is incumbent upon the authorities to ensure that this number is not multiplied in the future with the practice of the same type of parochial thinking which caused this mess in the first place.
The conference, to be held from Aug 22 to 25 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, is organised by Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM).
UiTM vice-chancellor Datuk Seri Prof Ibrahim Abu Shah said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was scheduled to open it. He said former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had been invited as a guest speaker.
Experts in human resources development from 50 countries will share their experiences and knowledge in case studies, analyses of the latest trends and innovation in human capital policies.
****At the outset let me congratulate the organisers of this conference on two points. Firstly I admire their confidence in hoping to get both the PM and Dr Mahathir to be present at the same function. Hopefully they should have resolved their differences by then. It would be nice to see them sitting side by side smiling and chatting on less serious matters.(Sometimes I'm a little over-optimistic)
Secondly it is a good sign that the question of mismatch as well as graduate unemployability is being discussed at an international conference. Normally such issues are routinely swept under the carpet or discussed in a hush-hush tone at Umno Supreme Council meetings. It is best to get an international perspective on this increasingly worrying issue. I'm sure that other countries too have travelled on the same foolish path as us.
What is important is to first acknowledge that we have a problem. Then honestly enquire what caused this problem. Finally take courageous steps, no matter how politically difficult it may be, to overcome the problem. Of course it is easier said than done. The main problem is the over-enthusiastic admission of almost every Tom, Dick and Khairy into any damned course without a care whether the person has indicated his or her interest in the course or not. The perceived 'prestige' of being termed as a 'graduate' probably clouded the good sense of the applicants when they accepted the offer for the courses they did not apply for.
In short, the unemployed and mismatched graduate is a product of government bungling and it is incumbent upon the authorities to ensure that this number is not multiplied in the future with the practice of the same type of parochial thinking which caused this mess in the first place.
posted by The Malaysian. at 7/18/2006 11:59:00 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home