Be a GEM

The government has recently launched A Graduate Employability Management Scheme (GEMS)aims at reducing the current rate of unemployment among fresh graduates.

An initiative that has evolved from the Graduate Employability Enhancement Programme (Green) that was started in 2006 by Khazanah Nasional, it will now be undertaken by some 38 government-linked companies that fall under the Putrajaya Committee for GLC High Performance (PCG).

With the support of the Finance Ministry as a project under its stimulus package, Gems will see 5,000 graduates undergoing a two-and-a-half month training programme before being placed in a GLC for six months with a view towards full employment.

The government had promised to create 163,000 training or job opportunities under its RM60 billion second stimulus plan that was announced on Tuesday.

The GREEN progamme  had managed a 97 per cent rate of fulltime employment out of 690 who had gone through the programme with another 504 still undergoing training.

Gems is open to those under the age of 27 and who have obtained a CGPA of over 2.5 or an equivalent score in an undergraduate programme.

The above programme  in short  known as GEMS in my view is app laudable and i was honoured to be asked as well to give a talk on this programme here in Kuching recently.

 I was asked to give a talk entitled  "Personal qualities of a First Class executive " from a CEO's perspective.

Hmmm tall order indeed but i did not  hesitate  at all and said yes i will . Only a day for me to prepare the presentation materials and with the help of my Human Resource manager came out with some View graphs that hopefully will give some insight to these young men and women about a working life.

I enjoyed actually the session and two hours went by without me noticing it and great to see these young men and women listening attentively to an old work(war) horse like me.

Trying to give my 2 cents worth of experience to impart to these eager graduates.

I started by asking them ,"what's the difference between me and you(the fresh graduates) if we are both unemployed?"

Some answered it would be easier for me to find another job because of my experience, some said i have worked long enough to have already a nest egg so no worry on money .

My answer is and hopefully will motivate them ...i told them the key difference was that if i am unemployed i will be looking for a job because at this "tail end" of a working life that's what it will be .

However for them they are and must be looking for a CAREER not a job, there is still a long span of time for them to make good of their lives and building up an enriched and rewarding career..it is a marathon race not a 100 meter dash. Failures and disappointments will come in its usual measures .

The personal qualities of a first class executive?  I presented them the 7C s ...the values that we have learnt and believed to be desired attributes of our employees. This was not taken out as a leaf out of  a book but from my  own experiences and observations..ha ha want to know what's the 7 Cs?

I concluded my talk by saying that ultimately be a GEM to your employee and hopefully the course or programme as appropriately entitled GEMS will achieve this.

Good luck young men and women on your journey to have a wonderful and rewarding career.