McDonald's contributes to youth development in Malaysia

After 63 years of independence and as the nation progresses, a paradigm shift is needed for youth in Malaysia.

To this end, McDonald's Malaysia has since 2018 implemented talent development initiatives specifically for young people in the country.

"McDonald's Malaysia, which has 14,000 employees nationwide, hopes to attract another 10,000 local talents by 2025 through its vocational programme for youth," the fast food franchise said in a statement today.

The McDonald's Vocational Apprenticeship Programme, launched in 2018 in collaboration with the Ministry of Human Resources through the Department of Skills Development focuses on learning based on the National Dual Training System which gives youth the opportunity to obtain the Malaysian Skills Certificate Level 3 (SKM-3).

The Ministry of Education through its Technical and Vocational Training Development Division had further expanded the programme to a higher level to involve students from vocational colleges, it added.

According to the statement over 1,200 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and Form 3 school leavers have participated in this programme since it was launched and McDonald's Malaysia aims to meet its 3000 youth target by the end of this year.

The learning module for SKM level 4 which is equivalent to education at the diploma level is also being developed in collaboration with the Human Resources Ministry and graduates will have have the option of either starting a career at McDonald's or continue their studies to the next level after completing the programme, said thestatement.

An Outstanding Graduate Award recipient, Noor Fazriza Fazlin Abdul Rahim, 20, said the programme had helped her a lot because with the full sponsorship, she no longer had to depend on her parents or other siblings.

Her mother, Noor Hashimah Salehuddin, 59, in expressing pride in her daughter’s achievement also hoped that she could continue to grow in her career at McDonald’s.

Meanwhile, McDonald's Malaysia Human Resources vice president Azhar Darbi said the company places high priority on youth with a positive attitude and enthusiasm to develop themselves.

"This programme allows youth to learn from global best practices in the food service field, which has been the secret behind McDonald's success and strong reputation over the years," he said.

PT3 and SPM school leavers interested in participating in the vocational programme provided by McDonald's Malaysia can visit www.maukerja.my/mcd/ for further details.

-- BERNAMA