About 40,000 graduates in Malaysia still unemployed

According to the latest news from Higher Education Ministry; About 40,000 graduates in the country are still unemployed, based on the 2011 Graduate Tracking Study of the Higher Education Ministry.
   
Ministry deputy secretary-general (management) Datuk Omar Abd Rahman said they included those who failed to secure permanent jobs six months after graduation but usually were gainfully employed within two years.
   
“We carry out the study yearly and, last year, the percentage of graduates still unemployed was 21% from public institutions of higher learning, 27% from private institutions, 28% from polytechnics and 35% from community colleges, he sai during the launch of National LifeLong Learning Seminar and Carnival (My3L) at the Putra World Trade Centre, yesterday.
   
Omar said a small group of graduates had started working part-time as there were no suitable permanent posts for their qualifications.
   
Earlier, in his speech, Omar said that this year, the government through 15 ministries had provide 2,612 courses under the Lifelong Learning Programme.
   
He said that to facilitate members of the public obtain information on the programme, a national-level Lifelong Learning Programme directory for the 2012/2013 session had been developed and would be launched soon by Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
   
In other related news, TalentCorp together with the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) of the Prime Minister’s Department have launched a programme called Skim Latihan 1Malaysia (SL1M).
   
It is a private sector-led corporate social responsibility initiative, launched last June to enhance the employability of graduates, especially those from rural areas and low income families
   
Under the programme, graduates benefit from both soft skills training and on-the-job training. SL1M, which is coordinated by EPU, has secured the commitment of 49 leading companies to provide placements for 8,000 graduates.