Amirudin (centre) witnessing the exchange of MoU documents between Prof Abdul Halim (second from left) and Siti Faridah. Looking on are Anfaal (left) and Sharifah Zarah (right). — KK SHAM/The Star
THE Selangor government, via Wanita Berdaya Selangor (WBS), advanced its women’s empowerment agenda by presenting scholarships and further empowering the Akademi Kepimpinan Wanita (AKW).
These initiatives are in line with the goal of achieving 30% women representation in decision-making in Selangor by 2030.
WBS signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) to collaborate in the development and implementation of a Professional Certificate in Women’s Leadership.
The programme under AKW’s umbrella aims to train and produce women policymakers and change leaders.
WBS chief executive officer Siti Faridah Abdul Samad and UKM deputy vice-chancellor (academic and international affairs), Prof Dr Abdul Halim Abdul Gafor, signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organisations.
Present to witness the signing ceremony were Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, state women empowerment and welfare committee chairman Anfaal Saari and UKM board of directors member Tan Sri Sharifah Zarah Syed Ahmad.
Amirudin then unveiled AKW’s new logo which is based on the concept of a “graceful, strong and visionary leadership”.
He also presented scholarships totalling RM200,000 to six recipients identified by WBS to receive full scholarships to pursue a master’s or doctoral degree in the fields of gender studies, women’s leadership, care economy, political science, social science and community development.
Besides this, Amirudin presented recognition awards to a group of AKW participants for outstanding fieldwork and achieving their programme’s objectives.
“All these efforts are in line with the Selangor Women’s Policy and Action Plan 2024 – 2026 which focuses on improving the socio-economic status and participation of women in the state’s development,” he said.
“The professional certificate could also open the door for job opportunities or for the recipient to explore the next level of learning.”
Siti Faridah explained that AKW helped to develop the module for the professional certification with UKM.
The university will conduct the programme and issue the certification.
“The current AKW cohort of 100 participants will serve as a test group and provide their feedback before the programme is formally introduced next year,” she said.
“It will be a 12-month programme with four main modules, namely organisational leadership including human resource management, gender understanding including gender responsible budgeting, how to apply data in real- world community setting and self-development including public speaking and communications.”
Siti Faridah said AKW’s participants comprised community leaders, village chiefs and WBS coordinators.
The programme aimed to groom them to fill positions at policymaking and leadership levels, whether at the state government or beyond.
“We also want to open the professional certification to civil servants and state subsidiaries.
“We want to give women confidence and groom them to serve at the management or C-suite level,” she said.
The event took place on the sidelines of the Selangor State Assembly sitting at Bangunan Dewan Negeri Selangor in Shah Alam.
