Grooming talents from underprivileged backgrounds

Inked: (from left) SEGi College Subang Jaya deputy principal Calvin Chan and chief executive officer Dr Lisa Tan with Yayasan KRU president Datuk Norman Abdul Halim and general manager Noor Hafeez posing for a photo after the MoU signing ceremony.

TO raise employment opportunities for students from low-income (B40) families, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between SEGi Group of Colleges and Yayasan KRU.

The MoU, SEGi said in a press release, gives its Faculty of Creative Arts and Design students access to diploma programmes, internships and job placements at KRU Academy – a vocational college specialising in entrepreneurial and creative skills development.

At the end of the programme, the students will receive triple certificates – a diploma from SEGi, a Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) certificate by KRU Academy and a professional certification by Maya or Adobe, based on their chosen specialisation.

“These courses are approved by the Human Resources Ministry’s Department of Skills Development and other professional bodies.

“Students can also select and undergo professional TVET certification training by KRU Academy in 3D animation, social media management, video editing and performing arts.

“While B40 students are sponsored for the TVET training, other students can also complete any one of these courses at a reasonable cost,” SEGi Faculty of Creative Arts and Design head Roslan Othman said.

The TVET certification training is sponsored by the foundation and comes with free meals, accommodation and a monthly allowance of RM300 for the B40 students.

Roslan said there is a need to raise the bar on the training and development of talents in niche fields such as creative arts and design. “The creative field requires a great deal of practical and hands-on training because it is a skills-driven field.

“It is not easy for graduates to secure a sustainable employment opportunity so we are helping to widen their pool of expertise.

“This partnership will enable us to train and place interns with established local companies and international projects through their global networking database,” he explained.

Describing KRU as a pioneer in the entertainment industry, he said the ‘90s pop band also provides training and development opportunities, especially to the underprivileged community.

Factors such as cost, employment opportunities and job stability tend to deter students from pursuing an academic qualification in the creative industry, Roslan said, adding that the varsity hopes to change that, especially among the B40 community.

“We do not want to lose the opportunity to groom first-class talents regardless of their backgrounds.”