Valuable lesson: Ramanan talking to students after the Jelajah AI MyMahir programme. — LOW LAY PHON/The Star
Free TalentCorp upskilling equips over 22,000 with practical skills
SUNGAI BULOH: TalentCorp is leading a community-based upskilling initiative that is set to benefit over 22,000 Malaysians nationwide with better skills to use artificial intelligence (AI), says Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan.
He said the Jelajah AI MyMahir programme is an initiative led by TalentCorp in collaboration with Ernst & Young Consulting Sdn Bhd (EY Malaysia).
The collaboration with EY Malaysia is carried out under EY’s global corporate responsibility programme, EY Ripples.
Valued at RM110mil, the initiative will reach about 12,000 participants through the Jelajah AI MyMahir programme and another 10,000 people through other initiatives involving students, undergraduates, women and military veterans.
“I was informed that the class is worth RM5,000 (for each student) but TalentCorp is providing these classes for free.
“I hope more Malaysians will take this opportunity. Even housewives, uncles and aunts are here. So, it involves all walks of life,” he told a press conference after launching the programme here on Saturday.
According to Ramanan, about 700 people have signed up for the programme, which consisted of five modules, during its launch.
“They have finished the first module. They said they want to complete all five modules and graduate with this AI skill certification,” he added.
Since the Jelajah AI MyMahir programme began last year, he said over 1,000 people had been trained. He said that about half of these participants had completed all five modules so far.
Ramanan said Malaysia’s approach to AI must be inclusive, people-centred and grounded in real workplace needs.
“AI is already reshaping how Malaysians work across sectors. Our responsibility as a government is to ensure the rakyat are not left behind, but are equipped with practical skills that help them remain productive, employable and competitive.”
“Through TalentCorp, this is being delivered on the ground. Jelajah AI MyMahir turns national talent priorities into practical AI learning that reaches Malaysians where they live and work,” he said.
To date, four pilot sessions of Jelajah AI MyMahir have been held in Sabah and Selangor.
Human Resources Ministry secretary-general Datuk Azman Mohd Yusof said the initiative demonstrates TalentCorp’s role in transforming talent and AI priorities to delivery on the ground.
“TalentCorp is operationalising national policy by bringing applied AI training directly to communities, strengthening workforce adaptability and enhancing long-term employability and productivity,” said Azman.
TalentCorp chairman Wong Shu Qi said this initiative reflects a shift from awareness-building to capacity-building in Malaysia’s talent development strategy.
“This approach strengthens the national talent pipeline and supports long-term economic resilience,” she added.
Under the nationwide rollout, Jelajah AI MyMahir will be implemented across 60 parliamentary constituencies nationwide.
It will provide practical AI learning to students, workers, entrepreneurs and small business owners.
The programme focuses on immediately usable AI applications that support productivity, income generation and employability as AI continues to reshape job and skills requirements.
