edotco Malaysia launches HR programme for employability amid COVID-19

Integrated telecommunications infrastructure services firm edotco Malaysia has recently launched COVID Care, an HR programme aiming to provide employment opportunities for those who've lost their job, and fresh graduates who find it difficult to seek their first job, due to COVID-19.

In a press release, the firm said this programme will provide a bandwidth for the company to offer employment with an initial contract period of up to one year. Candidates will be matched to job scopes that best match their qualifications and experience, and may then be offered a permanent position beyond their contracted period, depending on their performance and the availability of suitable roles in the company.

Commenting on this, edotco Malaysia's Managing Director, Wan Zainal Adileen said this pandemic has brought about a united community spirit of helping one another, and the firm thus "wants to extend this spirit as well by helping those whose employment was terminated due to COVID-19."

"We understand it will also be tough for fresh graduates to secure employment in the current job market situation. The COVID Care programme specifically provides opportunity for these two groups, particularly those in the B40 category."

The company has also been supporting employees whose family members have been affected by the pandemic and MCO, while also providing essential items and compassionate allowance benefits to help alleviate the burden of employees who have become the sole breadwinners of their household.

More information on COVID Care can be found here. 

In similar news, Grab Singapore has launched a new training programme and Grab Career Support Portal, in efforts to help its driver-partners mitigate the impact of COVID-19.

In a press release, Grab Singapore said these initiatives were designed for driver-partners with different career goals and mindsets. In a survey of 3,000 driver-partners, more than 70% indicated that they planned to stop driving after two years. Additionally, one in two were willing to take part in career-related training.

Thus, the firm aims to offer 2,000 to 3,000 of its active driver-partners training or career support through these programmes in the next six months.

Driver training programme

The new driver training programme will launch with two courses co-developed by Grab and Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) and supported by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), and will run for six months as a start. At the end of the period, Grab and NP will review the course curriculum to ensure they are meeting driver-partners’ needs. The courses are as follows:

• Customer Service and Quality: Designed to equip driver-partners with customer service skills to manage different challenges they may meet with passengers while on the road, and will feature some case studies that originated from common real-life incidents faced by driver-partners.
• Vehicle Safety and Maintenance: This course will empower driver-partners with safe driving practices and theoretical knowledge to keep their vehicles in good condition and minimise maintenance cost. Participants will also go through a hands-on practical session on maintaining cars provided by GrabRentals.

The SSG will provide enhanced course fee support of up to 90% for these courses under the Enhanced Training Support Package for Point-to-point Drivers, while Grab will subsidise in full the remaining course fees.

Apart from existing driver-partners, the two-day programme will also be mandatory for all new Grab driver-partners before they can be activated by the platform. Additionally, at the end of the courses, participants will receive certification jointly issued by Grab and the polytechnic.

These courses will also be made available for all taxi and private-hire vehicle drivers outside of Grab.

Career support portal

The new Grab Career Support Portal will help driver-partners who are keen on exploring opportunities outside of the platform, but may not have the necessary knowledge or skills to do so. The portal takes into account the common challenges faced by driver-partners in seeking new career opportunities, and will aggregate relevant resources and programmes in one single portal such that it is easier for interested drivers to search and seek help.

As a start, it will focus on tech or digital roles across various industries, and is open for all driver-partners; the portal will offer access to career advice, introductory courses, training certification, and placement and networking opportunities.

In addition to both the above, Grab has collaborated with Workforce Singapore (WSG) to roll out a “Jobs” widget in Grab’s driver-partner app. The widget curates in-demand job opportunities from WSG’s MyCareersFuture.sg portal, so driver-partners can search and apply for suitable jobs based on their skills and preference, thereby helping them supplement their earnings during this period.

Photo / iStock