PM Anwar launches RM 30mn capital market talent programme, investED

This new flagship programme aims to increase employability in Malaysian graduates and improve upon the shortage of skilled talent.

On 19 June 2023 (Monday), Malaysia's Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim launched a flagship capital market initiative aimed at enhancing graduate employability and ensuring a sustainable talent pipeline to help ease the shortage of skilled workers in the capital market.

The three-year initiative, called 'InvestED', which was first announced by the Prime Minister in Budget 2023, is led by the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC). The initiative is also in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance (MOF), the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), Bursa Malaysia, and leading capital market industry players. It marks the first-ever such collaboration between the SC, capital market industry and universities.

Attended by about 1,000 people, Minister of Higher Education Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Deputy Finance Minister, Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan, key government officials, capital market industry leaders, vice-chancellors of public and private universities and university students were present at the launch.

SC Chairman Dato' Seri Dr. Awang Adek Hussin said: "Talent cultivation is vital for an industry with high talent mobility like the capital market," and added that “The programme is introduced to help address the mismatch of talent between graduates and the growing needs of the industry, which is seeing the shift to the digital world. Thus, it is crucial that the ‘last mile’ assistance be given to graduates to address this mismatch."

Funded by Capital Market Development Fund (CMDF), the RM30mn programme is officially named as 'investED, NextGen Capital Market Talent'. The initiative is expected to help improve the knowledge and employability of 9,000 university graduates, especially for the capital market industry, over three years from 2023. It is also expected to provide job opportunities for 600 graduates over the three-year period by providing job placements and on-the-job training from capital market firms under investED’s Leadership Programme.

The Leadership programme consists of a one-month comprehensive classroom learning and six months of on-the-job placement at designated companies. Furthermore, selected graduates will receive a RM2,000 allowance during their formal training and a minimum monthly stipend of RM2,400 during the on-the-job placement.

Applications for investED’s Leadership Programme are currently open to fresh graduates and students graduating this year. The Leadership Programme has received over 250 applications, surpassing the target of 200. From this, approximately 100 graduates have been shortlisted for the Programme’s first cohort to undergo six months of on-the-job placement.

Another feature of investEd is its Foundation Programme, a structured certification programme managed by SC’s learning arm, the Securities Industry Development Corporation (SIDC) which will help benefit 2,400 students. Currently, investED’s Foundation Programme has received over 1,000 applications, surpassing the target of 800.

The inaugural investED Leadership Programme featured participation of more than 70 companies from the capital market and will provide participating students more than 200 job placements, including 150 permanent employment.

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