Soft skills like communication, self-motivation, leadership and time management are all skills that can separate a candidate from other job applicants with the same hard skills and technical qualifications.
In surveys conducted by Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education and JobStreet on unemployment among fresh graduates in 2016, it was found, among others, that one in four fresh graduates in Malaysia remains unemployed for six months after their graduation and that three main reasons why fresh graduates remain unemployed were: poor attitude, lack of English proficiency, and poor communication skills.
In an effort to bridge the gap for Sarawakian fresh graduates seeking employment or all-round skills that would help them get ahead in the workplace or in their private enterprise, AZAM organised the AZAM Youth Upskilling Programme on 28 July 2018.
In the first of a series of self-development programmes geared for AZAM Young Souls and the youth, the upskilling programme imparted lessons on valuable soft skills that would make the difference between a ‘job’ and a ‘career’. It was also hoped that the sessions would help nurture youth to be socially responsible citizens and youth leaders.
The one-day programme themed “Inspire. Influence. Impact.” was led by AZAM Youth Development Committee chairman En Mohamad Ariff Irwani bin Azahari who coached the youth in key soft skills like presentation and communication skills, business etiquette, emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills.
En Ariff, who is also a professional speaker, trainer and life coach, highlighted his motivational speaking sessions with fun, experiential learning in the form of games that built awareness around interpersonal communication and confidence in public speaking.
Participants also got to demonstrate what they learnt from En Ariff’s public speaking tips by speaking in front of the camera. Besides helping participants observe their performance from the audience’ viewpoint, it also helped prepare them in the event that they had to speak on camera.
More upskilling programmes for AZAM Young Souls are coming up! Keep up-to-date with AZAM’s activities by liking or following our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.