PUTRAJAYA, Sept 14 — In the two years since its formation, the #mydigitalmaker Movement campaign equipped at least 700,000 Malaysian youths with skills needed to embark on careers in the digital era, said the Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC).
A collaborative movement comprising public and private academia that is led by MDEC and the Education Ministry, the initiative has allowed youths to cross over from being mere consumers to makers of the technology.
“When the #mydigitalmaker Movement was introduced in 2017, MDEC embarked on a mission to ensure all Malaysian youths are ready for jobs of the future,” MDEC chief executive Surina Shukri said in a statement.
“Today I am glad to say that the Movement has touched the lives of over 700,000 students nationwide, which shows tremendous promise that Malaysia is headed in the right direction.”
Surina also highlighted the #mydigital Fair 2019, a two-day exhibition being held at the Malaysia International Trade Exhibition Center aimed at showcasing the latest in the innovative technological front, following the positive responses afforded towards the movement
She said the event showed that there was no intention to allow the movement to peter out.
“Through the fair, we are exposing more youths to digital creativity and innovation and showing them how their interests can be relevant to the jobs of the future,” she said.
At the fair, the country will be introduced to its first-ever Digital Tech Tertiary Matching Platform, a system meant to guide secondary school leavers in identifying their best options for careers in the digital era.
The platform tailors recommendations to students on areas of improvement in order to gain entry into their desired university courses or intended career paths.
MDEC said it would also make courses in high-demand areas more apparent to students and potentially encourage more entrants into science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses that are crucial in the technological age.
“(It would also) empower school counsellors to play a more prominent role to promote tech tertiary courses, and prepare students for their tertiary pathways,” Surina said.
Prominent attendees of the fair include Education Minister Maszlee Malik; Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin; and Wan Wardatul Amani Wan Salim, the first Malaysian to be part of a satellite launching team with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa).
