FGV sponsors training programme for final semester Nilai U students.
“The main function of Nilai University (Nilai U) is to equip students with the relevant skill set to build a rewarding career,” said Zalina Abdul Rahman, Manager of the Careers and Industrial Placement office of Nilai U. “Today’s event is designed to further boost our students’ marketability, especially those who are finishing their studies and about to enter the work[place.” Zalina was referring to a one-day seminar and workshop sponsored by Nilai U stakeholder Felda Global Ventures Bhd (FGV) which aims to share its human resource expertise with the students.
“We often have CSR programmes to usually help with aid relief programmes such as when there is flooding or other natural disasters. After brainstorming, we thought why not do a CSR project with our very own university partner?” explained Mohd Najid Yahya (FGV Chief Human Resources Offices, Group Human Resources Division). He was keen to stress to participants to not be lured by attractive salaries but to look at the amount of useful experience they would gain from their first jobs. “Consider the long term benefits as opposed to a slightly fatter paycheque. Valuable experienced gleaned from your first job may lead to better opportunities in the future,” he counselled. The other valuable tip he wanted to share with students was for them to be honest during interviews as experienced interviewers could easily spot white lies.
A large portion of the programme was dedicated towards résumé writing and interview techniques. Students were especially eager to pick up tips as the speakers had continuously told them that a well-written résumé will get them an interview but not the job itself. The interview process itself will determine who gets the job. Hence, it was no surprise that the queue for the mock interview sessions were especially long. Students were also keen to pick the minds of the human resource experts during the open forum, with many keen to know about internship opportunities at FGV.
Other areas touched upon by FGV’s Human Resource personnel included career development, human capital development, performance management and rewards and benefits. Each presenter provided plenty of useful tips on how to face real-life scenarios and with the participants being final semester students, the advice was both useful and apt and was reflected in many questions asked by the students.
Zalina says that the workshop was a huge success and thanked FGV for choosing Nilai U for its CSR programme. She hopes that such programmes by FGV would be a staple of Nilai U’s academic calendar. “At this stage of their studies, the students will already be very focussed on job hunting and this workshop provides them an ideal platform to learn and prepare for their next big step. It is also hoped that the students apply for the internship positions available at FGV as I am sure such a stint will enhance their résumés significantly,” she says.
Nilai U was established in 1997 and is owned by Nilai Resources Group and FELDA. It offers pre-university, diploma, degree and post-graduate programmes in the fields of business, allied health, science and technology, engineering, and hospitality and tourism. For more information, please go to www.nilai.edu.my or call 06-8502308 / 07-2262336.
