THE state government, through Penang Youth Development Corporation (PYDC), will organise a virtual career fair from Aug 26 to 29.
The Virtual Career Fair 2021, with the theme ‘Explore, Connect and Get Hired’ is a joint collaboration with Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP), Social Security Organisation (Socso) and Colla Team by Big Domain.
PYDC general manager Dr Gwee Sai Ling said the four-day programme would feature 56 companies offering a total of 4,443 vacancies for full-time positions, internships and freelancing jobs.
“Among the established companies which will participate are ViTrox Corporation Berhad, Hotayi Electronic, Flextronics, Keysight Technologies, Plexus Manufacturing and many more.
“Thus, this shows that the employment market in Penang still remains dynamic although many of our industries are adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic which has been around for more than a year now.
“Also, based on the data from Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), it is reported that the number of unemployed graduates in the country has increased by 22.5% to 202,400 persons this year compared with 165,200 in 2019.
“So, I believe this is the right way forward as we forge synergy by coming together to launch the virtual career fair. It is a platform to match employers and potential candidates in order to bridge the gap between demand and supply in the employment market,” said Gwee during the launch of the programme via Zoom today.
Also present was state Youth and Sports Committee chairman Soon Lip Chee.
According to Gwee, PYDC will also be organising another programme known as ‘Career Readiness Workshop’ to prepare jobseekers, especially fresh graduates and students looking for internships.
“It will be held from Aug 21 to Aug 22 before the Virtual Career Fair 2021 starts. This initiative will be hosted live on Zoom.
“The workshop will be conducted by professional speakers and the career talks will be given by professionals from various industries.
“Thus, I would like to encourage all job seekers especially fresh graduates and students looking for internship to grab this opportunity in developing your skills to match the employers’ recruitment strategies,” she added.
Soon said this virtual career fair is aimed to be the matchmaker for talents and employers in the state.
“Thus, this will create a win-win solution for both while adapting to the new normal practices.
“I also believe the launching of this initiative is timely and will be the key to resuscitating the economy once the situation improves.
“This is also vital to maintain the livelihood of our people and to ensure all of us are able to make ends meet at the end of the day.”
For more information on the ‘Virtual Career Fair 2021: Explore, Connect and Get Hired’ and to register as an employer or jobseeker, please visit pydc.com.my/virtualcareerfair.
Story by Riadz Akmal
Pix by Alissala Thian