Second edition of challenge is bigger and better, attracting 257 student teams from local universities
Kuala Lumpur: The CIMB Talent Trail 2016 Grand Finale was held today, rewarding 28 winning teams with cash prizes totaling RM25,000. The objective of the CIMB Talent Trail is to test and enhance the students’ skills relating to their employability prospects.
Sixty teams from 22 universities battled it out in the CIMB Talent Trail’s Grand Finale, which required the students to move around Kuala Lumpur on foot and by public transport to take part in various games that tested their English and communications skills, teamwork, self-confidence, as well as mental and physical fitness, within a stipulated time frame. Participants were equipped with a pre-loaded Touch ’n Go card to facilitate their mobility. The concept of the Talent Trail is that learning is most effective when it is both enjoyable and challenging.
Jointly organised by CIMB Group and Talent Corporation Malaysia (TalentCorp), the CIMB Talent Trail is now in its second edition. This year’s edition has been expanded to cover the Northern, Central and Southern regions of Peninsular Malaysia, compared to the last edition which covered only universities around Kuala Lumpur.
Team UTP All Stars from Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) beat 59 other teams of “talent trailblazers” to win the top prize of RM5,000 cash. The victorious team members were visibly elated by their victory. Meanwhile, Team Smarties from Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) took the second prize worth RM3,000 cash while the third place went to Team Y of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) who went home with RM2,000.
Hamidah Naziadin, Chief People Officer, CIMB Group said, “At CIMB, we place a high priority on talent development and through the CIMB Talent Trail, we are pleased to play a part in educating Malaysian students to become outstanding picks for potential employers in various ways, for example in acquiring critical thinking skills and inculcating proactivity. Due the success of our very first Talent Trail in 2014, we have continued to work with TalentCorp on this endeavour, refining the competition to impart a wider set of skills. We have also enhanced the event by showcasing our CIMB Fusion partners.”
“We hope this challenge will encourage the teams to communicate in English regularly so that it becomes second-nature. A good command of English, being the global language of business, can be an important gateway to many career opportunities,” added Hamidah.
Johan Mahmood Merican, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of TalentCorp said, "The CIMB Talent Trail is an exciting way to equip our young talents with skills required by Malaysia’s key industries, and TalentCorp is proud to once again collaborate with CIMB on this unique platform." He added that the collaboration was aimed to improve the preparedness of young Malaysians prior to their entry into the job market.
One of the activities for the students was to learn how to negotiate and think on their feet, by selling kerepek to the public. All proceeds of this activity will go to Rumah Titian Kasih, a home for orphans, single mothers, senior citizens, and the disabled.
A preliminary round was kicked off in December 2015, where registrants were required to answer a set of questions on CIMB Group, TalentCorp and CIMB Fusion partners. CIMB Fusion is a unique graduate management programme that gives fresh graduates an opportunity to gain exposure from both CIMB and an employer from a different industry. At the end of the programme, the graduate chooses who he wants to work for. The CIMB Fusion partners showcased in the CIMB Talent Trail 2014 are PwC, Accenture, Teach For Malaysia, FCB Kuala Lumpur, ZICOlaw and Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
For the CIMB Talent Trail 2016, out of the 257 teams that registered, 120 teams were shortlisted for the regional heats i.e., 40 teams participated in each of the three regional heats held separately at Universiti Sains Malaysia (Northern Region), Multimedia University (Central Region) and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (Southern Region). Twenty teams from each region subsequently qualified to participate in the Grand Finale in Kuala Lumpur.
More information about the CIMB Talent Trail 2016 can be found on www.cimbtalenttrail.my
