CIMB Foundation and Forest Interactive Foundation recognise bright young minds in tech under #seKODlah Programme

22 September 2022

The training and mentoring programme bridges the gap for talent supply and demand in tech industry, benefiting deserving students from the B40 community 

Kuala Lumpur: CIMB Foundation, together with Forest Interactive Foundation, recently recognised five top students at an award ceremony for the #seKODlah programme, aimed at nurturing future innovators from the B40 community to spark an interest in new technologies, whilst encouraging them to pursue future-forward careers.

Rafe Haneef, Chief Executive Officer of CIMB Foundation and Johary Mustapha, Founder & CEO of Forest Interactive Foundation were on hand to present the awards at the ceremony.

Seven finalists presented their capstone projects to a group of panellists comprising members from CIMB Foundation and Forest Interactive Foundation. The top projects were selected as winners following a thorough assessment and evaluation, and rewarded cash prizes amounting to RM15,000to the best overall capstone projects and two to the most entrepreneurial projects. As part of the programme, the students went through structured training and mentoring sessions for a period of four months, which culminated in the capstone projects.

The programme consists of final year university students, as well as fresh graduates with backgrounds in tech. They were provided with training on programming languages and IT-related modules via Codecademy. Additional workshops on soft skills, including communication and leadership, as well as digital marketing were also provided to equip the participants with key tools and fundamentals to prepare them for the workforce. As part of the programme, they were also assigned to mentors from industry, hailing from institutions of higher learning including Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (“UTeM”), Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus and Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (“UPSI”).

The #seKODlah programme provides outstanding participants the opportunity of career shadowing positions at Forest Interactive Foundation and on-the-job experience in tech with CIMB. This will give them an added advantage for job opportunities in leading tech companies.

The capstone projects formed the heart of the #seKODlah programme, where participants applied their knowledge and skills acquired throughout the programme into real-life situations. They successfully built products that will benefit society, catering to the specific needs of the local communities in Malaysia. These projects also realised the capstone projects’ goal of aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (“SDGs”) – focusing on three key areas, namely Quality Education; Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure; and Climate Action.

The winning projects are as follows:

• Best Capstone Awards:

            -        #1: Najwan Hafiz bin Azhan, Bachelor of Business Management (Investment), University of Technology MARA (“UiTM”), (Wise Traveller, a game to learn geography in a more interactive way for students aged between 8 and12 years old)

            -        #2: Anthony Lee Huan Jin, Bachelor of Computer Science, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus (#PesanNow, a food delivery app for university students)

            -        #3: Filzah Hanani binti Mohd Razi, Bachelor of Information Technology (Games Technology), UTeM (Save Our Ocean, a game to educate adolescents to save the ocean)

• Best Entrepreneurship Awards:

            -        #1: Najwan Hafiz bin Azhan, Bachelor of Business Management (Investment), UiTM

            -        #2: Anthony Lee Huan Jin, Bachelor of Computer Science, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus

Rafe Haneef said, “Catapulted by the global pandemic, the need for digital talent has never been more apparent as corporations pivot to meet the ever-changing demands of the economy. Therefore, it is crucial for our next generation to dive in further into technology-related learning to be equipped with the relevant knowledge and skillsets for the future workforce. Promoting our two key pillars of education and economic empowerment, we are delighted to have partnered with Forest Interactive Foundation to help ignite their interest and passion in the digital and technology space whilst providing them a stepping stone for a future in the industry. As a whole, the experiences gained from #seKODlah programme will add immense value to the employability of these participants as they prepare to enter the high-demand technology workforce.”

Johary Mustapha said, “#seKODlah was launched with a sustainable, nation-building goal to nurture a tech-savvy generation and develop local talents to join Malaysia's digital economy, in line with Industrial Revolution 4.0. Having witnessed the creativity and tenacity our #seKODlah participants demonstrated throughout the programme, I am confident that the digital skills gap will be bridged, and we will see meaningful progress for a digital and inclusive economic growth for our country. With CIMB Foundation as our goal-compatible partner for #seKODlah, we were able to develop young talents into future innovators of Malaysia, and we look forward to continue joining forces on this great feat in providing access to equitable education and positive economic advancement in Malaysia.”