THE Small & Medium Enterprises Association (SAMENTA) has applauded the newly-launched Internship Placement Matching Grant for SMEs and Start-ups (LiKES), calling it a “game-changer” for SME in recruiting skilled workers amidst the current talent crunch.
SAMENTA national president Datuk William Ng was referring to the initiative launched by Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad (TalentCorp) in support of structured and sustainable internship placement in Malaysian SMEs and start-ups.
LiKES tops the internship allowance by RM250 and RM300 per intern per month for diploma and degree students respectively, and Ng said this makes SMEs more attractive to prospective interns, with stronger opportunity for the SMEs to retain these talents upon graduation.
“There is a misperception that SMEs are interior employers. In fact, many SMEs offer salary and benefits package comparable to larger local companies,” he pointed out in a statement on Tuesday (March 19).
Citing a 2020 survey by SME100 and global HR advisory firm Towers Watson, and supported by SAMENTA, Ng revealed that Malaysian SMEs are ahead in employee engagement than regional peers.
In fact, he said Malaysian SMEs scored highly at 90% in employee experience, a full 6% better than the regional average.
“Unlike working in larger companies, internship in SMEs provide direct access to the company’s leaders, and a wider scope of experience given the relatively flatter nature of SME organisations. This allows for more meaningful internship experience in most SMEs,” Ng remarked.
“SAMENTA will be working closely with TalentCorp to identify good SME employers to be part of the programme, provide young Malaysians more options to pursue their internship, and offer progressive SMEs the opportunity to train and retain top local talents.”
According to Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong, the RM30 mil earmarked for LiKES would benefit around 30,000 interns in the SME and startup industries.
Speaking at the launch of the initiative, Sim said LiKES, together with the existing National Structured Internship Programme, will offer allowances during the training period.
The LiKES matching grant covers internship periods of up to six months and is open for application by SMEs and start-ups registered with the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM).
Eligible applicants must offer internship placements lasting a minimum of 10 weeks and provide a stipulated minimum internship allowance, according to TalentCorp.
For interns pursuing Malaysian Skills Certificates level 1 to level 3, diploma and Malaysian Skills Diploma, the minimum allowance required is RM500 a month, with TalentCorp reimbursing RM250 a month.
For interns pursuing the Malaysian Advanced Skills Diploma, a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or a professional certificate, the minimum allowance required is RM600 a month, and TalentCorp will reimburse RM300 a month. – March 19, 2024
