PNB-KPT PROGRAM FOR UNEMPLOYED GRADUATES

KUALA LUMPUR, March 24 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's biggest fund management
company Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) will be working with the Ministry of
Higher Education (KPT) on a retraining programme for 450 unemployed graduates
each year for a period of three years.

This was sealed through a Memorandum of Understanding signed Tuesday between
the parties for the PNB-KPT Investment Bridging Program which is expected to
enhance the value of local graduates.

Minister of Higher Education, Mohamed Khaled Nordin, and PNB president
and group chief executive Hamad Kama Piah Che Othman witnessed the signing.

The programme is expected to complement the government's Graduate
Employability Management Scheme (GEMS) programme which was recently launched by
Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Kama Piah said the PNB Investment Bridging programme had actually been
introduced in 2007, but with the cooperation of KPT, the programme is expected
to be further strengthened.

The programme will be part of the economic stimulus package launched by the
government.

"The objective is to help graduates who are yet to be employed, to further
ehance their respective skills and qualifications so that they will be able to
fulfill the needs of the job market especially in the Islamic financial services
sector," Kama Piah said.

Through this programme, participants will be able to gain on transferable
skills such as analytical skills, problem solving and effective communication
methods.

Focus will be also given to increasing their technical and product knowledge
related to Islamic financial planning, Takaful as well as Islamic banking and
finance.

The training period will be for six months and it will be carried out under
two stages covering theory and practical training which will be with selected
PNB's subsidiary companies.

An allowance of RM700 monthly will be also paid to the graduates.
-- BERNAMA