Friday March 20, 2009

Government jobs for 3,000 ICT grads

By LESTER KONG

PETALING JAYA: There will be a silver lining soon for 3,000 unemployed information and
communications technology (ICT) graduates as the Government will spend RM72mil for
them to become facilitators in schools with SchoolNet connectivity nationwide.

Energy, Water and Communication Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor said that under
the internship programme the graduates would be paid a RM1,000 monthly allowance for
two years to help them weather the economic slowdown.

He said the programme, to begin in June, would give priority to rural schools.

“We also hope the 3,000 graduates will take this opportunity to continue to improve their
ICT expertise and knowledge,” he said.

“This is not so much to give them permanent jobs but to enable them to continue to hone
their ICT skills so that they can get jobs in the future.”

He said any unemployed ICT graduate was welcome to apply for the programme.

“The ministry and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission will be
selecting the applicants,” he said, adding that the ministry would also cooperate with local
public universities to provide the 3,000 with further ICT training during the internship
programme.

Shaziman added that the ministry would also upgrade 3,000 schools with the SchoolNet
programme from 1Mbps to 4Mbps with the RM100mil provided under the second economic
stimulus package.

On another matter, Shaziman announced that all ICT-based companies earning less than
RM5mil annually would be exempted from contributing to the universal service provision
fund until the end of next year.

“This is to enable these companies to operate well in this trying economic climate,” he said.

It was mandatory for all ICT operators to contribute 6% of their revenue to the fund set up to
provide telephony services to under-served areas and groups a decade ago.