Kuala Lumpur, 18 July 2024: “The job shadowing, mentoring and mock interview sessions provided a really meaningful experience for a Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) graduate like me. Through this camp, I was able to practise being brave in various settings,” said Muhammad Syakir Bin Rizalaffendi from SMK Dato Mahmud Mat, Pahang, after participating in the inaugural Aspire Career and Education (ACE) Camp organised by the Financial Industry Collective Outreach (FINCO).

The three-day camp, which took place from 23 – 25 April 2024 at Hotel Olympic Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, was held to help post-Form 5 students from across Malaysia unpack information related to their desired education and career pathways, set short-and-long-term goals for their post-secondary school life, and grow their professional network. At the end of the camp, participating students said they were even more excited to pursue their career goals, and that they felt better prepared to take on the next stage in life.

“The aim of the camp is not just to equip students with the relevant skills and knowledge but also to ensure they are confident about making decisions as they prepare for life after school, and we’re glad to see these students leaving with a renewed sense of self-belief and determination,” said FINCO’s Chief Executive Officer, Clare Walker.

In addition to personal statement writing workshops, mock interviews, preparation of elevator pitches, professional speed dating sessions, panel discussions, goal setting activities and job shadowing, the students were also able to speak to 61 volunteers comprising financial industry professionals, entrepreneurs, educators, chefs, doctors, law enforcement officers and more. This gave them the opportunity to ask pertinent questions, increase their knowledge of their chosen career paths and identify other professions that could potentially be of interest to them. The majority of the volunteers from the financial industry, who signed on as mentors, will continue journeying with the students for at least a year, providing advice and guidance even after the students have entered their education institution or workplace of choice.

“All this time, I thought I just wanted to be an aeroplane engineer. But after the job shadowing session, I realised there are many other fields out there that I am interested in as well, and my field of interest has now widened,” said Muhammad Shaari Bin Ramly from SMK Sura, Terengganu.

Meanwhile, Sai Vinnishaa A/P Palaniappen from SMK Sultan Badlishah, Kedah, said the camp helped make up her mind about her ambitions. “I learnt that information technology (IT) is not just about networking and coding. There are so many subunits that are equally important and contribute a lot to the safety of our cyberspace. Although it sounds challenging, it only made my passion for IT stronger than before,” she said.

Through their engagement with the professionals and the FINCO-led sessions, the students were not only able to better understand the industry demands of various professions, they were also able to build on their employability and communication skills. At the end of the camp, 96% of the students were able to state the best pathway to achieve their post-SPM ambitions, while 94% were able to state at least three next steps to take to achieve those ambitions.

The camp also saw the involvement of volunteers from financial institutions such as AmBank, AmBank Islamic, Berjaya Sompo Insurance Berhad, BNP Paribas Asset Management, Deutsche Bank Malaysia Berhad, Hannover Re, Hong Leong Bank, Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad, OCBC Bank Malaysia Berhad, Prudential Assurance Malaysia Berhad, QBE Asia Services, RHB Bank Berhad, The Pacific Insurance and Tokio Marine Insurance Malaysia.

“The support of the financial industry played a crucial role in the success of the camp, and it is heartening to see its members demonstrating their commitment to nurturing the next generation of leaders and professionals. Activities like the ACE Camp underscore the importance of public-private partnerships in cultivating a pool of talented and driven young individuals who will be an asset to the future workforce,” said FINCO Chairman Tan Sri Azman Hashim.

According to a 2018 report from Khazanah Research Institute, students from lower-income families have limited exposure to a wide range of career opportunities, which in turn may affect their ability to make informed decisions about their education and career paths.

Through its Life Aspiration pillar, FINCO has been running workshops in schools with high intakes of B40 students nationwide since 2017, benefitting over 14,000 upper secondary students. As part of FINCO’s commitment to ensure students have access to up-to-date information and the skills needed to identify and pursue their post-SPM goals, the not-for-profit organisation invited a total of 48 students from across Malaysia to participate in its very first edition of the camp, which acts as a final touchpoint for them before they move on to pursue further education or enter the workforce. These students had completed their SPM in March and were selected based on previous participation in FINCO’s workshops in their respective schools.