By June Ramli
A new startup in the education sector has come up with an alternative for Malaysian youths interested in a career in the automotive industry.
Recently launched Carsome Academy aims to build and upskill the automotive workforce through a range of technical education and industrial training.
By offering industry-oriented training programs that combine institutional and workplace training, students will undergo 30 per cent of theoretical lessons at Carsome Academy, followed by 70 per cent of industrial training at any of the academy’s inspection centres in Malaysia.
“We are a Sistem Latihan Dual Nasional (SLDN) training centre accredited by the Department of Skills Development under the Ministry of Human Resources,” Carsome Co-founder and Academy Director Teoh Jiun Ee told DailyStraits.com in an email interview.
“We offer industry-oriented training programmes combining institutional and workplace training, where we train students and award them the Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia (SKM) Level 3 in Motor Vehicle Inspection, a certification that is recognised by the Malaysian government and technical industries,” he added.
The academy aims to build a technical talent pool that is highly skilled and industry-ready for the automotive industry.
Students will receive 1,840 hours of industrial training to develop technical skill sets and to strengthen their capabilities.
Elaborating further Teoh said the shortage of technical and core skills have long been identified as a challenge by employers in the automotive industry.
“Not only do these skills shortages pose a threat to the competitiveness of the sector, but they also pose a barrier to the employability of its workers,” he said.
Upon graduation, students will receive the SKM Level 3 in Motor Vehicle Inspection and guaranteed job placement with Carsome.
This one-year course costs RM8,000 but is fully refundable upon a graduate’s successful placement and tenure with Carsome for two years.
Besides being refunded the course fee, they would also be paid a salary.
Teoh said the academy also aims to develop a highly skilled and industry-ready workforce in Southeast Asia by introducing new courses in the future.
“We are also exploring collaborations with various automotive industry players to provide the best learning and practical experience, as well as career opportunities, for students.
“Our most recent collaboration is with CKL Group’s School of Skills, where we are jointly offering a three-year technical education program culminating in SKM Level 3 in Motor Vehicle Inspection,” he added.
Teoh said the academy which started in January currently has about 50 students and employees and are looking to roll out similar programs in Indonesia and Thailand by 2022.
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