KUALA LUMPUR: Google has launched new initiatives with the government to equip Malaysian youth with future-ready skills focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and enhance public service delivery, in alignment with Malaysia's MADANI Economy Framework.
The first initiative involves Google and the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) working together to upskill Malaysian youth from diverse backgrounds by providing 161 institutes of higher learning with 500 Google Career Certificate scholarships each.
To help uplift the workforce, Google will partner with MoHE to provide 161 public universities, polytechnics, and community colleges in Malaysia with up to 500 Google Career Certificate scholarships each until the end of 2024.This strategic initiative with MoHE marks a significant expansion of Gemilang, the digital training program launched by Google in 2022 to help more Malaysians acquire digital skills—at no cost—for jobs in high-demand technology fields. Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said the collaboration with Google will equip Malaysian students of all backgrounds with essential skills to participate in and contribute meaningfully to our digital economy.In-demand skills in cloud computing, data analytics, cybersecurity, and AI, which can be acquired at no cost through the certificate programs offered by Google, Zambry said this will lead to stronger job readiness and a rise in income. "This will also translate to higher job satisfaction for workers and a larger digital talent pool for Malaysia.
"We appreciate Google's investments in Gemilang and Google Cloud Skills Boost, and look forward to collaborating on more initiatives to support our workforce," he added.
The second initiative involves equipping 445,000 public officers with Google Workspace tools to boost productivity across the public sector in collaboration with Jabatan Digital Negara (JDN), the government agency in charge of coordinating and implementing national and public sector digitalisation projects under the Ministry of Digital.
Google global head of government affairs and public policy Karan Bhatia said as governments around the world consider how they can make the most of the AI opportunity, Malaysia is embracing technology as a key driver of national competitiveness and spearheading secure and responsible AI adoption in the public sector.
"These initiatives have the potential to transform the way services are delivered for the benefit of all Malaysians, while working to equip people with the digital skills they need," said Bhatia.