Ling (right) posing with the other winners of the Graduan Apprentice Challenge.
Miri – 23 July 2013 – Ling Yi Qing of Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak) has done his university proud by being selected as an apprentice to Sajith Sivanandan, Country Manager of Google Malaysia.
The 21-year old accounting and finance student from the university’s School of Business was one of six winners of the Graduan Apprentice Challenge in conjunction with the Graduan Aspire 2013 Career and Postgraduate Fair that took place at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on 6 July 2013.
All the winners were given the opportunity to work with senior executives of leading companies in Malaysia. Three of the other winners will undergo internships with Datuk Seri Shazalli Ramly, CEO of Celcom Axiata Bhd.; Ahmad Izham Omar, CEO of Primeworks Studios; and Jason Lo, CEO of Tune Talk, and two will work with Sridharan Nair, managing partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Malaysia. All the CEOs acted as judges during the challenge.
The six winners were selected from a total of 11 candidates shortlisted by the judges. More than 550 candidates entered the preliminary rounds. Each finalist was required to pitch to the judges why they made the ideal apprentice. They went through interview sessions with the judges.
According to Ling, Sajith gave him the option of either presenting his pitch or answering a question relating to challenges Google might be facing. Ling chose the latter and identified two possible challenges, which are encouraging small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to conduct online marketing, and helping SMEs develop e-commerce business.
He added that as currently approximately 55.6% of Malaysians are able to connect to the Internet, it can help the SMEs grow their business if they marketed online.
The winners are expected to commence their respective internships soon and they could be offered positions in the companies if they prove themselves.
Meanwhile, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and guest of honour at the event, Datuk Seri Idris Jala, expressed hopes that more similar events will be created to provide future graduates with first-hand experience and job opportunities.
Commenting on his achievement, Ling, who hails from Miri, said that being selected as an apprentice to Sajith was a real honour.
“I’m elated to be given this excellent opportunity, which I think is the dream of many students out there. I intend to learn as much as possible from Sajith and discover my full potential,” he said.
An outstanding student, Ling has received a number of accolades in the past, including the Ernst & Young Most Outstanding Year 2 Student, KPMG Academic Excellence Award, CPA Australia Book Prize Award and Wehaya Best Foundation Student in Business Management Award. He was also awarded the Dean’s List for four consecutive years from 2010 to 2013.
In addition, he was a recipient of Curtin Sarawak’s Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship and Foundation & Continuing Studies Scholarship. Ling, who previously underwent an internship with KPMG Malaysia, is the current president of the Accounting Club of Curtin Sarawak (ACCS)
The Graduan Aspire 2013 was supported by the Ministry of Human Resources, Ministry of Education, and Talent Corp Malaysia. Last year, the event attracted over 18,800 talents and more than 70 participating organisations.
For more information on Curtin Sarawak, visit its website at www.curtin.edu.my, its Facebook page at facebook.com/CurtinUniversitySarawakMalaysia, Twitter profile at twitter.com/curtinsarawak, YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/CurtinUniSarawak, or Instagram at instagram.com/curtinsarawak.
