KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 — The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) has introduced a Digital Skills Training Directory during its recent #MyDigitalWorkforce Week, an initiative to assist youth job-seekers and the unemployed.

MDEC chief executive officer (CEO) Surina Shukri said the directory would act as a guide for Malaysians in selecting digital courses that meet their career needs.

"The introduction of the directory is consistent with our focus on developing digitally-skilled Malaysians. It will be the go-to guide for all Malaysians and the workforce on what to look out for when it comes to digital tech up-skilling and re-skilling programmes,” she said in a statement today.

Surina said businesses that are looking to hire personnel and have plans to equip talent with relevant digital tech skills can refer to the digital-first focused directory catalogue as it lists down courses that address in-demand digital skills.

In addition, most of the courses have been approved for funding – for organisations or talents – under the government’s National Economic Recovery Plan (PENJANA) Hiring Incentive that the Social Security Organisation (Socso) manages.

Should the candidates require training, up to RM4,000 training subsidy will be available for the unemployed who are selected for recruitment by Socso-registered employers.

This arrangement is also available for unemployed Malaysians who are registered with the Socso Employment Insurance System.

About 173 courses and certifications offered by 43 training partners on the directory have been reviewed and endorsed by a panel of digital industry experts.

The directory covers all areas of digital skills training, from beginner up to advance level. The courses on the list consist of data science (50 courses); cybersecurity (44 courses); animation (19 courses); game development (five courses); and software development (55 courses).

"These include, but not limited to, data science, cybersecurity, animation, game development, and software development for the new digital era,” she said.

Meanwhile, Socso CEO Datuk Seri Dr Mohammed Azman Aziz Mohammed said the directory complements its employment services.

"We are pleased to work with MDEC to identify and facilitate training programmes listed on the Digital Skills Training Directory,” he said.

The Digital Skills Training Directory listing is available on MDEC’s web portal at https://mDecembermy/digitalskillstrainingdirectory/. — Bernama