News Asean

Experts: English is the key

PETALING JAYA: Being proficient in the English language will give employees a competitive edge on an international level, say employment experts.

Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) executive director Shamsuddin Bardan said the language was universally used as a medium of instruction, especially in business.

He said weakness in English was prevalent among many of today′s fresh graduates and was a cause for concern among employers.

“The employers would rather hire workers who are already competent in the language so that they do not have to spend additional resources training them or sending them for language courses,” he added.

As a result, Shamsuddin said, unemployment among fresh graduates persisted.

“This is a crucial issue that needs to be addressed urgently,” he said.

“I′m glad that in the new education blueprint, there seems to be more emphasis placed on English.”

Talent Corporation (M) Bhd chief executive Johan Mahmood Merican said Malaysians needed to be made aware of the importance of learning the English language.

“Part of the responsibility to educate the young to master the language lies with the education system.

“However, parents and society also play a large role in ensuring their children have a good grasp of the language,” he said.

He also encouraged employers to “invest” in their employees.

“Some may be fairly fluent in the language, but have problems articulating information,” he said.

Johan and Shamsuddin are among the four panel speakers who will discuss at a forum on the importance of English at the workplace.

It will be held next Tuesday at Cyberhub, Menara Star, where other employment experts, such as British Council Malaysia Director of English Language Services Sam Ayton and Albukhary International University deputy vice-chancellor Prof Dr Omar Farouk Sheikh Ahmad, will also give their views on the subject.

It is part of The Star′s on-going “English for More Opportunities” campaign to highlight the importance of the language.

Source: thestar