349. MENJUNJUNG KASIH...

Tidak terucap betapa gembira dan syukurnya semua ahli-ahli Kelab Bakti Gunung Keledang diatas perkenan anugerah dan kurniaan daripada DYMM Paduka Seri Sultan Perak, Sultan Azlan Muhibuddin Shah, semalam sempena hari keputeraan Tuanku yang ke-83 kepada tiga orang ahli-ahli kelab yang telah banyak berjasa menaburkan bakti di bumi negeri Perak tercinta.

Ahli-ahli tersebut yang telah menerima pingat kebesaran negeri Perak iaitu Darjah Paduka Mahkota Perak (DPMP) yang membawa gelaran Dato' ialah:

1. Sdr Dr Haji Zakaria bin Abdul Kadir

Pakar neurologi di Hospital Pakar, Ipoh juga seorang dermawan ini adalah Presiden Kelab Keledang dan Presiden Yayasan Keledang pada tahun 2010.

Beliau juga adalah penggerak utama sukan renang di negeri Perak sebagai Presiden Persatuan Renang negeri Perak.

2.Sdr Dr Haji Mohamad bin Abdul Kadir

Pakar radiologi Hospital Fatimah, Ipoh ini adalah Presiden Kelab Keledang dan Yayasan Keledang pada tahun 2001.

Beliau juga kini adalah ahli lembaga pengarah Hospital ArRidzuan, Ipoh dan pengarah beberapa buah syarikat lain.

3. Sdr haji Megat Ahmad Shahrani

Seorang kontraktor Melayu wibawa yang telah memenangi beberapa award antarabangsa atas sifatnya sebagai kontraktor tersohor, Sdr Megat adalah Setiausaha Kehormat Kelab Keledang pada tahun 2010 dan kini menyandang jawatan Naib Presiden kelab.

Beliau juga pernah menjadi Presiden Persatuan Kebajikan Austisme Malaysia (NASOM) selama 9 tahun sebelum melepaskan jawatan berkenaan pada tahun lalu.

Kepada ketiga orang Dato' baru, Sdr Presiden, AJK dan seluruh ahli serta keluarga Kelab Bakti Gunung Keledang / Yayasan Bakti Gunung Keledang merakamkan setinggi tahniah.

Semoga anugerah tersebut dapat menyemarakkan lagi usaha menabur bakti untuk masyarakat.

Menjunjung kasih, Tuanku...

348. DAULAT TUANKU

347. TOP JOBS ONLY FOR THOSE WHO ARE PROFICIENT IN ENGLISH

Petaling Jaya, Malaysia: It does not really matter if you are top of your class or have a string of degrees, that dream job may not be yours unless you can speak and write well in English.

Feedback from local and international employers indicates that verbal and written communication skills in English remain the most sought-after attribute in prospective employees.

According to a recent Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) survey, it is the most important trait employers look for when recruiting graduates.

The MEF Salary Survey for Executives 2010 revealed that 68% of the companies surveyed named communication skills as the top quality required in job applicants, followed by working experience (67%), interpersonal skills (56.2%) and passion and commitment (55.7%).

MEF executive director Shamsuddin Bardan said globalisation had changed the nature of jobs, making communication skills, specifically in English, a valuable asset for today's worker.

He added that this was an essential criterion even for professions traditionally seen as “backroom” staff such as engineers, technical personnel and scientists. “It is especially so for those working in multinationals and bigger firms,” he said.

“Today, our clients are worldwide. In factories, for instance, engineers are a different breed from the past,” said Shamsuddin.

“Now, they have to be involved in various aspects of business and interact with clients.”

Shamsuddin expressed concern that many local graduates today could not speak or write proper English, saying this was a reason why they faced difficulties getting jobs in the private sector.

Kelly Services (M) Sdn Bhd managing director Melissa Norman concurred, noting that six in 10 graduates who attended its interviews could not communicate effectively in English.

The company is one of the top headhunters in the country.

Norman said it was important to master English as it was widely used among the business community, both in Malaysia and internationally.

The Kelly Global Workforce Index survey released in 2010 listed “communication skills” as one of the top five most desired skills within the corporate sector.

“We have encountered local graduates who are weak in spoken and written English and have limited vocabulary,” said Norman.

“These candidates can only manage to secure jobs in small-medium enterprises and small businesses.”

Various industry and business leaders also warned that the decline in English was affecting Malaysia's global competitiveness.

Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers President Tan Sri Mustafa Mansur said the young ones who could not communicate in English were unable to negotiate the best deals in business transactions or investments.

“We need to send people out to market our products, negotiate deals or get contracts signed. If they cannot communicate well in English, we will lose out,” he said.

Pemudah co-chair Tan Sri Yong Poh Kon pointed out that, contrary to popular belief, it was important for civil servants to have a good command of English due to a growing borderless world.

“The standard of English also affects the quality of the public sector as civil servants have to interact with international citizens and the business world as well as articulate Malaysia's stand on issues to the international community. These include negotiations on important agreements such as trade agreements.”

Noting that the quality of English in the country had declined over the last two decades, former Human Resource Minister Tan Sri Fong Chan Onn warned that the country would lose out to its neighbours that did not teach English in schools previously.

“Thailand, Indonesia and China are making efforts to improve their English through their education system,” he noted.

Article extracted from www.thestar.com.my