Taylor's University College awarded 21 outstanding students with the Taylor's World Class Scholarship (TWCS) 2009 valued at over RM2 million, in collaboration with 19 multinational corporations. This unique scheme offers students not just financial aid, but also an invaluable opportunity to intern or train with the renowned industry leaders.
The presentation ceremony, which was attended by representatives from the sponsor companies, the students received their scholarships from Dato' Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Minister of Higher Education. Also in attendance were Emeritus Professor Tan Sri Dato' Dr Syed Jalaludin Syed Salim, Taylor's Chairman; Professor Dato' Dr Hassan Said, President and Vice Chancellor of Taylor's University College; and Dato' Loy Teik Ngan, Managing Director of Taylor's Education Group.
Since it was established in 2006, the TWCS has attracted the participation of an increasing number of multinationals who have provided students with invaluable training and exposure to real life expectations in the global workforce. Both students and the industry as a whole have drawn immense benefits from the TWCS in meeting the national agenda to enhance human capital quality and produce capable individuals needed to meet the nation's development challenges and drive a knowledge-based economy.
Continuing with the success of the scheme, this year's scholarships are offered jointly with corporate bodies that include the BMW Group Malaysia, Foetus International, Dell, KPMG, Siemens, Leo Burnett, Air France, L'Oreal, Deloitte, KLM, General Electric International, HSBC Bank, Sodexho, Universal McCann, Weber Shandwick, The Nielsen Company, Mandarin Oriental, Crowne Plaza Mutiara, Sheraton Imperial and Le Meridien.
Among the lucky recipients was Chu Mei Fong, currently a Bachelors of Communication and Media Management student with Taylor's College School of Communication. She was thrilled to be sponsored by WebberShandwick for this scholarship. "I am so grateful for this opportunity, because not only does this scholarship subsidise my tuition fees, but I also get the privilege of working in a world-renowned organisation, and a chance to be groomed by industry leaders," said the bright young lass.
Her mother, Christina Chu, echoed her sentiments, adding that, "Taylor's was very efficient and flexible when it came to the interview process for this scholarship. Despite my daughter being abroad during the interview process, they were willing to arrange for an online interview and gave us their feedback within a couple of days."
The 21 scholarship recipients were shortlisted based on academic results and a 300-500 word essay depicting their expectations of a TWCS recipient. These recipients were also judged on their record of extra-curricular activities, positive attitude and leadership qualities. Recipients are also interviewed and selected by a panel of interviewers from both Taylor's and the respective partner company.
Speaking at the event, Dato' Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said, "Taylor's initiative in offering these scholarships, established since 2006, is indeed commendable and novel, based on its positioning and the form of the awards. The choice of 'world class' in the scholarships is a bold move and augurs well for Taylor's vision in contributing towards the development of Malaysia's human capital who have a passion for learning and are eager to excel and contribute towards the nation's success.
"I applaud Taylor's for the initiative in opening doors for the country's future leaders. I am also pleased to know that Taylor's offers a variety of other scholarships for students from all walks of life and I believe Taylor's is firmly committed towards its mission of ensuring quality education opportunities are provided for every student," said Dato' Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
Earlier, Dato' Loy Teik Ngan said, "The continued support of world renowned partners each year augurs well for the TWCS as it reflects the growing acceptance and support amongst industry leaders. At Taylor's, we pride ourselves on being one of the forerunners in education, with a proven track record and 40-year heritage. Being pioneers, Taylor's has always placed emphasis on providing quality education for the nation's youths as one of our prime objectives. We believe that in doing this, we are contributing towards the government's objective of moulding the workforce into a well-rounded, competitive and resilient one.
"So far, we have received positive feedback from our corporate partners. They say that our graduates have been a valuable asset to their workforce, and in fact just earlier I was told that they would like to have more of our students to join them! This is definitely good to hear, and I trust they are keen to continue on this win-win partnership with us," he added.
Under the TWCS programme, the students will be given opportunities to undergo industrial training during the course of their studies at Taylor's and a 12 to 24-month management trainee programme upon graduation, at the discretion of the partner companies. The recipients are currently enrolled in Taylor's Business School, Taylor's University College, Taylor's College School of Hospitality & Tourism, Taylor's College School of Communication and Taylor's College, School of Computing.
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