Curtin Malaysia students encouraged to explore career opportunities through internships

Miri – 3 October 2017 – Over 80 students of the Faculty of Business at Curtin University, Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) were encouraged to explore career opportunities through internships during a recent internship briefing organised by the Faculty.

The aim of the briefing was to encourage the students to undergo internships with corporations as a means of gaining exposure to the business world and insights into career opportunities available to them when they graduate.

Present at the briefing was Yong Nyet Yun, Partner in Ernst & Young; Acting Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Business Dr. Shamsul Kamariah Abdullah and Faculty Chair for Industry Engagement Chan Kwok Mow; and Senior Career and Alumni Officer Baun Inu Pu’un  from the Department of University Life.

In his opening remarks, Chan encouraged the students to discover the many opportunities for developing personal and technical skills through internships. He said internships offer students an enriching experience and the opportunity to build rapport and grow networks with future employers and industry professionals. He added that employers nowadays view internships as a way to assess potential candidates for future employment.

Two final-year Accounting and Finance students shared their internship experiences during the briefing. Amanda Yong, who interned at Deloitte Kuching for seven months, said her most memorable experience during her internship was learning to communicate effectively with clients. She also said she gained valuable insights into auditing and financial consultancy, including the processes and work ethics practised by the profession.

Another final-year student, Jared Hon, dispelled the common perception that internships only involve carrying out mundane administrative tasks like photocopying and filing. He said that, on the contrary, he was exposed to tax computations, bank reconciliations and managing relationships both internally and with clients.

Jared was an intern at Ernst & Young Kuching for two 3-month periods, the first after his first year of studies and the second before commencing his final year.

Madam Yong of Ernst & Young commended Yong and Hon for giving up their three-month year end breaks to gain real-world experience with the firm. She encouraged the students at the briefing do the same and advised them to apply for their internships as early as possible as placements are limited.

Baun, meanwhile, advised the students to take every opportunity to build portfolios of relevant work experience to enhance their employability as recommended by career and graduate recruitment experts.

At the end of the briefing, students who completed their internships between December 2016 and February 2017 were presented certificates of internship completion by Dr. Shamsul Kamariah.

Yong Nyet Yun of Ernst & Young addressing the students.

(L-R) Chan, Mdm Yong, Amanda, Dr Shamsul Kamariah and Jared