KUALA LUMPUR (March 18): Talent Corporation Malaysia Bhd (TalentCorp) has earmarked RM30 million for the Industrial Training Matching Grant Initiative for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (LiKES), in support of internship placement in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups.
The fund would benefit around 30,000 interns in the SME and startup industries, Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong said during the launch on Monday. LiKES, together with the existing National Structured Internship Programme, will offer allowances during the training period, he said.
“For the first time, the government introduced an internship matching grant to support our SMEs and startups,” Sim said. “Now, more employers can take part in a collective nation-building effort to nurture our young talents.
The LiKES matching grant covers internship periods of up to six months and is open for application by SMEs and startups registered with the Companies Commission of Malaysia.
Eligible applicants must offer internship placements lasting a minimum of 10 weeks and provide a stipulated minimum internship allowance, according to TalentCorp.
For interns pursuing Malaysian Skills Certificates level 1 to level 3, diploma and Malaysian Skills Diploma, the minimum allowance required is RM500 a month, with TalentCorp reimbursing RM250 a month.
On the other hand, for interns pursuing the Malaysian Advanced Skills Diploma, a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or a professional certificate, the minimum allowance required is RM600 a month, and TalentCorp will reimburse RM300 a month.
“This will level the internship playing field for SMEs” which constitute 97% of total businesses in the country, and contribute 48.2% to the country’s employment in 2022, Sim added.