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By: Ir. Sodri Ariffin
Tunas Mekar Project was initiated by Y.A.B. Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. He proposed a smart partnership arrangement between graduates and SME entrepreneurs. The two main objectives of the project are to improve SME performance and to get graduates expose the world of entrepreneurship. Graduates are placed with SME as apprentices for a period of one to two years where they will help entrepreneurs with new management technique and in process these graduates will get to learn valuable hand on experience which can help them choose entrepreneurship as their careers. A lecturer from UiTM is appointed as business councilor to give business counseling and advice on a monthly basis to the entrepreneur and graduate.
Tunas Mekar Project was started on 20th May 2005 in Penang, followed by Wilayah FELDA, Terengganu, Kedah, Johor, Kelantan, Melaka, Pahang and Selangor. Presently, the project in Pahang and Selangor is in progress. While project in Penang, Kedah, Johor, Kelantan and Melaka have completed its two years duration. We are actively recruiting graduates for the second series for Penang and other states.
A total of 240 graduates have been enrolled for the project and about 176 have completed a minimum of one year apprenticeship. The number of graduates dropped out are fairly high during the first few months of the project start up (64 graduates) as many of them are not up to the rigorous demand of being an entrepreneurs. This is considered normal and within our expectation as many of them aspire the perks and fruits of being entrepreneurs but do not possess the necessary qualities of successful entrepreneurs.
Based on an impact studies done on the project in July 2007, 90% of the entrepreneurs and 95% of the graduates involved with the project are satisfied with the project and 82% of the entrepreneurs have reported improvement in sales and profit level. Presently, 112 graduates from the program have started small business in such areas as restaurant, trading, grocery shop, cleaning services, construction, photography shop, beauty services, printings, computer sale and services, child care services, etc Their experiences with Tunas Mekar have prove to be very valuable when they apply for financing facilities from institution like PUNB, MARA, SME Bank, Agro Bank, Tekun as these institutions are very supportive and have lend start up capital to them.
Graduates chosen for the project must aspire to be entrepreneurs and are imbued with entrepreneurial characteristic such as determine, hard working, resilience, adventurous and willing to take calculated risk. Generally, those graduates with parents involving in business are more likely to exhibit such characteristics.
The choices of entrepreneurs for the Tunas Mekar project depend on the following factors:-
- The business sector should have good potential in term of market size presently and good future growth potential.
- Capital required to start a business in that area are not too big and within the graduate capability to raise the sources of fund.
- The sector chosen must match with the sector applied by the graduates.
- The entrepreneur himself are positives and supportive toward the objectives of Tunas Mekar. There is no place for one who are only interested to get free labours without serious intention to develop the graduates to become entrepreneurs.
Those interested may contact Tunas Mekar office at:
Level 4, Canseleri Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin,
Bhg. Jaringan Industri & Masyarakat,
UiTM Shah Alam.
Tel: 03 55443699, 03 55443769
Faks: 03 55443535
Email:
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Website: http://tunasmekar.uitm.edu.my/
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