Thursday June, 20 2013
By: Razak Ahmad
PUTRAJAYA: The first batch of interns selected under the Perdana Fellows Programme will start serving as aides to the country’s ministers from July 5.
Under the programme managed by the Youth and Sports Ministry, about 70 participants will be selected soon from a batch of over 400 applicants.
Those selected will be assigned to work for each Cabinet member including the Prime Minister for three to six months.
“The main objective of the programme is to identify and develop young talents who can be groomed into becoming key government leaders in the future,” Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said.
The programme is open to Malaysian undergraduates and recent graduates from local as well as international institutions of higher learning.
Each minister will be assigned two interns to mentor, said Khairy.
The interns will first undergo an orientation programme by the Youth and Sports Ministry to familiarise them with government basics before being assigned to ministers.
They will then be expected to carry out tasks to assist the ministers, ranging from conducting research to being involved with the ministry’s social media programmes.
Those who have undergone the programme will be issued certificates, and those who perform well will be given the option of continuing to serve with ministers or take up suitable positions in the civil service.
Khairy said the programme was the brainchild of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and was set up because the Government felt the best way to nurture future leaders in the administration was to expose them early to the challenges faced when working at the top level of the Government.
The deadline for applications was originally set for today, but Khairy said he was willing to continue accepting applications “for the next few days”.
The programme seeks Malaysians under the age of 30 with a strong academic record and active in extra-curricular activities.
Interested applicants need to submit a 500-word essay to demonstrate their knowledge on public policy and the ability to formulate dynamic ideas to solve problems at the national level. -- The Star Online
More information on the programme can be found at http://www.perdanafellows.com
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