Second M100 Career Challenge

Top three winning teams

Twenty-four teams greeted the morning with loud cheers as they rehearse for the Best Cheer Competition during the M100 Career Challenge that was jointly organised by UTAR Department of Alumni Relations and Placement (DARP) and GTI Media Malaysia on 23 July 2016 at the Sports Complex, Kampar Campus.

Invited to grace the event were Ministry of Higher Education Principal Assistant Director for Division of Industrial Relations Shahrul Nizam bin Ahmad and Faculty of Science Dean Assoc Prof Dr Lim Tuck Meng. Present in support of the event were also GTI Media Malaysia Director Loh Kwai Nam and the participating companies, namely Berjaya Corporation, Eco World Development Group, RHB Bank, Genting Resort World, Talent Corporation Malaysia, S P Setia, and JobsCentral Malaysia.

“Today is an opportune day because the M100 Career Challenge is a perfect platform for the participants to build strong networks with potential employers.  As you compete in the various challenges, I hope you will do your best to impress them with your talent,” said Shahrul Nizam during his opening speech.

With the objective to help participants showcase their talents to the potential employers and connect with them, Dr Lim championed the event as being part of UTAR’s efforts to raising student awareness of career development.

“UTAR is committed to nurturing students with the necessary cultural diversity, academic excellence, industry relevance, and accountability to mould individuals with well-rounded personalities and a competitive edge for the employment market,” said Dr Lim.

From left: Shahrul Nizam and Dr Lim presenting their speeches during the opening

Taking over as the speeches concluded was the Best Cheer Competition, where each team was required to impress the judges with their creative cheers. The panel of judges consisted of representatives from the respective participating companies.

Afterwards, the event progressed to the main event, the M100 Career Challenge. Each team of six raced across the field as Dr Lim and Shahrul Nizam flagged off for the challenge. With only a time frame of five hours, participants had to complete as many physical and mental challenges as possible at the 13 stations located throughout the vicinity of the Kampar Campus.

Despite battling the challenges in the blazing heat, participants remained positive and were pleased with their achievements. Team 10’s intrigued of the challenges motivated their participation. The team — consisting of Business Administration (Entrepreneurship) students Low Kelvin, Foon Jian Xian, and Chow Yuen Yee; Finance students Lim Fong Yee and Chew Leng Joe; and Economics (Financial Economics) student Mak Kah Weng — articulated their excitement for being able to have fun while acquiring skills such as teamwork, patience, problem-solving, and communication. They also expressed their support for the future event and looked forward to their participation again.

Towards the end of the M100 Career Challenge, each representative from the participating companies was presented with a souvenir by Loh as a token of appreciation for their support. It was then followed by the much anticipated prize presentation ceremony to the top three winners.

Team 3 emerged as the grand prize winner and was presented by Loh with a RM3,000 cash prize. Second place was awarded by RHB Bank Recruitment Specialist Muhammad Irfan to Team 18 which received RM2,000. Team 15 came in third and won RM1,000, presented by S P Setia Senior Manager for Recruitment and Selection Yoon Yoke Moon. All the winners also received certificates, T-shirts, and goody bags.

Other awards presented included Best Team Cheer to Team 18, Best Teamwork to Team 3, and Best Team Leader to Team 13’s Krishen Chin Jie Haw, a Civil Engineering student.

Clockwise from top left: Winners of Best Teamwork, Best Team Cheer, and Best Leader with Loh

 Participating companies, participants, and organisers posing at the end of the event