HLF offers scholarship and career opportunities to students

UTAR Division of Examinations, Awards and Scholarships (DEAS) conducted a briefing session on Hong Leong Foundation (HLF) Scholarship Programme and Career Advancement at Sungai Long Campus on 25 February 2020. The main objective of the briefing was to provide detailed information about the scholarship offered by Hong Leong Group and the various positions it offers to potential applicants.

Ong explaining the HLF Scholarship Programme to participants

The presenter of the briefing was Hong Leong Assurance Berhad Manager Ong Hui Ying. She started her talk with a brief introduction on the Hong Leong Group, its history, vision and mission. “Hong Leong Group has 13 listed companies with over 500 operating subsidiaries and associate companies around the world. The Hong Leong bank is only a small part of the business. The organisation mainly focuses on five areas which are manufacturing and industries, hospitality and leisure, Hong Leong Financial Group, Property Development and Investment, as well as principal investment,” she said.

According to her, HLF provides opportunities for the underprivileged group to have higher education and be the next generation of leaders in industries. The Foundation believes that people’s life and future can be changed by education. “To ensure the success of the programme, we will conduct enrichment programmes, internship placement, and scholars talent pathway. We are not only providing funds but also continuous support throughout their studies. We will ensure that the scholars are equipped with sufficient knowledge and skills to cope with the challenges in the real world,” she said. She then added, “After funding, we will also have programmes such as Reach Out and Rise (ROAR), vocational studies called Learn and Earn to prepare the students for the working world, as well as career talk and internship programme to allow them to explore their career path.”

She highlighted the importance of internship and said, “Once you enter into your workplace, you need to sustain your job for at least one year to avoid bad impression from your potential employer when they refer to your resume. Therefore, an internship is a good opportunity for you to try and explore the real-world working environment.”

HLF offers scholarships to students who intend to pursue further studies in higher education

She further explained the entry requirement for HLF Scholarship and provided the guidelines to apply for the scholarship. She also shared the top reasons for unemployment among fresh graduates and urged the participants to develop soft skills as these skills have become a necessity in today’s global scenario. Furthermore, she introduced several job opportunities available in Hong Leong Assurance to the participants and encouraged them to actively explore more career options such as underwriter, customer service employee, legal operations, information technology officer and many more.

The Hong Leong Foundation was established in 1992 to empower the most disadvantaged Malaysians to rise from poverty through the pillars of education and community welfare. The Foundation believes that providing scholarship is about providing opportunities- giving the students an avenue to attain higher education qualification and equip themselves with essential knowledge and skills to secure employment upon completion of their studies.