Young Graduate In SL1M Programme Claims Company Gave Empty Career Promises

In a series of tweets, a young woman took to Twitter on 8 September to share her experience when she accepted an offer to work under the SL1M programme from a recruitment company in Kuala Lumpur.

SL1M is a programme that was established in 2011 by the government to empower graduates with skills and experience to improve their marketability for employment. Participants of the SL1M programme will undergo trainings to gain working experience and learn proper work procedures from the companies they are in.

She alleged that she was promised the opportunity to develop relevant skills to build her career. However, she ended up spending "eight hours in front of the computer every day" doing data entry work and assigned to do menial tasks such as sorting receipts during her stint in the training programme.**

She said that she was informed that the programme she was in is not actually SL1M. Instead, it was a programme known as 'CLIMB Project'.

She was initially told that there were many career opportunities, although that was not the case in reality. Some trainees apparently started feeling worried that they may not get the necessary job training that they were expecting, but they were assured that there is a high chance for workers to be absorbed into the company's permanent workforce.

According to her, those who completed the six-month training programme will receive a RM500 "completion allowance". However, the completion allowance was only given to those who received an offer to become a permanent employee, and only 40 out of 800 people received the offer.

"However, my happiness was short-lived. Suddenly the management told me that the RM500 are AEON vouchers. If we are to receive cash, the amount would be RM250 only," she said, adding that she did not even receive the incentive then.

It was also alleged that other workers from a different batch was promised a holiday and a set of formal business attire, as they prepare to step into the working world. However, the workers apparently only received a powerbank upon completion of the six-month training.

"Even then, some of them have only used it (the powerbank) for two days before it became faulty."

She also claimed that the salary offered for a permanent job is RM1,200. The amount is apparently less than the allowance given during the training period, which is RM1,500.

"I do not mind doing those clerical work. What I mind is the lies. They said there were many job opportunities for engineering, accountant, executives," she wrote in a tweet.

It was learned that she eventually quit the job when she got another job offer to work in another company.

In the latest update that was posted today, 13 September, she said that the company involved has settled all the pending allowance, and the rest of the participants would also receive their allowance soon.

The authorities were aware that there have been complaints on social media about companies taking advantage of SL1M trainees. New Straits Times (NST) quoted SL1M secretariat head Norashikin Ismail, as saying that they are currently investigating the matter.

"We will not hesitate to initiate legal action on any companies who have misused the SL1M platform or misused our branding to deceive the public," she said, adding these companies might be named and shamed.

It was learned that there have been complaints against companies that have registered to participate in the SL1M programme, but failed to provide a proper training programme for the trainees. Some companies have also reportedly tricked unsuspecting and desperate job seekers by claiming to be subsidiaries of well-known companies.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said that public-listed companies will have to participate in the SL1M or they may not secure contracts with the Malaysian government. As it is, companies that participate in the SL1M programme are entitled to double-tax deduction incentive or HRDF-SL1M scheme for training expenses incurred.

It was reported that some 126,000 graduates have secured jobs under the SL1M programme since its inception.