During an internship at the Central Bank of Malaysia, Alicia discovered that the youth unemployment rate in the region is high. In response to this knowledge, Alicia started UpSkill ASEAN, which is a platform that helps connect exemplary students with opportunities such as business challenges, conferences, internships, and exchange programs to hone their soft skills – in particular, analytical, communication and leadership skills. Alicia used the grant funding to purchase copyrights and to create training courses with local accelerator programs including Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre (MaGIC).

Five-Year Project Goals:

• To build a healthy and supportive community of local graduates
• To increase the youth employability rate in the region
• To elevate the quality of work local graduates are able to produce

Organization Information: UpSkill ASEAN

The mission is to address the region’s deficit of soft skills by raising awareness among local college and university students and connecting them with opportunities to hone aforementioned skills. The organization utilizes student volunteers who mainly act as ambassadors and are the first to know about new opportunities. As an UpSkill ASEAN Ambassador, students are provided with networking opportunities with their ASEAN peers while honing their interpersonal skills.