This blog post is from our themed series on Malaysian Contentpreneurship in conjunction with the Malaysian national day celebrations. This week, we’re highlighting Malaysian learners who are taking the opportunity to upskill online.
The new normal has revealed that education is no longer a “one-and-done” event. As it is becoming evident that we need to regularly update our skills and knowledge for a fast-moving world, many Malaysians are also realising the wide range of opportunities presented by online learning and upskilling.
Education providers and contentpreneurs from all walks of life too have leveraged on online platforms to make a difference: many have started running online courses as a way to share their knowledge and experience to inspire and help others.
One such example is Norizan Sharif, whom we have written about in this article. After a successful career in the public sector, Norizan wanted to give back to the community by helping fresh graduates to enhance their soft skills.
What keeps me going is to see young people get a job, or move on to a better job. At this age, all I want is to somehow feel that I have made a little and indirect contribution to your success. That’s what motivates me!
Norizan Sharif, Skorlah Online, OpenLearning Contentpreneur
Building on his expertise and passion, he curated a series of online courses delivered in Bahasa Malaysia as an avenue for graduates, high school leavers, and unemployed youth to develop key communication and interpersonal skills.
To date, he has built four courses on Interpersonal and Human Relations, Persuasive Communication, Conflict Resolution and Personal Branding and Marketing. These bite-sized self-development courses are concise, digestible and practical, and have amassed a community of over 3,000 learners.
Norizan is just one of the changemakers in Malaysian education who are offering online courses to the public on OpenLearning. From this Malaysian Sign Language course, to this online water safety course, to this course that helps Malaysians land jobs—these Contentpreneurs don’t look to be slowing down anytime soon.
To understand the appeal of these online courses for learners, we asked a few of them about why they chose to join Norizan’s courses. Here’s what they said:
A universal reason for learning new skills online is the flexibility of being able to choose what, where, and when to learn.
Danish describes his experience of online learning as “a flexible way of learning.” He felt he was able to learn anywhere, and at any time, adding that “I can also learn at my own pace as different people learn at different paces.”
How do you write a resume for a changing job market?
Beyond listing your experiences and certifications, it will be important to collect evidence of your achievements – from group work, to completed projects and assignments. Online courses are the perfect medium for you to showcase and track your progress. On OpenLearning, this information is stored and linked to your profile in real-time via your OpenLearning Portfolio.
Hariz Jamaludin, who works in the estate management industry, decided to take Norizan’s course on Interpersonal and Human Relations and found it to be compact and applicable to his career pathway.
In a later LinkedIn post, Hariz said: “When the instructor came up with a second online course, I did not hesitate to sign up as I found it beneficial for my career and personal development.”
“The certificate issued at the end of the course is an added value to my resume. With affordable fees, I recommend those who want to add value to their resume to attend these courses.”
For Amy Mastura binti Hamzah, her background in business administration necessitated her decision to complete three of Norizan’s courses: Interpersonal and Human Relations, Persuasive Communication, and Conflict Resolution.
Amy also noted the flexibility of learning online: “I felt great because I can take a course from the comfort of my office or home. Even with a busy schedule, I can find some spare time to take a course or study for it.”
She, too, found that the courses added value to her life: “I want to change my attitude, develop skills, and increase my knowledge. I hope that by joining all these three courses, I can improve myself to be a better person.”
The micro-learning revolution has reached Malaysia’s shores—and whether you’re a learner or a course creator, you can be a part of it too. These flexible, career-boosting courses are here to stay, especially since more and more learners are considering this option to stay current and thrive in an uncertain, fast-changing world.
For learners:
And finally, to our Malaysian readers: happy national month! 🇲🇾
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