Ministry of Economy launches 'one of a kind' digital leadership programme

• Aimed at developing leadership in both public and private sectors
• Partners ASB)/MIT Sloan Management, AWS, Google Cloud, IBM, Microsoft

The Malaysian government, in its effort to build up the nation's digital ecosystem, announced the launch of a new initiative called the Executive Digital Leadership (EDL) Programme. Calling the initiative "one of a kind", Minister of Economy Rafizi Ramli said it aims to develop organization leadership in both the public and private sectors to bolster the country's digital economy, having already been identified as a High Growth How Value (HGHV) sector. 

The objective is to inculcate digital skills in those in leadership roles, which Rafizi noted is in contrast to most upskilling programmes by the government at the moment that focus on talents at the lower echelons. 

The Ministry of Economy, through MyDIGITAL Corporation, has established a strategic partnership with Asia School of Business (ASB)/MIT Sloan Management, along with a consortium of global tech companies, including Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, IBM, Microsoft, and regional e-commerce player, Shopee. Together they will administer the three-month long EDL Programme, giving participants a blend of learning experiences using "immersive learning" modules, providing invaluable insights into global tech company operations.

Opportunity to network with experts from around the world

The EDL Programme is centred around three core objectives: Empower upper-management with the skills required to steer the digital economy; Develop digitalisation processes in public and private sectors; and align government agencies' policies to meet the changing demands of the private sector relating to digitalisation and technology use.

The curriculum includes modules such as Digital Transformation, Ethics, Cybersecurity & Data, Cloud Computing and Emerging Technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, 5G, IoT, Big Data analysis, Blockchain, and AR/VR. Attendees will have the opportunity to network with entrepreneurs, academics, and tech company experts from around the world, with about 75% of the program will be conducted face-to-face and 25% online.

Upon successful completion of the 3-month program, participants will receive a Certificate of Completion in Executive Digital Leadership issued jointly by Asia School of Business and MIT Sloan Management.

U$1.1 million budget to start with

Rafizi says that the hope is that this programme will result in more creativity in the Malaysian economy, along with faster decision-making. "We hope over the years we will have senior leadership of the public service and the private sector who are in tune with the latest tech trends."

Around US$1.1 million (RM5 million) has been earmarked for the EDL this year, most of which will be one-off setup costs. Rafizi says that the experience of implementing the first cohort later this year will give a better indication of how much will be needed going forward.

Applications are now open, and the details can be accessed here. The eligibility criteria include at least 5 years of work experience, a university degree, and strong command of English.