Photo above: Participants of the MyDIGITAL GovTech Innovation skilling pilot program together with members from the Public Services Department (JPA), MyDIGITAL Corporation, the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU), and Microsoft. 

MyDIGITAL Corporation and Microsoft recently concluded their joint skilling pilot program through the MyDIGITAL GovTech Innovation Partnership, which recorded a participation of up to 80 civil servants from across 12 public sector agencies in only four weeks.

Besides MyDIGITAL Corporation, participants also came from key Government agencies in Malaysia including the Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Communications and Digital, Ministry of Local Government Development, the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU), Ministry of International Trade and Industry, Ministry of Women, Family, and Community Development, Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Human Resources, Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI).

Announced a year ago, the MyDIGITAL GovTech Innovation Partnership aimed to equip members of the civil service with digital skills and training. With civil service being at the forefront of the nation, the goal of the partnership is to support the nation’s aspiration for inclusive, responsible, and sustainable development in order to build economic resilience for a digital Malaysia.

The skilling pilot program featured workshops run by certified Microsoft trainers as well as self-learn platforms which participants can access on-demand, at their own pace. Participants were trained in fundamental digital skills, including Cloud and the Internet of Things (IoT), Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI), as well as Cybersecurity​. The program then culminated in an IDEATHON Challenge where the skills that they had learnt were used to create practical ideas to improve citizen centric services showcasing public sector innovation.

Fa’iza Hilmi Aziz, IT Assistant Director, Ministry of Economy who won first place at the IDEATHON Challenge demonstrated how he leverages technology to consolidate, extract, and transform unstructured data across various formats into a structured format where the data is now visualized and easily understandable.

Coming in second place is Dr. Nur Haryanie binti Haron, Senior Principal Assistant Director from MOH, who shared her idea about utilizing the Electronic National Centre for Disease Control as the primary system and point of contact to analyze, visualize, and predict data trends in future health to respond more efficiently to public health crises.

In third place is Dr. Sri Lakshmi Kanniah, Principle Assistant Director at MAMPU. She proposed an idea on how to integrate databases to enable analytics of costings and return of investment on ICT projects, across various ministries and agencies, to enable a more seamless and efficient work process.

Overall, the skilling pilot program saw a 15% increase in total score across the board and more than half of the total participants were awarded a certification of recognition and accomplishment by Microsoft that affirms their digital competencies. Additionally, those who completed the program demonstrated remarkable progress, with a growth from 15% to 77% of participants achieving advanced digital competency levels.

One such example is Dr. Mohd Fadzil bin Mohd Irwan, Senior Principal Assistant Director of the Hospital Management Services Unit at the Medical Development Division in MOH. He shared that, “Despite my lack of prior experience, knowledge, or skills in digital technology, participating in this program has provided me with a comprehensive understanding of how technology is incorporated within the work I do. Now, I can recognize and appreciate digital transformation in ensuring the sustainability of medical services for patients.”

Nazeera binti Mohamad, Assistant Director of the Malaysian Science and Technology Information Centre at the Strategic Data and Foresight Technology Division in MOSTI also shared her experience. “In only four weeks, I have experienced tremendous growth in my skillset. By leveraging technology, I can now analyze data more effectively and work more efficiently. The impact has been profound, not just on my professional development, but also on the overall efficiency and effectiveness of Malaysian government services.”

Present at the closing ceremony was YBrs. Dr. Aneese Ibrahim, Deputy Director-General of Public Service (Operations) of Public Services Department (JPA) who said, “The GovTech Innovation Skilling Program marks a significant step in our transformative journey towards a digitally-empowered civil service. This program has laid the foundation for a more digitally fluent public service, enabling us to leverage technology for positive change, streamline bureaucratic processes, empower citizens, and foster a citizen-centric approach, resulting in a more inclusive and responsive government.”

Chief Executive Officer of MyDIGITAL Corporation, Fabian Bigar also shared, “MyDIGITAL Corporation is committed to supporting the digital transformation journey of the civil service and the nation as a whole. However, nation-building is not a solitary venture; it is through strategic partnerships between government agencies, as well as players from the private sector like Microsoft, that we have been able to drive innovation, efficiency, and citizen-centricity in public service delivery. We hope that this kind of collaboration will continue moving forward as it is essential to building a stronger, digital nation together.”

Sheikh Manzoor, General Manager of the Public Sector Group at Microsoft Malaysia commented, “There is a clear demand for digital skills, both by employers and by the workforce. It is therefore critical that initiatives like our skilling pilot program with MyDIGITAL Corporation and MAMPU continue to exist, to keep our civil service equipped for the digital future so that they can be exemplars for the people at large. This aligns well with our Bersama Malaysia initiative which aims to deliver digital skills to drive the nation’s digital aspirations and enable opportunities for all Malaysians to thrive in the digital era.”

As part of their continued commitment to deliver digital skills for Malaysians, MyDIGITAL Corporation and Microsoft shared that they will also be inviting these digital accelerators into the Microsoft GovTech Circle of Excellence, where participants will have the opportunity to showcase their newfound expertise and achievements with other public service employees within the region.