Twenty-two students today received the first-of-its-kind Maybank Foundation Scholarship Awards, in which they are given the opportunity to pursue their education at 36 selected top foreign universities from pre-university level. The total value of the scholarships is RM 13.2 million.
The 22 recipients are bright students who not only excelled in their studies but also came out in the top quartile amongst the applicants' total score in the battery of assessments they were required to take within the application process. They also met the additional criteria set of coming from middle to low income households. They would have to complete 24 months of Cambridge A Levels studies locally before enrolling themselves in the top foreign universities to continue their first degree.
These top universities include University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, London School of Economics, the US Ivy League universities (Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University) or top Australia universities such as Australian National University, University of Melbourne, and Monash University.
Speaking at the presentation ceremony in Menara Maybank, the President & CEO of Maybank cum Chairman of Maybank Foundation’s Board of Trustees, Dato Sri’ Abdul Wahid Omar said, “The scholarship is more than just developing academic skills and employment security upon graduation. Our recognition last year as the No 1 preferred employer and No 1 employer of choice in the financial services sector by some of the bright minds and graduates in Malaysia and the region is resultant of the hard work and constant attention we place to nurture the right organisation culture for our people to thrive in.”
He further said, “At Maybank, we are committed towards lifelong learning and the career progression of our people. This is demonstrated through the varied and comprehensive development opportunities from training to development interventions that have been emplaced to cater for the diverse aspirations and needs of fellow Maybankers.”
The scholars will also be exposed to a comprehensive development programme which includes a mentoring framework, opportunities for internships, and development interventions such as time management, effective problem solving and innovative thinking to harness their full potential and sharpen their skills. The new recruits are guided and rotated to different aspects of the business for the first two years upon joining Maybank.
The Maybank scholarship awards are given to students pursuing financial and non–financial disciplines. These are aligned with Maybank’s global presence and support our aspiration to be a regional financial services leader operating from the heart of Asia where talents with international exposure and different disciplines enrich and complement the people in our Group.
This group of scholars will join the 19 scholars who received scholarships earlier in March 2012 to further their studies in local universities
There currently are 95 students on Maybank scholarships undergoing various stages of study for which more than RM6.5 million is spent yearly.
The Maybank scholarship programme was instituted in 1992 and to date over 1,000 students have benefitted. The objective of the programme is to support Maybank Foundation’s ongoing efforts to support human capital development in the country as well as to encourage the spirit of excellence among the young.