Malaysia’s technological advancement is coming back strong from the Covid-19 lull with a significant impact on the labour market. The demand is high for digital natives with an inherent understanding of digital technology or at least those with transferable digital skills.

To meet this growing demand, it is high time the gaps are filled with an all-inclusive workforce, by opening up more opportunities to minorities, the underprivileged and even those with physical limitations or persons with disabilities (PWD).

According to the Department of Social Welfare Malaysia (JKM) statistics dated 31 December 2022, there were about 633,653 registered PWDs in the country. This reflects a huge potential of untapped human capital for the local and regional industries gearing up for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR4.0).

The awareness of upskilling or reskilling of PWDs in tech is still relatively low which drives airasia academy’s mission in spearheading this movement with accredited, in-demand digital technology courses via Instructor-Led Training (ILT) and flexible On-Demand Learning (ODL) developed by subject matter experts and experienced tech trainers with the support of the Government and its agencies.

As a one-stop leadership, innovation and education technology provider, airasia academy is committed to upskilling and reskilling the nation’s workforce with tech training and more to fill in the talent gap in response to the rise in its demand. By promoting values of inclusivity, accessibility and affordability, people from any background, including those from stigmatised minorities such as PWDs, are able to gain access to this e-learning ecosystem and attend the digital courses thus become highly employable.

Image caption: **Director of Strategy & Innovation of airasia academy, Dr. Ram Gopal Raj** (far right) with PWD learners sponsored by Yayasan Peneraju.

“For people with disability, the Fourth Industrial Revolution will give us superpowers.” - Birgit Skarstein, Double Paralympic athlete and World Rowing Champion, Norway

The ILT program is levelling the playing field for the differently-abled individuals together with the huge support from government and non-governmental organisations (NGO) like Yayasan Peneraju and the Malaysian Disability Youth Council (MBOKU). This full sponsorship programme not only helps PWDs but also women from the B40 group, single parents, university graduates and the unemployed to upskill or reskill themselves in courses such as Data Analytics, Digital Marketing, Software Engineering, Cloud Infrastructure and Cybersecurity.

Two inspiring differently-abled individuals with a zeal for tech

Adam Ikmal Zarin Ikmal, 26, is a two-time stroke survivor. He suffered from left brain and right brain strokes which caused paralysis to both sides of his body, vision problems and speech impairment. After months of therapy and a long recovery process, he persevered and regained his physical functions through daily routines.

A day in Adam’s life involves practising speech therapy exercises in front of the mirror and working until the wee hours of the morning. Adam is gregarious and enjoys getting to know people and helping them. Working as an airasia ride driver, he manages to do exactly that despite his speech disorder. During one of his rides, he met the President (Investment & Ventures) of Capital A, Aireen Omar. As fate would have it, they exchanged stories and the rest, as they say, is history.

“Aireen convinced me that data is the future and will become a necessity just like Microsoft Office,” said Adam.

Being young and adventurous, Adam, an explorer of the world has always been interested in technology. With an aptitude for computers from the age of 12, he could sense the potential of pursuing a career in an IT-related industry. As an e-sport enthusiast, he even taught himself coding by playing online games. Following Aireen’s advice, he enrolled himself in the Data Analytics course at airasia academy under the Yayasan Peneraju scholarship.

Intending to join the industry and help people around the world as a digital nomad, Adam now has a better understanding of how data analytics work and how they are important for the future. He understands the importance of data and how all companies need to harness them to make better strategic decisions, minimise risks and drive revenue.

Adam proved during his time in the programme that resilience is key to thriving in life. After finishing his classes at 5 pm, he would continue his driving job until late at night. He expressed appreciation for the patience and thoughtfulness of the airasia academy team concerning his ongoing job while attending the courses.

“I want to acquire a holistic approach in digital and have more choices in becoming employed for work. Besides data analytics, I am also interested in understanding more about cloud. I believe that cloud integration is the first process to communicate and command data before you can analyse it. Oracle is a good example of a big data company that uses the cloud for its database management,” said Adam.

Ultimately, Adam wants to do the things that bring him joy by helping those in need. Acquiring data analytics skills is a stepping stone for him to extend his values. While working full-time, Adam is gaining more knowledge about cloud integration through online courses and is on his way to gaining more micro-credentials.

“Since everything is online, the demand for data analytics is gaining traction,” said Maizan Nordin, 29.

An ambitious Selangorian who was born with Spina Bifida, a condition that affects the spine resulting in weakness or total paralysis of the legs, Maizan Nordin, 29, is also a Data Analytics graduate and a Yayasan Peneraju scholarship program Valedictorian. With her powered wheelchair in motion, she sets out to gain greater skills in data analysis.

She discovered the programme from MBOKU of which she is an active member. Initially, she had doubts about whether the academy had the proper facilities for PWDs like her. To her surprise, she found it easy to move about and was able to complete her course with minimal assistance.

Her personal experience with smartphone apps piqued her interest in the use of technology and data. Due to her restricted movement, the advanced digital space has made things easier for her and other PWDs to carry out everyday tasks like ordering food and shopping. Maizan witnessed the growing demand for PWDs in the industry and recognised that data could be beneficial for all types of different-abled people.

The youngest of four, Maizan is an avid learner. With a Bachelor’s Degree of Human Sciences (Political Science) (Honours) from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Maizan majored in policy-making, public interest and the Islamic view of modern-day philosophy. After graduation, she worked as a project coordinator for about a year before joining airasia academy’s Data Analytics course under the Yayasan Peneraju scholarship program.

Photo caption: Maizan with her Data Analytics coursemates during the 10-day Yayasan Peneraju scholarship program at **airasia academy** recently.

“The course empowers me to pursue a promising career in data sciences. Now that I know that there’s a big demand for this skill, it gives me the confidence to explore more hybrid-oriented job opportunities. This programme is a huge opportunity for people like me but unfortunately there is still a lack of awareness of tech training for PWDs,” said Maizan.

It has given her a new outlook on her future career. From helping more people in different PWD categories to earning a stable income and having the flexibility of remote work. For Maizan, it means that she can go for hospital appointments and undergo follow-ups with her specialist with no pressure of leaving her desk empty for days or weeks.

According to Maizan, a great number of people from various backgrounds which includes not only PWDs but also B40 women, underprivileged minorities and the likes can reap the benefits from the comprehensive boot camp courses airasia academy has to offer. As the world is shifting progressively towards digital, more experts in different information technology (IT) areas will be necessitated.

Now, with the aspiration to join the digital bandwagon, she is actively exploring the free one-year subscription to airasia academy’s ODL platform, diving deeper into data analytics.

Photo caption: Maizan and her fellow graduates posing for the airasia academy’s Class of 2022 Graduation Ceremony at AirAsia RedQ, KLIA

Filling in the tech gap with PWD talents

It is imperative to spread the word and ensure that the differently-abled are uniformly considered in the digital workforce as it can drive them towards greater achievements in the IR4.0. In doing this, companies developing their technology can expand their business with a disability-inclusive manpower by having a different perspective and improving employability for the PWD talent pool.

Rising above their physical and emotional challenges, Adam and Maizan are voices of resilience and tenacity, overcoming adversities in pursuit of stability and success . They have a lot to offer to the world but mostly to themselves to go past the wheels of a driver and a paraplegic, and expand their horizon. airasia academy is proud to have them and all those who joined the programmes to develop themselves in IT and beyond.

To find out more about the platform, courses and scholarships offered by airasia academy, visit www.airasiaacademy.com and kickstart your career in tech.

Towards a more inclusive digital frontier with tech-trained PWD