The English Crib is a year-long project aimed at elevating the command of the English language among the secondary students in rural school Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Seri Sepang by making learning fun for them. The programme comprises two major components, the first of which was to make over a classroom into an English resource centre called The English Crib.

Setting up The English Crib

Work on the classroom began in July, when 60 employees dedicated their time to clean, paint, shop for items and install furniture to set up The English Crib using the funds raised from the Lunchbox Programme.

Launch of The English Crib

Alas, when The english Crib was ready, it was officially launched by Malaysia Deputy Minister of Education Yang Berhormat P Kamalanathan in an official launch ceremony on 29 July 2016. The launch saw the involvement of 45 ONE J&J MY employees from various departments, some of whom set up learning booths to teach the students about proper facial/skin care, eye care and dental care.

During the launch, YB Kamalanathan acknowledged the great need for English language enrichment in the country and praised ONE J&J MY for our efforts in The English Crib.

Experiential Workshop
Following the launch, APCC Malaysia gathered 30 ONE J&J Malaysia volunteers to participate in the experiential workshop. Volunteers attended a four-hour training prior, so they are well-prepared to interact with the students. The experiential workshop was then held over two days.

Subsequently, APCC Malaysia held a series of workshops to engage and interact with the students. The interactive workshops help build confidence among the students in using the English language, such as public speaking and comprehension.
A total of 292 ONE Johnson & Johnson Malaysia permanent and contract employees from various departments (HR, RA, Sales, marketing -Retail and Hospital, Supply Chain, Procurement, Admin, Vision Care, Operation, Communications) took part in the English Crib. This represented involvement from 51% of total ONE J&J MY employees, compared with 28% in the previous year.

Lunchbox programme
The English Crib kickstarted in May 2016 with the Lunch Box programme, where 12 members of the country management board created, cooked and sold lunch sets to employees. This all-inclusive initiative was aimed to familiarize everyone to The English Crib and to raise initial funds to make over a classroom into The English Crib, an English resource centre that allows the students of SMK Seri Sepang secondary students to learn the language in a conducive environment.

Following that, employees were encouraged to donate unused or unwanted household items such as bookshelves, tv, tables and chairs, as well as english learning materials such as books, DVDs and boardgames through a month-long donation drive in the office.

“Inspired by children for children” is a calendar project supported by AmMetLife Insurance Berhad in collaboration with ANGSANAcare. ANGSANAcare, a fully registered not-for-profit Malaysian Society, created as a support service to palliative care for underprivileged paediatric patients in Hospital Kuala Lumpur. As a life insurance provider, AmMetLife Insurance Berhad is supportive of ANGSANAcare’s mission to provide psychological and holistic therapies to paediatric palliative care patients and their families. All art pieces of this charity project were provided by paediatric palliative care families. The art featured in this calendar are original creations of children who have benefitted from art, play or music therapy provided by ANGSANAcare.

AmMetLife Health Day at SJK(C) St Teresa

AmMetLife launches Annual Health Day Campaign at local school in conjunction with the Malaysia Open MetLife BWF World Superseries Premier.100 students from SJK(C) St. Teresa Brickfields learned the proper techniques of playing badminton at the launch of the AmMetLife Health Day 2017 together with Malaysia’s badminton legends.

SUBANG: Negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) are still ongoing and likely to see a conclusion in November this year during the Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) meeting in Manila.

International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said Malaysia remained open to proposals raised by other participating countries on the TPPA.

The trade pact was painfully negotiated over more than five years  but is now uncertain following US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from it. The 11 countries left, including Malaysia, are still deciding the pact’s future.

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WASHINGTON (July 18): The United States and Malaysia will establish working groups to address trade matters such as labor, intellectual property and the environment, US officials announced Monday.

The agreement came following a meeting between Malaysian authorities and officials from the office of the US Trade Representative.

“The United States is holding talks with key trading partners across Asia, reflecting the priority the Trump Administration places on deepening trade ties with countries in the region,” the office said in a statement.

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AMCHAM is hiring. Please go to Jobs Online on our website and help us find the right people or spread the word.

AMCHAM was delighted to host the Malaysian Prime Minister on July 11 and now, will be refocusing onto a new challenge. The Chamber will host the APCAC 2018 Business Summit in Kuala Lumpur April 4 – 5, 2018. Mark your Calendars. If you’re not familiar with APCAC, let me just share with you what APCAC is all about and why it’s important for businesses to be involved in this summit.

The Asia-Pacific Council of American Chambers of Commerce (APCAC) is an association of 29 independent member American Chambers located in 22 economies of the Asia-Pacific Region. APCAC represents the growing interests of over 15,000 business entities, over 50,000 American business executives in the region, and 15 million employees.

The APCAC Business Summit is hosted each spring by an APCAC member and In 2018 Malaysia’s AMCHAM will play host to more than 300 business and industry leaders as well as media, academia, policy experts, and top government officials from the U.S. and across the Asia-Pacific region, that typically attend. The annual summit provides a valuable platform for dialogue on key issues, networking and business development.

As we shape the program we are looking for some committed individuals to provide input and help support the APCAC 2018 Business Summit. If you’d like to be involved, drop me a line at [email protected] and, please consider being a sponsor so that you can showcase your presence in the region.

On 15th June 2017, JA Malaysia organized the YE Report Writing Workshop for the Young Enterprise Competition. This workshop was centred around the various reports that the students needed to write up as the program moves closer to the final stage. As the Annual YE Sales Fair draws closer, students were not only prepped on the best ways to write their reports but also certain criteria’s that the judges will look out for.

Some of the reports include an Annual Report, Share Value Growth Report, Product Report, Marketing Report, ICT Report and CSR Project Report. This may seem like mountain of work for the students, but this workload is shared among all the members of the enterprise. Once the reports are judged, the students will be eligible for several awards to recognize their efforts.

This competition is part of the Asia Pacific JA Company of the Year Competition. This is where JA Company Program students across Asia Pacific proudly present the results of their enterprise and their learning experiences. Each member will have to demonstrate their understanding of how and why their company performed the way it did.

Furthermore, it is also exciting times as our Northern counterparts are organizing the Penang Annual YE Sales Fair on the 15th and 16th July 2017. We wish all students both in the central and northern region a successful and fruitful competition.