Maybank launched an undergraduate internship attachment programme for the techies at Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU), by recruiting 18 aspiring Year-2 students of information technology studies for a four-month attachment at Maybank’s head office tech department

During the launching ceremony of handing over the appointment letters to the selected talents held at APU’s campus on July 22, Maybank’s Group Chief Technology Officer, Mr Mohd Suhail Amar Suresh affirmed, “APU is an institute that gives you the right foundation that set you for professional growth.”

Maybank Techies Internship Programme aims to attract young promising professionals from APU to be part of Maybank and Group Technology and to further strengthen the bank’s talent pipeline. It will provide the selected interns with technical training and exposure to a real work environment, as well as digital projects throughout the journey.

According to Suhail, the selected interns will be attached to roles among three key focus areas, namely, Digital App Development, Cloud and Cybersecurity. As the largest financial institution in the country with current total employees of 44,000, building up technology capacity is one of the major pillars of Maybank.

“As part of your training cycle, you can get yourself exposed to the entire tech ecosystem and identify a niche area for yourself,” Suhail addressed the interns.

At the ceremony, Mr Gurpardeep Singh, Chief Operating Officer, APU, congratulated the inductees, “This is a very important programme as it takes you through a very structured talent development process. It reflects Maybank's interest and commitment to this area and also brings the best talents into the bank.”

Thanking Maybank for pioneering this initiative exclusively with APU, Gurpardeep also encouraged students to make the most of this valuable opportunity and ensure they learn as much as possible so that they put their best foot forward as APU’s ambassadors. “Make sure you make us proud,” he urged.

Thrilled to be chosen, Shreeya Bai Sugaythran, a BSc (Hons) in Computer Science with a Specialism in Digital Forensics student said, “I just trusted the selection process and gave my best during the interview!”

According to Shreeya, during the interview session, she was asked a few technical questions based on her understanding and the projects that she had done. Three days later, good news landed in her email inbox. “My starting date at Maybank would be on the 1 st of August, I will be working in the Delivery and Ops Digital Banking department.”

For the four-month internship, Shreeya hopes to explore the variety of the industry and the career options she has got. “I would like to have access to mentors from whom I can learn and rely to navigate me into the work environment. The internship would give me a chance to work with motivated and smart people which I believe would naturally make me work harder and give me an enjoyable experience which would eventually perfect my interpersonal skills.”

Lee Zi Rock, a BSc (Hons) in Computer Science with a specialism in Data Analytics recalled the nerve-wracking selection process, “The final interview was done in a group, I think it was a harsh competition as all the candidates were in the same room and were aware of how others performed.”

However, Lee likes to pass down the winning tips to his juniors, “Besides being well prepared for everything, having a better understanding of ourselves helps us perform well in any situation. I am always confident to show my strengths, weaknesses, skills, knowledge, experiences, and even stories.”

Lee expressed that he hopes to learn something new in this internship programme to get prepared for his final year of study. “It is a great opportunity for me to spark my passion, and I believe this internship will help me identify my interest and path in my future career,” said the young talent who wishes to understand how data affects and runs the world, identify the future patterns and catch the trends.

Adjani Putri Cemylla Udayana is an international student from Indonesia who entering her final year studying for a BSc (Hons) in Computer Science, was also selected for the programme.

“I hope to gain new skills and information on big data and machine learning through the task and the learning provided. On top of that, I want to feel what it is like to work in a corporate world. Moreover, I hope to make friends and gain connections during my time there,” said Adjani.

During their internship, students will expand their understanding of the financial services industry. At the same time, they will develop essential soft skills such as business communication, time management and workplace etiquette, thus increasing graduate employability.