Innovative and adaptive approaches to employment and work are required in the pandemic era and beyond. This was the key takeaway from The Youth Employment (YEM) Convention, a project developed as a result of the Ship for Southeast Asian and Japanese Youth Programme (SSEAYP) Youth Conference 2021, which was held from March 19 to 20.
The convention was open to participants from Japan and ASEAN member states. It comprised workshops, forums, and networking and mentorship sessions.
The local event partners were Brunei Youth Council (BYC), Global Shapers Community Bandar Seri Begawan (GSCBSB) and Young Professionals Network (YPN) Brunei. The Outgoing Curator of GSCBSB Syahmi Zulfadhli @ Mims Sidi was one of the advisors for the convention.
The convention was initiated to raise awareness on employment sector issues and challenges among the youth in Japan-ASEAN. Fostering intercultural engagements, it provided an avenue for a comprehensive intellectual discourse of ideas and perspectives.
The convention began with an opening ceremony followed by a panel discussion titled ‘Career 101: Improving Your Long Term Prospects’. The panel provided an overview of long-term career prospects for young professionals in Southeast Asia, discussing the different skills required and accreditations available. Human Resources Director at Brunei Shell Petroleum Sdn Bhd Hajah Zainab MA Omar was invited as a speaker to share her insights and experiences.
The convention’s first workshop was held later in the afternoon. Titled ‘Making a Mark in the New Normal’ and led by Mark Jacinto from the Philippines, the workshop aimed to provide participants with the ability to design frameworks in order to solve problems using the skills needed in the new normal.
A second panel discussion followed on ‘Trends & Shifts: Preparing for New Paradigms of Works’. The discussion expanded the participants’ awareness and understanding of digitalisation, how it influences the job market, the challenges that come with digitalisation and how to overcome these challenges. Pamela Nicole Mejia from the Philippines led the second workshop of the day, titled ‘Finding the Intrapreneur in You’, in which participants were taught how to start and grow their businesses. There was a practical component as participants also engaged in a pitching session during the workshop.
The final event of the first day was a special workshop on ‘Being A Digital INTRApreneuer’ by Saiful Hidayat from Indonesia, which looked at how intrapreneurship can elevate a company’s performance and lead to the emergence of new young leaders.
The second day started with the third panel of the convention, ‘Work Culture: Adapting and Working in the New Normal’. The panel examined how work culture has changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and how to adapt to the current situation. A member of YPN, BYC and GSCBSB, Fadli M Zaini moderated the panel.
The first workshop of the second day, ‘Why Digital Nomads Are Winning During This Pandemic?’, was hosted by Imran Tahir from Singapore, who detailed the skills and values a typical digital nomad requires to start a business virtually and survive in the current economy.
The final panel of the convention was themed ‘Employer-Employee: Leading and Building Relationships in the Workplace’. The discussion between the panellists looked into organisational structures and how to foster healthy relationships in the workplace. Head of Employee Relationships and Services at Progresif Dayangku Noraimi (Aimi) binti Pengiran Ramlee participated as a panellist and shared her thoughts on the importance of these relationships.
The convention concluded with a workshop called ‘The Universal Skills of Our Future’ led by Zakky Muhammad Noor from Indonesia, focussing on developing fundamental provisions to survive in any situation in the complex future.
Across the two days, participants also engaged in a networking carousel where they visited different break rooms to interact with stakeholders from across Japan and ASEAN. There were 318 participants in total, with 55 engaging from Brunei.
YEM Convention will also host various career mentorship sessions to match participants to mentors in April, led by YPN Brunei member Nadia Aji.
