KUCHING – Soft skills is an important attribute for career advancement, members of the CPA Australia Student Charter at Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus heard recently.
“Graduates can acquire these skills to differentiate themselves in the recruitment process,” said Dr A.J. Purcell, Chief Auditor CPA Australia, adding that while graduate technical skills give students the ability to work as business graduates, soft skills that are key to their advancement.
Purcell was a guest speaker at the annual general meeting of the Swinburne Sarawak CPA Australia Student Charter.
In his talk on the attributes and benefits of soft skills, including emotional intelligence, he said: “Students should be aware which interpersonal skills are in high demand. They are increasingly gravitating to these areas in growing numbers.”
Purcell said that universities and their students also recognize the importance of connecting studies with the needs of the labour market, “and this is reflected in the events and activities organised on campus. Students should be prepared for rewarding careers through growing opportunities for experiential learning.”
A member of four audit committees in local government in Victoria, Australia, Purcell has extensive experience in governance, fraud and internal audit from the private aviation, banking and insurance sectors, as well as in health, engineering, tertiary education in the public sectors.
After his presentation Purcell conducted a forum with Jennifer Ng, a tax manager from Ernst & Young.
The annual general meeting of the Swinburne CPA Australia Student Charter was held to introduce its new committee to its members prior to the upcoming semesters.
Resolutions and proposals of future activities as well as financial reports of the past year were also presented.
It was the first time in the history of the Charter’s AGM that included a talk.
Also present were Christina Foo, a member of the Board of Directors of CPA Australia; Dr Edward Lim, a member of Malaysia Divisional Council and representative council of CPA Australia; Geetha Kanny, Regional Manager, Education-International; and Edwin Wong, Relationship Manager-Education, CPA Australia.