(c) - TheStar
PETALING JAYA: After six years of studying, Sara had been eager to fulfil her life-long dream of becoming a pharmacist.
But that dream remains distant — she has been unemployed over the past eight months.
She is among possibly hundreds of other pharmacy graduates in the same boat.
A graduate of Indonesia’s Universitas Gadjah Mada, Sara (not her real name) said her 11 coursemates had also applied for their one-year public hospital training stint last August.
“We were told by our seniors that it would only take about a month to get a placement in a public hospital.
“I was called for an interview at the end of August and I am still waiting for news,” she told The Star.
Each time she called the Public Service Department (PSD), she was told that the delay was due to the review of the New Public Service Remuneration Scheme (SBPA).
“While waiting, I worked at a private pharmacy to gain some experience. But I resigned after just one month when told that the offer letter would be issued anytime,’’ she lamented.
John, another pharmacy graduate, said he had been trying to get a placement for his one-year training after graduating from Glasgow’s University of Strathclyde last July.
Like Sara, he applied for his training in August and thought that he would land a placement in a public hospital by November.
“Most companies would want their part-timers to commit for at least two months. If I had known that I would be unemployed for more than six months, I would have definitely found a job,” he said, adding that up to 40 graduates from his batch had also not got placements.
Read more: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/2/13/nation/10726574&sec=nation
