Brickfields Asia College welcomes the ASEAN Business Awards 2020: Combating Covid-19

Brickfields Asia College (BAC) is honoured to be recognised by the prestigious ASEAN Business Awards 2020 for our COVID-related initiatives in the ASEAN region.

The ASEAN Business Awards 2020, held on Nov 13, felicitated the best enterprises across South East Asia.

Commenting on BAC's win, Managing Director Raja Singham said, “We are humbled to receive this award for our COVID-related initiatives. This will also serve as a reminder to constantly do more.”

“This award goes to all the heroes who have helped us reach out to aid those in need during this pandemic. I would also like to thank the millions of frontliners across the ASEAN region, who are working around the clock to keep us safe. Your courage, tenacity, and sacrifice inspire us.”

Recognising that the impact of COVID-19 will be felt for many years to come, BAC enhanced existing services and implemented several initiatives to help mitigate the socio-economic impact of the pandemic on vulnerable communities through a variety of bold measures.

The award recognises BAC's efforts giving back to society through these initiatives:

1. Education:

• BACFlix is the single largest free education initiative by the private sector.
• BACFlix manages six specialised online learning portals and is fully funded by BAC. In March 2020 alone, BACFlix.com saw 65,773 new sign ups. Currently, there are over 175,000 students using the platform for free.
• Veritas University College (VUC): As the world‟s first Pay It Forward university, VUC offers a deserving student free education whenever any student registers for a VUC programme.
• Project DEEP RM 50 Million Education Fund: to upskill and reskill 10,000 unemployed Malaysians (for free) for the digital economy.
• The Entrepreneur Initiative: to train and mentor 10,000 startups and existing entrepreneurs to adapt to the new normal
• ‘A Student A Laptop’ 'Initiative: to provide 2,000 disadvantaged students nationwide with a laptop.

2. Nation Building and Employment: To minimize the impact of this crisis on the economy by building a digital workforce and curbing unemployment.

• Project DEEP: to upskill and reskill 10,000 Malaysians via arange of digital economy empowerment programmes
• GradJobs.com.my: free job portal that aims to increase employability amongst fresh graduates
• SpecialJobs.com.my: a free job portal that aims to increase employment among people with special needs by partnering with equal opportunity employers
• Live is BAC: To revive the live events industry in Malaysia, BAC sponsored a non-profit initiative aimed at supporting the livelihoods of Malaysian entertainers 

3. Healthcare: During the COVID-19 pandemic, BAC and MIRM advocated for appropriate healthcare to prevent transmission and mitigate the impact of the virus on vulnerable communities. 

4. Welfare: BAC undertook several initiatives to assist various NGOs and community leaders during the pandemic.

• GiveBACk.my: Founded to specifically address the needs of those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This fundraising platform has raised over RM136,500 in funds for numerous causes and impacted more than 4,800 people.
• Staff Welfare: BAC pledged to retain all staff whilst ensuring that salaries will not be reduced during COVID-19. BAC also provided several activities to ensure the mental wellbeing and physical health of the staff along with scholarships for further education via scholarships.
• Student Welfare: BAC's quick response to the pandemic allowed students (from Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong) to seamlessly transition from face-to-face classes to online learning, thus preventing any disruption of their studies. 

5. Special Needs: In order to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on people with special needs, BAC works with several NGOs to increase employment and provide opportunities for this community.

• Tender Hearts Café: BAC allocated a space within its premises for Tender Hearts Café to help expand its operations to help recoup its losses during the lockdown and encourage a Persons with Disabilities (PWD) integration programme into the non-PWD world
• Real Life Office Immersion Project: a weekly post-COVID programme, hosted by MIRM at BAC's campus, to acclimatise divergent learners to the office environment.
• Diversity and Inclusion Training for DIGI Telecommunications 

6. Children: BAC is committed to ensuring that every child can stay safe and healthy with access to quality education and social services during COVID-19