We’ve heard about FLIP, what it stands for and the programs and services they offer. But today let’s take a peek behind the curtain and meet the mentors behind the program. What inspires and drives them to help mould the next generation.
Alpa Shah is the Founder of FLIP and has spent her career working on various academic programs in Malaysia. She is posed to continue to do so through FLIP.
What inspired FLIP?
So often, innovation and new ideas are born due to a need and the story behind FLIP is no different. The idea first came to me when my son was 14 and we were discussing school holiday options, activities and programs. He had the thought of getting some work experience and that’s when it ‘clicked’ for me.
I started doing some research and realized that there was a gap in our local education system. I found out that overseas (more specifically in the West) students and teenagers are encouraged to take up part time jobs and to gain working experience even during their study years. This helped them to not only develop their skills but also in many cases provided them with career guidance.
Once I had identified this need I set about trying to create a solution, and that is how FLIP was born.
How does FLIP help to connect the dots between a student and their future career?
Everything in life begins with a strong foundation, and in our careers getting the right education will give you a head start. However more often than not we find that the students upon finishing their SPM/A-Levels are unclear on which field of study would be the best fit. As such they decide on degrees or subjects to study based on external information such as their parent’s opinion, what their friends think, or what they’ve read.
At FLIP we believe in connecting the dots backwards by showing the students a bigger picture. When we expose them to the work environment at a young age, they can get a much clearer picture of their aspired career choices.
By providing students with hands on experience, they now have the complete picture and can make the best-informed decision possible regarding their career and aspirations. They can discover (at an early age) what they are passionate about, and where they need to hone their skills if they are to succeed.
Has there been a specific instance where the FLIP Internship program has helped to shape a career decision?
Oh yes. I remember of an A-Level student who aspired to be a Land Surveyor. We were able to secure a FLIP Internship for her with a Land Surveyor at a live site for an MRT/Construction project. She had a real challenging and fruitful experience and upon completion she realized that she was still passionate about the type of work but did not yet possess the skills needed. After that she was able to easily decide on her major and subjects. And actually, she eventually decided on majoring in something completely different.
This is what inspires me and what we hope to see more of – To help not only identify a student’s passion, but to also help them discover what skills that they need to in order to be successful in their careers. Practical work experience at a young age can either generate or break one’s interest in a career, and that is fine. As a student there is time to change their course when they are still at the high school/university level.
On the FLIPside, if you could intern with someone for two weeks, who would you like to intern for?
Hmm.. I think especially right now I would like to be able to intern with the Ministry of Education. I believe there will be exciting new changes going forward and it would be an eye-opener to watch them work. I’d love to gain some insight into their methodologies, on how they go about analysing the existing gaps in the current education system, and subsequently to understand better how policies are made and also implemented.
While I’m ‘wishing’ it would be my dream to be part of a special project – “To Develop Career Ready Mindsets” for high schoolers. Wouldn’t that be amazing.
Julie Thomas is the Partner of FLIP and her career has mainly been in law and the corporate sector. However, her experiences in Brickfields Asia College (BAC) has opened up a different career path for herself with FLIP.
Where you started and what you did is so vastly different from where you are now. How did you end up here?
Yes, it’s true that academia is new to me, I’ve worked for the last 18 years in law and the corporate environment. But when I started working at BAC and with the final year students there, my eyes were suddenly opened to a world of new opportunities.
And so, while I’ve enjoyed my time in the corporate sector I feel invigorated by FLIP and I’m excited to work on our programs. I truly feel that my experiences of sitting at the other side of the table interviewing and recruiting potential employees, it will help provide an insight into essential skill sets and qualities that employers are looking for.
What was it about FLIP that sparked your interest?
Actually, it was a couple of things. I have children of my own and while I was talking with my eldest (he is now in his 3rd year of university) I realized that whilst he had an idea of what he wanted to do, it was through his experiences and positive mentoring with myself that allowed him to flourish and to push his own boundaries. I wanted to see if I could apply that elsewhere as well. Plus, after working with the students at BAC I found that the experience of working with young people and inspiring them was energizing. That’s when I told myself, I wanted to do more of that.
And then FLIP came along and I was given an amazing opportunity to work with students of various ages. The concept was new and exciting and I hadn’t seen anything like this before in Malaysia. It was a way for me to personally mentor and guide other young students as be a part of something really special.
What has been your most positive experience so far with FLIP?
The ability to change someone’s mind or to show them a brand-new perspective is always thrilling. Recently we were working with a company that was very apprehensive about taking on such young interns. They didn’t really have prior experiences with internships and were sceptical about the benefits of our program.
However, we were able to convince them to give our students a chance and so they took on a 17-year old intern. Not only did they have a great experience with the student, there was also a related write-up which garnered a lot of social media attention. There were more than 10,000 positive feedback and views.
Since then they are onboard with our program(s) and are looking forward to the next intern.
On the FLIPside, if you could intern with someone for two weeks, who would you like to intern for?
Oh wow I would love to intern for Richard Branson. He is such a charismatic personality even at this age (he is 67 and he still looks so young!). It would be amazing to watch him work and to understand what makes him tick. Not forgetting the fact that he was entrepreneurial very early on in his career and constantly pushed boundaries and convention.
He seems to really live by the words “Work Hard & Play Hard”, he has this incredible zest for life and he seems to be able to enjoy life to it’s fullest. I would really love to work with him even for just two weeks to see how he does all that.
