TALENTBANK BOARDROOM CHALLENGE RETURNS IN 2026 TO BUILD FUTURE TALENT

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 (Bernama) -- After a successful debut, the Talentbank Boardroom Challenge is set to make a comeback in 2026, reinforcing Malaysia’s ongoing efforts to close the education-to-employment gap and nurture a new generation of future-ready talent.

The first edition of the Challenge, which crowned its winning teams this year, revealed the potential of student-driven innovation in addressing the nation’s long-standing skills mismatch. 

Talentbank chief executive officer Ben Ho said the 2026 edition would build on the strong foundation laid in the inaugural year, with an expanded focus on education, employability, as well as university and industry collaboration.

“The Talentbank Boardroom Challenge is especially powerful because the solutions come directly from the students, the real ‘users’ of the education and employability ecosystem.

“They understand the challenges first-hand and are not afraid to share honest, ground-level insights. By listening to their perspectives, we can inspire policymakers and industry leaders to create more relevant, future-ready pathways for Malaysia’s graduates,” he said in a statement.

Of the 15 finalists this year, three were selected, and Talentbank will soon begin engaging with the winning teams to incubate and refine their ideas, integrating them into the existing employability solutions to create a tangible impact. 

Through this process, they aim to help these young innovators turn their ideas into ventures and take the next step towards realising their entrepreneurship dreams.

-- BERNAMA