Insights from star programme : the performance, impact, and way forward / Hafiz Hakimi Bin Mohd Rasani

Center for Mathematical Sciences

Bachelor of Applied Science In Data Analytics With Honour -- Universiti Malaysia Pahang – 2023

Includes bibliographical references

Scholarship Talent Attraction and Retention (STAR) programme is a scholarship programme that offered by Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad (TalentCorp) in partnership with Public Service Department (JPA) from government of Malaysia that was launched since 2011 in order to give exceptional talent the chance to return to Malaysia to contribute their bond. The STAR programme aims to gives JPA scholars the option to provide private-sector government bond servicing. From this STAR programme, the scholars will have the opportunity to work with Malaysian industry leaders through in order to extend their horizons. This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the STAR programme, focusing on its current landscape, trend patterns, and performance impact. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study utilizes a Tableau-based data visualization dashboard to visualize the programme's current status, performs clustering and trend analysis to identify patterns based on prevailing policy, employs survey analysis and logistic regression modeling using R Programming Language to evaluate performance, and conducts a comparative analysis with similar programmes in other countries. Drawing from diverse data sources, including STAR programme scholars and companies’ databases, scholar and company survey data, and information of other countries’ similar programmes, this study provides significant findings and insightful discussions. The data visualization findings provide valuable insights into key metrics and trends, enabling the optimization of the programme. The trend analysis reveals fluctuations and patterns in scholar registrations, contributing to the identification of areas for improvement. Then, based on the logistic regression predictive model, the majority of scholars expressed satisfaction with the programme, and significant effects on satisfaction were found in relation to states and fields of study. Recommendations for programme enhancement include diversifying fields, providing job placement flexibility, strengthening international collaborations, and continual evaluation for improvement are provided. These recommendations and insights aim to help TalentCorp regarding potential changes and improvements to the STAR programme, align the STAR programme with global best practices and foster the attraction and development of exceptional talent, ultimately contributing to Malaysia's long-term growth and development.