A total of 6,000 graduates will be trained by Talent Corp Malaysia Bhd this year through a bridging program under the Graduate Employability Blueprint to assist graduates find suitable employment.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop said in 2011, Talent Corp trained 1,000 graduates and this figure rose to 2,000 last year.

"This is part of the government's efforts to strengthen the employability of graduates from higher institutions of learning under Talent Corp and the 1Malaysia Training Scheme (SL1M)," Nor Mohamed told reporters before attending a meeting of the Graduate Employability Taskforce (GET) here today.

The GET, regulated by the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) under the Prime Minister's Department, provides oversight in the implementation of the blueprint.

"Up to February this year, a total of 8,643 graduates had been employed with 1,651 still undergoing the SL1M program. At present, the SL1M secretariat is securing the participation of new companies to place 2,349 graduates," he said.

Nor Mohamed said the government will continue to implement various programs to strengthen the marketability of graduates, for example, through internships in industries.