Do You Have What it Takes to be a Future-ready Agile Leader?
August 29, 2025
Key Takeaways
- The Sunway Agility Challenge (SAC) helps undergraduates develop critical skills such as leadership and problem-solving through immersive business challenges.
- The programme offers a transformative 12-day experience, providing participants with hands-on exposure to Sunway’s business units while fostering personal and professional growth.
According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia, approximately 600,000 graduates enter the Malaysian job market every year.
Yet, many face an unexpected reality: the unemployment rate for those under 25 surged to 17.6% in 2023 pointing to a growing disconnect between traditional qualifications and the demands of a modern workplace.
To bridge this gap, the answer lies in understanding what employers are looking for beyond a degree certificate.
The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report provides a clear roadmap, consistently ranking cognitive skills as most critical. Analytical thinking and creative thinking are considered the top two core skills by employers globally.
However, technical ability alone is not enough. The report also highlights the rising importance of self-efficacy skills, such as resilience, flexibility, agility, curiosity and lifelong learning. These are the durable, human-centric competencies that empower graduates to navigate and excel in an evolving professional landscape.
Future-Proofing Undergraduates
At Sunway, with over 20,000 employees across various business divisions, developing future agile leaders is at the heart of our strategy.
The Sunway Agility Challenge (SAC) is our flagship 12-day immersive leadership bootcamp, designed to build these essential skills through real-world business challenges and mentorship.
A Heuristic End-to-End Challenge
Held in Sunway City Kuala Lumpur, the bootcamp is an immersive experience for participants selected from various undergraduate backgrounds.
The programme is structured around six core pillars — Critical Thinking & Problem Solving, Leadership Development, Business Acumen, Strategic Planning, Personal Development and Creativity & Innovation.
It begins with three days of personal development workshops, followed by four business rotations. During each rotation, participants gain experiential insights into a Sunway business division before tackling a real-world case challenge.
Challenges include developing strategies to increase foot traffic for Sunway Multicare Pharmacy, F&B outlets of Sunway Resort Hotel and Sunway College Ipoh campus.
Real Stories, Real Change
Running its third series this year, SAC has empowered participants who are now making their mark in the working world.
In the second series in 2024, 49 participants from top local and international universities received mentorship from Sunway Education Group, Sunway Hotels, Sunway Multicare Pharmacy and the Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute (ASLI).
Intense yet fulfilling, many described the programme as a transformative experience.
Hazman deems it “12 days of unforgettable memories,” where the intense 12-day journey challenged his leadership, critical thinking and teamwork.
For Vishnu, entering with no business experience, SAC was a game-changer. He left with invaluable skills and lifelong friendships, believing the challenge demonstrates that “pressure makes diamonds.”
Carian also found SAC to be an eye-opening experience, gaining real-world exposure to business operations from analysing restaurant industry processes to brainstorming innovative ideas. However, the most memorable part was not the competition, but the people. SAC fostered an environment where ideas flowed freely and collaborations thrived.
Building Agile Leaders
With prizes valued at RM10,000 per participant, the application process involves an online form, followed by a video interview and an online assessment before the final selection.
Through immersive learning experiences, mentorship and corporate exposure, participants gain invaluable insights and make key connections to set them up for success in the corporate world.
Do you have what it takes to be a future-ready agile leader? Learn more about the Sunway Agility Challenge.
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