Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) wins at Asian Innovation Excellence Awards 2025

The organisation demonstrated how strategic learning and people-centred innovation can elevate both institutional performance and national competitiveness.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) received honours for its human capital initiatives, winning Malaysia Learning & Development Innovation of the Year - Government Organisation and Malaysia People Innovation of the Year - Government Organisation at the Asian Innovation Excellence Awards 2025. The recognition highlights the organisation's efforts in linking workforce capability with Malaysia’s digital development goals.

Building future-ready talent for ASEAN

As the training and capacity development arm of MCMC, MCMC Academy is driving the nation’s vision of building a digitally skilled, future-ready workforce for the Communications and Multimedia (C&M) sector and beyond. Through an integrated learning and development model, MCMC Academy delivers structured, high-impact programmes that align national priorities with regional collaboration.

Amongst its flagship initiatives are the Capacity Development Programme (CDeP) led by MCMC subject-matter experts, the MCMC LeaP digital learning platform, an in-house Learning Management System (LMS) tailored for staff development, and the Digital Leadership Excellence (DLE) Programme in partnership with Huawei Malaysia. Each initiative is designed to bridge policy, technology, and talent development, ensuring that Malaysia remains at the forefront of ASEAN’s digital transformation.

To date, MCMC Academy has achieved full internal adoption of its learning ecosystem, with staff completing over 2,000 learning pathways and participating actively in the Converged Telecommunications Policy and Regulation (CTPR) Series. On the regional front, the CTPR Masterclass has trained nearly 500 participants across ASEAN, including regulators, industry leaders, and academics — strengthening policy capability and digital governance across the region. Together, these achievements underscore Malaysia’s growing leadership in digital upskilling and position MCMC Academy as a key enabler in realising Malaysia’s ambition to become the ASEAN Communications and Multimedia Talent Hub by 2026.

Transforming onboarding into people innovation

Through the MetaHRise initiative, the organisation introduced Malaysia’s first multiplayer metaverse induction programme. It was launched in February 2024 to create a more structured and engaging start for new employees. Using augmented and virtual reality tools, the platform familiarises recruits with MCMC’s functions and organisational culture. As a result, onboarding time fell by 40%, whilst clarity of roles rose from 48% to 83%. Overall satisfaction stood at 93%, indicating a stronger understanding of the organisation’s operations from the outset.

Building on this foundation of readiness, MetaHRise has also strengthened MCMC’s capacity to deliver on national priorities such as JENDELA, Malaysia’s digital infrastructure initiative aimed at expanding high-quality broadband coverage and ensuring connectivity for all. Under this programme, MCMC continues to drive broadband accessibility and network upgrades across the nation.

Similarly, the NADI initiative focuses on empowering rural and underserved communities through digital access and upskilling opportunities, providing essential exposure to online services and digital tools. By accelerating workforce readiness, fostering collaboration, and embedding a digital-first mindset, the programme has ensured that employees are well-prepared to support broadband expansion and digital empowerment initiatives across rural communities. This collective capability has contributed to national milestones, achieving 80% 5G coverage by 2024 and improving digital literacy for over 3.2 million citizens through 1,099 NADI Centres nationwide. These efforts also align with the Prime Minister’s bold national target of achieving 98% 5G coverage by 2030.

The Asian Innovation Excellence Awards honours companies that achieve measurable outcomes and address key challenges through innovation and operational improvement, recognising initiatives that drive meaningful progress across diverse industries in the region.

The Asian Innovation Excellence Awards is presented by Asian Business Review. To view the full list of winners, click here. For more information on the awards programme, you may contact Julie Anne Nuñez-Difuntorum at (+65) 3158 1386 ext 242 or at [email protected].