FOR some reason, I thought that Margaret Choy and her partner Lilian Yap operated a school that teaches you how to make beaded jewellery. After all her card states very clearly "Beadazzle Bead Boutique."

As it turns out, there is more to it than that. You see, the bead business is only one component in a very large, well-organised and homely entity called SkillsPoint Development Centre. It's a training place for all kinds of skills, from language to dancing to art to bead craft! And there is another partner involved too: Grace Tan.

The three partners believe that learning is a lifelong process so there are programmes which not only cater to children but adults too, with the emphasis on youths. Their Youth Development Programme, for example, covers areas like self-organisation, effective communication, social etiquette and presentation skills.

"At the end of it all, self-confidence is the bottomline. When the young person goes out into the real world, he or she is equipped with skills beyond what is learned in school. They learn how to present themselves, what to do at an interview and know how to behave in a social or business environment," says Yap. All three women have been friends since school and know each other well. They didn't say how old they were but let slip that they were all born in the Year of the Horse! In a happy coincidence, all were at the stage in their careers where they were looking for something more fulfilling when they came up with this idea! (It was not that they were not happy doing what they were doing... it's just that they had reached a plateau.)

The trio bring to their new business formidable skills from the corporate world. Yap was a consultant in human capital. It involved serving as an advisor to clients on human resource issues, anything from hiring to firing. Eventually she incorporated technology into her portfolio and headed the business portal team and delivered online services to her clients. She worked for a very big multinational consulting firm.

Tan practised as a lawyer for nine years while Choy was a teacher who later ventured into IT and was seconded to work as the contents specialist for the Malaysian Smart School project. When the pilot project concluded, she quit the teaching line and was employed by the IT company and developed educational software for them.

Fun is the operative word at the SkillsPoint centre. Choy points out that they "believe in creating a safe and fun learning centre which appeals to all age groups. Our students work closely with their instructors to develop their talents further whilst enhancing their capabilities and confidence."

Yap adds: "The last thing we want to do is to be a tuition centre. If you go through our presentation you can see that our approach is very professional, and we infuse corporate methods in running the centre with an aim to mould confident individuals for tomorrow's workforce."

Taking a step back and looking at an even bigger picture, Yap points out that the SkillsPoint group has three components: development centre, corporate solutions and corporate learning. The development centre covers the recreational learning: speech, drama, dancing, art, bead design and youth development programmes. The corporate solutions arm provides advice on human capital, IT and web solutions and the law. Lastly, corporate learning encompasses management skills training, effective English for executives and e-learning solutions.

Yap is quick to emphasise that there is synergy with the three, and each works to enhance the others: "The way we are different from learning centres is that we are not out of touch with what's going on outside. We pass on this experience and knowledge so that our students are not out of touch with the real world when they leave school. We want to build that bridge between the corporate world and children. And vice versa.

"We care about developing the EQ of our students and not just their IQ. For example, when the parents arrive with children for classes, we encourage them to be around during their children's activities. We don't want them to just dump their children with us. Moreover, it's good for them to spend time with the children. We take the initiative to talk to them too and they can give us a lot of feedback about the kids," says Yap.

“Ultimately we want to train the children to differentiate themselves in the job market. We work on equipping them with the skills which give them confidence and equip them to fit into all kinds of situations.”

When you take a walk around the centre, it's evident that a lot of thinking and planning have gone into its surroundings. It has a professional air as well as a personal feel about it so that there's no mistaking it for an office, rather than a learning place. There are training rooms of various sizes with dedicated rooms for art and craft, bead craft and a dance studio. The discussion area and WIFI lounge is comfortably spacious with coffee and tea facilities for parents who are waiting for their children.

And the recreational programmes at SkillsPoint are open to both children and adults. There are a variety of activities to choose from: ballroom dancing, ballet and baby ballet, belly dancing. hip hop, Latin, line dancing and even yoga.

The creative programmes offer art, bead craft, music appreciation, speech and drama while special programmes cover English mastery, eco-venture outings, smart study workshops, holiday camps and workshops and youth development programmes.

Choy, who has years of experience coaching her students in dramatic presentations for competitions and international forensic tournaments, personally conducts the speech and drama courses. As a teacher, she has experimented with blending drama into her teaching and training. She believes that speech and drama can not only provide a creative outlet for learners, it can be an awesome way to gain self-confidence and poise.

The speech and drama courses are designed to cater to different age groups: Exploring Drama for those aged five to eight, Creating Drama for the nine to 12-year-olds, and The Drama of Life for the older ones between the ages of 13 and 17. Choy uses practises such as creative exploration, movement, voice, improvisation and word play as well as myths, folklore and classic children's literature in her courses.

The three also believe that the holidays are a good opportunity to pick up a new skill and have fun doing it. The SkillsPoint Holiday Workshops offer one-day courses in speech and drama for 10 to 17-year-olds; dance and bead craft for those between 8 to 17 and a Kids' Creative English course which will provide an outlet for children's imagination via a combination of mime, role play and storytelling. This is open to the five to nine-year-olds.

"If nothing else, at least the meals are great," says Yap jokingly. Apparently the food served at the centre is all home-cooked. What a charming touch, I thought. Just like the centre, the meals are also well-planned, personal and fun — a reflection of the three warm and bubbly personalities behind SkillsPoint.

SkillsPoint Development Centre is located at Level 3, 19 Jalan SS23/11, Taman SEA, Petaling Jaya (Tel: 03-7805-2622, Fax: 03-7803-4025, www.skillspoint.com.my).