Ascent: the corporate AI certification that ends with a working pilot
Most AI training ends with a certificate and a slide deck. Ascent ends with a pilot your team built on your own data, and a number you can put in front of your board.
Delivered by GrowthPro.asia (Growth Pro Sdn. Bhd.) in partnership with Cradle Fund Sdn. Bhd. HRD Corp claimable under SBL-Khas.
Delivered by GrowthPro.asia in partnership with Cradle Fund Sdn. Bhd.
In short
What is Ascent?
Ascent is a corporate AI certification programme for Malaysian corporates and startups, delivered by GrowthPro.asia in partnership with Cradle Fund Sdn. Bhd. Participants train on their own workflows and finish with a working AI pilot built on company data. Programmes run across three tracks and are HRD Corp claimable under SBL-Khas.
The gap is capability, not curiosity
Malaysian companies are not short of AI interest. They are short of people who can turn a tool demo into something that runs on Monday.
The published numbers are blunt:
89%
of Malaysian employers prioritise hiring AI-skilled talent
81%
of them find it difficult to hire the skilled workers they need
88%
do not know how to implement an AI workforce training programme
620,000
Malaysian jobs, about 18% of the workforce, will be significantly affected by AI within three to five years
TalentCorp, 2024
That is the problem Ascent was built for. Not AI awareness. AI capability, in the roles that already run your business.
Three tracks, mapped to who actually does the work
Ascent is structured so a finance manager, a data engineer and a board member are not sitting in the same room learning the same thing.
FOR C-SUITE & SENIOR LEADERSHIP
Leadership & Executive AI Strategy
Board-ready AI literacy, a governance framework (PDPA/AIGE), and a monetisation roadmap from the team that helped shape Malaysia’s national data agenda.
FOR HR/L&D & FUNCTIONAL TEAMS
Applied Business AI
Role-specific, workflow-based AI training built on your team’s real use cases, auditable, HRDC-claimable, and measured by adoption, not attendance.
FOR TRANSFORMATION, DIGITAL & DATA LEADS
AI Engineering & Systems Intelligence
Close the pilot-to-production gap: data readiness, engineering depth, and the internal capability to scale AI beyond a proof of concept.
Every Ascent track ends in a capstone, on your data
The capstone is a working AI pilot, scoped against a real problem in your business, built by your own people during the programme and handed over with the documentation to run it.
-
Scope
Before the programme starts, we work with your team to pick a use case with a measurable outcome and available data.
-
Build
Participants build the pilot during the programme, on your systems and your data, with practitioner supervision.
-
Measure
The pilot is assessed against the outcome agreed at scoping, not against attendance or a quiz.
-
Hand over
Your team keeps the pilot, the documentation and the capability to extend it.
Capstone outputs belong to the participating employer. GrowthPro.asia retains its course materials and methodology.
Talk through a capstone use casePick the version of this that matches your job
C-suite and senior leadership
You need board-ready AI literacy, a clear view of where AI moves the P&L, the governance you will be asked about under PDPA and AIGE, and a monetisation roadmap you can fund.
HR, L&D and functional teams
You are rolling out role-specific AI upskilling across marketing, finance and operations, automating the workflows that eat the week, and turning HRD Corp levy into capability measured by adoption rather than attendance.
Transformation, digital and data leads
You have proofs of concept that stalled. Ascent closes the pilot-to-production gap: data readiness, engineering depth, and the internal capability to run it after we leave.
Ascent is HRD Corp claimable under SBL-Khas
Malaysian employers pay a 1% payroll levy into HRD Corp. Ascent programmes are claimable against that levy under the SBL-Khas scheme, which means much of the cost can come from money you have already set aside.
The levy is deducted from payroll whether or not you use it. Ascent is designed to convert it into capability your team applies, rather than a balance that expires.
What we handle for you
- Grant application, submitted at least 14 days before the programme starts
- Programme and trainer documentation in the format HRD Corp requires
- Attendance and completion records
- Claim submission support after delivery
Ascent · The Corporate AI Certification
Why we built Ascent with Cradle
Malaysia has an AI capability gap, not a tools gap. Employers want AI-skilled teams but cannot build them. Ascent turns capability development into measurable business outcomes, and connects it to Malaysia’s startup ecosystem.
The numbers point to an organisational readiness problem, not a technology one.
Ascent is a co-branded certification pathway delivered by GrowthPro.asia in collaboration with Cradle. It moves organisations beyond understanding or using AI tools towards identifying real business problems, understanding the data behind them, building practical applications, and translating AI capability into measurable outcomes.
The collaboration also connects real corporate problem statements with Malaysia’s technology startup ecosystem, which is where Cradle’s role matters. GrowthPro.asia leads programme delivery: the curriculum, trainers and operations. The Ascent certification is issued by GrowthPro.asia, and programmes are claimable under HRD Corp’s Claimable Courses scheme.
What GrowthPro.asia does, and what Cradle does
| GrowthPro.asia | Cradle Fund Sdn. Bhd. |
|---|---|
| Designs, develops and delivers every Ascent programme | Provides strategic advice and ecosystem insight on programme direction |
| Provides the trainers and the curriculum | Introduces Ascent to relevant organisations across its network |
| Issues the Ascent certification | Supports promotion of the programme through its own channels |
| Holds the HRD Corp registration and manages claims | Advises on programme governance and impact reporting |
The Ascent certification is issued by GrowthPro.asia.
Cradle is the collaboration partner for Ascent. Cradle does not deliver the training, does not issue the certification, and is not an accreditation body for this programme. Ascent is not a government certification.
Built by practitioners who have done this inside large organisations
Trusted by enterprises across banking, government, manufacturing and telco.
Ascent is led by Peter Kua, a core contributor to Malaysia’s National Big Data Analytics Framework under MDEC and co-author of the Malaysia AI Adoption Blueprints (2019, 2020).
The Capstone method behind Ascent, in GrowthPro Asia’s own delivery record.
- US$2 million in projected annual cost savings from nine AI pilots at one Malaysian manufacturer
- 35% better fraud detection for a listed company
- invoicing 7,000x faster for a Malaysian shipping enterprise
See all 20 case studies.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Ascent corporate AI certification?
Ascent is a corporate AI certification programme for Malaysian corporates and startups, delivered by GrowthPro.asia in partnership with Cradle Fund Sdn. Bhd. It runs across three tracks and every track ends with a working AI pilot built on the participating company’s own data.
Who issues the Ascent certification?
GrowthPro.asia issues the certification. Cradle Fund Sdn. Bhd. is the collaboration partner for the programme and is not the certifying body.
Is Ascent a government certification?
No. Ascent is a professional certification issued by GrowthPro.asia. Cradle is a Malaysian company operating under the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, and is the collaboration partner for the programme, but Ascent is not a government accreditation.
Is Ascent HRD Corp claimable?
Yes. Ascent programmes are claimable under the HRD Corp Claimable Courses scheme, SBL-Khas. GrowthPro.asia is HRD Corp registered and handles the grant application and claim documentation. Grant approval is required at least 14 days before the programme starts.
Who is Ascent for?
Three audiences: C-suite and senior leadership setting AI strategy, governance and monetisation; HR, L&D and functional teams rolling out role-specific upskilling; and transformation, digital and data leads closing the pilot-to-production gap.
How is Ascent different from a standard AI workshop?
A workshop ends with a certificate. Ascent ends with a capstone: a working AI pilot scoped against a real business problem, built by your own team on your own data during the programme, and handed over with documentation.
Who owns what the team builds in the capstone?
The participating employer owns the capstone outputs. GrowthPro.asia retains its own course materials and methodology.
Can Ascent be delivered privately for one company?
Yes. Ascent runs as in-house cohorts for a single employer and as open enrolment. In-house delivery is the usual route where the capstone works on internal systems and data.
How do we start?
Book a scoping call. We map your use cases against the three tracks, confirm HRD Corp eligibility, and agree a capstone outcome before anything is committed.
Start with the use case, not the course list
Tell us the problem you want solved and who would need to be in the room. We will tell you whether Ascent fits, and say so plainly if it does not.
Ascent is delivered by Growth Pro Sdn. Bhd. (202001011280), trading as GrowthPro.asia.
This collaboration does not constitute a partnership, joint venture or agency relationship between the parties.