Morshidi placing a safety helmet on one of the welding graduates while Anthony (third left), Sabariah (second left), Azmi (right) and others look on. — Photo by Muhammad Rais Sanusi
KUCHING: Sarawak will need an estimated 500,000 technical workers over the next 10 years when its industries are fully developed by then.
In view of this, State Secretary Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohd Morshidi Abdul Ghani said the state government is stepping up its human capital development by giving priority to Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) for the youths in Sarawak.
“We need to prepare the youths and train them in various skills so as to meet the state’s needs to be an industrialised state by 2030,” he told reporters when met after witnessing the presentation of letters of employment to Centre of Technical Excellence Sarawak (Centexs) alumni from Petra Energy Berhad (PEB) at a leading hotel here yesterday.
He pointed out that the trained technical workers need not necessarily be involved directly in the industries per se as they could also be involved in spin-off industries in the state.
“Spin-off industries can be like shopping malls, for instance, which will be created because the town is growing…industries are growing.
“That’s why we’ve got to prepare them (youths) now in various skills because every level of skill will be required for the state,” he said, adding that Centexs had thus far trained almost 1,000 people in all technical skill levels.
On the employment opportunities offered to Centexs graduates, Morshidi, who is also Centexs chairman, said the state government through Centexs collaborates with training providers to not only provide the necessary skills to students but also job opportunities.
“We have collaborated with companies such as Petronas in training them and they are also helping us in providing the necessary equipment to train more people.
“Apart from Petronas, we also have PEB, one of our industry partners which has put in consistent efforts since 2014 and embraced a progressive mindset in harmonising the needs of Centexs trainees with the oil and gas industry,” he remarked.
Earlier in his speech, Morshidi said Centexs will continuously look for strategic industry partners that can collaborate to ensure their training programmes are relevant.
“The on-the-job training in the industries offers a strong on-the-job experience. This enables the trainees to acquire both hard and soft skills resulting in improved employability.
“Hence, it is important for Centexs and its strategic partners to harmonise the quality of the curriculum and improve alignment with the latest industry requirements as well as national and state economic priorities,” he emphasised.
A total of 40 welding graduates from Centexs received their letters of employment which were presented by Morshidi and PEB chief executive officer Datuk Anthony Firdauz Bujang.
Also present were Deputy State Secretary Dr Sabariah Putit and Yayasan Sarawak director Azmi Bujang.
(Souce: The Borneo Post)
In April 2017, The Right Honourable Chief Minister of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi (Dr) Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg has announced a major paradigm shift in Sarawak development strategy namely Sarawak Transformation through the Digital Economy.
In line with the Sarawak State development strategy, CENTEXS has identified its part to support the Digital Economy in talent development by establishing the Digital Training Unit in June 2017.
CENTEXS Digital Training Unit focus is on the development of technical manpower that will create sufficient digital skills and human resource required for the Sarawak Digital Economy. In March 2019, the Chief Minister of Sarawak, has announced the establishment of the Digital Academy.
The Digital Academy is envisioned to play a crucial role in producing digital talent pool to the industry. The Academy is an Industry relevant education program, focusing on reskilling and upskilling training, targeting school leavers, university graduates and industry employees.
~We provide the best in its class technical training programs. They are beautifully designed, internationally industries certified and job tailored~
Yayasan Sarawak Chairman's View
His Excellency
The Governor of Sarawak
Tun Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud
“The biggest opportunities lie in technical education. We will need more people with technical qualification. Technical and vocational education will be very challenging but then again the remuneration and rewards will be just as great. They will be our passage towards attaining a high-income society status by 2020.”
YAB Datuk Patinggi (Dr) Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg
Chief Minister of Sarawak
“I applaud the collaboration between CENTEXS and Huawei to assist in the transformation of the State Economy toward Digital Economy. When we have the new technology, we can meet the needs of ASEAN and ASIA markets. Also, through this collaboration, Huawei will have laboratory outside China, in Sarawak, which we can name ‘CENHUA Lab’ (CENTEXS-HUAWEI) “.
Allahyarham YBhg Datuk Patinggi (Dr) Haji Adenan bin Haji Satem
Former Chief Minister of Sarawak
“We are very much aware of the importance of Technical Education in our quest for industrialisation. We don’t have enough people to man our industries because we have not been emphasising on technical education. Nevertheless, it is not too late for us to focus on technical and vocational education. So, we can meet the needs of thousands of technical hands in our industries.”