LAWAS: Sarawak has many youth talents that should be moulded into becoming the driving force of Industrial Development 4.0.
In this regard, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan believed that the human resource development should have the holistic approach in technology and technical training.
The Industrial and Entrepreneur Development Minister also said the coming generations must have the attributes of a winner such as having the right skills and attitude, as well as a digital economy mindset.
“We have a very talented workforce that can be upskilled (further), but what is more important is that our young generation must have the (right) attitude and personality to move Sarawak forward,” he spoke at the launch of Centre of Technical Excellence Sarawak (Centexs) temporary campus here yesterday.
For now, the permanent site for the campus is being prepared for construction, which will take off soon.
Awang Tengah said Centexs Lawas could accommodate the needs for technical training not only for the northern part of the state, but also for those from Labuan and southern Sabah.
Centexs’ collaboration with industries, he added, is part of the approach in ensuring that there would not be any mismatch of skills and jobs available in the state.
Accordingly to projected statistics, 60 per cent of the 1.5 million jobs to be available by 2020 would be in the technical sector. In this regard, the state government is emphasising on technical and vocational skills training to meet this demand.
Adding on, Awang Tengah said Sarawak is already on its way to Industrial Revolution 4.0, with a significant number of talents in high-technology industries such electronics as well as wafer and solar panel manufacturing in Samajaya Industrial Park in Kuching.
“Ninety-eight per cent of 10,0000 workers in the state’s high-tech industries are Sarawakians – from top management down to factory workers,” he said.
Back on Centexs Lawas, Awang Tengah said the emphasis on digital economy would be the main feature upon the completion of the permanent campus later on.
He viewed Centexs’ collaboration with Huawei as ‘a shot in the arm’, in laying the groundwork for digital economy, where e-commerce and marketing participation would be the key objectives.
Earlier, State Secretary Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Morshidi Abdul Gani – in a speech read by Yayasan Sarawak director Azmi Bujang – said Centexs graduates ‘are very much sought-after in the job market’.
“Of the 1,678 (Centexs) graduates from the 2016-2017 batch, 96.2 per cent have gained employment,” he said.
It is learnt that the 50 trainees under Centexs Lawas’ pioneer intake are undertaking courses on fashion, tailoring, hairstyling, electrical wiremanship, and oil and gas industry crewmanship.
Awang Tengah’s wife Datuk Dayang Morliah Awang Daud, Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Datuk Henry Sum Agong, Batu Danau assemblyman Paulus Palu Gumbang, Limbang Resident Ahmad Denny Ahmad Fauzi, and Lawas District Officer Hussaini Hakim were also present at the event.
Awang Tengah (back row, fifth left), flanked by Dayang Morliah and Azmi, joins the pioneer trainees of Centexs Lawas in a group photo. Also seen in the back row are (from left) Ahmad Denny, Paulus, Henry and Hussaini (third right).
(Taken from 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~
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.”
