Develop technical skills to meet the needs of the state

CENTEXS Sarawak will further develop technical skills to meet the needs of the state, particularly in Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE). Located at the Salak Land District at Jalan Sultan Tengah, CENTEXS was formerly known as the Youth Development Training Centre and is administered as a subsidiary of Yayasan Sarawak. State Secretary Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohd Moshidi Abdul Ghani said CENTEXS will work with a public-private approach, and establish smart partnership with industries, particularly for hands-on or on-the-job experience. “The CENTEXS is the first such centre run by the state government directly related to industries to provide skills training with the development of the state,” Morshidi said. He added that the centre, which is still being refurbished, will be able to accommodate up to 300 students at one time. Morshidi said CENTEXS’s niche areas would be oil and gas, electrical and electronics, construction, and manufacturing, adding that the centre will help the state meet the demand from employers for workers — currently four times higher than graduation levels. He added that the centre will be the sole awarding state execution agency to offer recognition of prior learning (RPL) programmes to allow the current workforce to gain certificates based on their technical experience and skills. The centre has a pioneer group of 80 students. “As this is the pioneer group, they are given free food and accommodation. And for the next group, they will have to pay some fees, but only when they gain employment,” he said. For details go to the website at www.cte-sarawak.my. (Text excerpted from The Borneo Post)