“We will sign the memoranda (of understanding) very soon," said Sivakumar. — Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR: The Human Resources Ministry will be working with at least 10 companies in the private sector soon to kick off the government’s new approach to provide technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programmes that meet the needs of industries.
Human Resources Minister V. Sivakumar said the companies include conglomerates Hong Leong Group, Berjaya Corp
Bhd and Sunway Bhd as well as low-cost airline AirAsia.
“We will sign the memoranda (of understanding) very soon.
“They will not take over (TVET operations of institutions) but will be working together with the government,” he told the media on the sidelines of an industry dialogue organised by Talent Corp Malaysia (TalentCorp) at Damansara City.
This follows the announcement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in the revised Budget 2023 last month, where it was proposed that leading companies in the private sector would partially or fully take over the operations of TVET institutions such as community colleges, public skills training as well as national youth skills institutes to provide training programmes that meet their needs.
In citing examples, Anwar said Petroliam Nasional Bhd (PETRONAS) leads the oil and gas cluster in Pengerang, Kimanis, Batu Rakit and Miri; DRB-Hicom Bhd for the automotive cluster in Pekan; Sunway Bhd for the hospitality cluster; and Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd (MRCB) for the construction cluster.
Anwar had noted that companies such as Intel Corp, Motorola and Inari Amertron Bhd have taken advantage of the Penang Skills Development Centre to organise training programmes based on their needs.
“The government intends to pilot this model involving federal TVET institutions with a target of 50 companies mainly from among government-linked companies,” he had said.
The Prime Minister added that this reform is able to use government resources more effectively for the production of TVET graduates who meet the needs of industries. “Public-private collaboration through a new approach like this will continue to be explored for other areas or government services,” he had said.
Meanwhile, the industry dialogue themed “Malaysia Madani: Addressing Challenges in the Talent Ecosystem” was attended by 20 industry captains from the private sector.
The dialogue was aimed at soliciting feedback from members of TalentCorp Industry – Talent Advisory Council and TalentCorp Malaysia Global Talent Advisory Group, two councils that bring together industry players and expatriates on efforts to enhance a strong Malaysian talent ecosystem.
“The challenges that we face today are numerous, ranging from rapid technological advancements, unemployment or underemployment, skills mismatch, wage stagnation, discrimination, ageing workforce and social protection, to name a few,” said Sivakumar in his welcoming speech.
The industry dialogue saw an active two-hour discussion where the participants discussed the importance of bridging skills gaps, aligning education with industry needs, creating jobs to boost economic growth and enhancing public-private collaboration especially in efforts to groom TVET talents.
