Be transparent on efficacy of programmes offered, says body

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PETALING JAYA: While the National Training Week (NTW) may be beneficial in upskilling the labour force, one association says more transparency is needed on the efficacy of the programmes offered and whether it will yield targeted results.

National Association of Human Resources Malaysia (Pusma) president Zarina Ismail said more information is needed on the 5,000 programmes which HRD Corp said is worth RM250mil in training value.

“Perhaps the government can give a breakdown and tell us if the courses are demanded by employers at this moment,” she said.She also asked if participants will be able to get employment or a raise with the training.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) president Datuk Dr Syed Hussain Syed Husman said the NTW seeks to raise awareness on the importance of training and inculcate the culture of learning among employees and employers.

“It is particularly important for small and medium enterprises to look at training as a long-term investment,” he said.

He added that upskilling, reskilling and multi-skilling of employees should be continuous to ensure the skills of employees remain relevant and meet the needs of the labour market.

“There are instances where the skill of the employee is no longer relevant and as such the employee needs to be reskilled.

“The case in point is toll collector where now toll collection is automated. Without reskilling, the toll collectors will no longer be employable.

“The days of single-skilled employees are coming to an end. Employers are looking for multi-skilled employees that can perform multiple tasks.

“Multi-skilled employees performing multi-tasking command better pay,” he added.

He hoped that the NTW can address the issue of skills mismatch, which remains a major issue in the labour market.

“Skills mismatch has been a persistent issue and caused some employers to look for the right talent abroad,” he said.

To address the problem, he said there is a need to align the higher education curriculum with industry needs, increase cross collaboration between industry and education institution and increase Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).