Johor groups hail new economy boosting projects from Putrajaya

JOHOR BARU: TVET programmes can help boost the number of skilled workers in Johor which in turn can attract more quality investors to the state, say Johor business groups as the Federal Government announced more infrastructure projects for the state.

TVET or technical, vocational education and training programmes could also provide youths with the skills needed to get high-paying jobs, said Johor Indian Business Association (Jiba) president P. Sivakumar.

“This will help them to get higher salaries as we are moving towards automated industries. Having more local skilled workers will also meet the demand of investors.

“If we do not have enough talent here, then these investors will take in foreign workers, which is a waste as we have the capabilities to do so,” he said yesterday.

On Friday, Putrajaya announced several new projects to boost Johor’s development following a meeting between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi.

Among the new projects are health facilities and roads, improvements to the Customs Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complexes, financial hub as well as the building of mosques and religious schools in Felda settlements.

Also discussed was flood relief assistance for farmers, breeders and fishermen as well as refurbishing apartments that were more than 40 years old, he said.

Johor South SME Association adviser Teh Kee Sin said the support coming from the Federal Government was timely.

“This can make the state’s economy very strong. Once our economy is strong, it can help attract Malaysians working in Singapore to work here instead,” he added.

In a Facebook post after his meeting with Anwar, Onn Hafiz thanked Putrajaya for its concerns on major issues.