SHAH ALAM: Malaysia is ready to sell its industrial training to the world and invite multinational corporations (MNCs) to become partners.
Human Resources Minister Steven Sim said with Malaysia’s growing appeal to MNCs, it is capable of establishing a solid Ivy League world-class skills training sector.
“We want to partner with multinational corporations. We have some experience in running vocational centres – 60 years to be precise – and a network of 33 industrial training institutions, including facilities in Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.
Sim said the nation is one of the earliest in the region to be industrialised, attracting big companies, MNCs, and global tech firms.
“I believe we can build a strong and solid Ivy League world-class skills training sector,” he said during his speech at the launch of the Kia Asia Pacific Training Centre in Glenmarie here yesterday.This marked Kia’s fifth global training hub, following those in Germany, Russia, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.
Sim highlighted the diverse course offerings at the institutes, such as automotive technology, digitalisation, computer technology, and even language training.
“Within the ministry, we also have power skill courses, focusing on leadership, communication, critical thinking and problem-solving.
“We have courses for anyone interested in learning languages such as Korean, Bahasa Melayu or Chinese,” he added.
With an annual fiscal outlay of RM2.6bil for skills training and human capital development, Sim said the government is making a significant investment.
“This year we have announced that we will go all out when it comes to skills training,” he said.
The centre of these efforts is the development of a “global training hub” in Malaysia that will train 3,000 workers from across the Asia-Pacific region, in addition to local trainees.
Talent Corporation Malaysia Bhd, the strategic think tank for the ministry, is also conducting a pivotal study to examine the impact of artificial intelligence, digitalisation and the green economy on Malaysia’s workforce.
The findings, expected to be released in November 2024, will inform policymakers and industries on how to prepare for future workforce demands.
The first phase of the study will focus on 10 sectors such as Information and Communications Technology, Global Business Services, Aerospace, Food Manufacturing and Services, Wholesale Trade and Retail, Electronics and Precision Engineering, and Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, among others.
Meanwhile, Kia Asia Pacific president and chief executive officer Kevin Ahn said Malaysia was selected out of 34 markets in the Asia-Pacific region for its strategic location.
He said this allowed the company to meet the evolving needs of the industry while keeping its teams at the forefront of technological advancements.
“Malaysia’s diverse talent pool and strong language proficiency further affirm it as the ideal choice for our training hub,” he added.
