Getting ready for future jobs

WE refer to the report “Poll shows M’sian workers need tech knowhow for IR4.0” (The Star, Aug 9).

The Human Resources Ministry has prioritised the enhancement of the Manpower Department Training Institutes (ILJTM) since last year in a bid to reintroduce TVET (technical and vocational education and training) to Malaysians as one of the single most important tools to prepare them for future jobs.

Yes, automation is upon us and yes, with that there are some traditional jobs that will become redundant and Malaysians will have to cope with “new jobs” that tend to be more technical or Internet-based.

For example, over-the-counter employees may be replaced by digital assistants, as we have seen before in the banking industry and their broadening of the ATM and cash deposit machine services.

ILJTMs are already available and ever willing to provide training to help workers upskill and reskill themselves and gain relevant qualifications that can help them move up the career ladder or to be reskilled into another job.

The ministry is aiming to ensure that these training institutes create opportunities for workers to be trained and get certified with a delivery mode that is flexible enough to suit the needs of working adults.

These institutes are looking at the possibility of holding more classes after office hours and during weekends to make it easier for workers to attend training.

A directive has already been issued to all training institutions under the Manpower Department to extend their operating hours up to 11pm to cater for working adults and employees.

These institutes are also currently looking at virtual reality and augmented reality as a way to recalibrate their training methods to be current and highly effective.

Our institutes are also initiating collaboration with leading TVET institutions from around the world like South Korea, Japan, China, India, Australia and Germany.

Malaysia has recently declared its unwavering support and commitment towards the pledges made in the Asean Labour Ministers’ Statement on the Future of Work: Embracing Technology for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth. Malaysia fully supports the Global Commission on the Future of Work: Work for a Brighter Future for tripartite partners, in particular the governments, to consider on new forms of work, the institutional ramifications of the changing nature of work, lifelong learning, greater inclusivity and gender equality, measurement of work and human well-being, and the role of universal social protection in a stable and just future of work.

The new wave of change that is the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR 4.0) has ensured that the ministry has developed and planned various programmes and initiatives to ensure that Malaysia is able to provide workers with the right skills to meet the demands of the future of work.

Budget 2019 clearly reflects that our government was very concerned about preparing our national talent pool where emphasis was given on Strategy 5: Increasing Employment Opportunities and Employability.

Among the emphases given in Budget 2019 to increase employment opportunities and graduates’ employability is implementing training programmes to improve the skills of youths, including school-leavers and graduates.

The government allocated RM20mil of matching grants to the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) to fund two training programmes, namely Skim Latihan Dual Nasional (SLDN) – Apprenticeship, and the Graduates Enhancement Programme for Employability (Generate), which are expected to increase employment opportunities to at least 4, 000 youths, including our graduates.

The ministry through the Institute of Labour Market Information and Analysis (ILMIA) will conduct studies to identify critical occupations, future jobs and hard-to-fill jobs so that we can better target the scope of TVET training for the future.

Besides all the initiatives taken by the government, it is critical for businesses to take an active role in supporting their existing workforce through reskilling and upskilling.

Businesses should recognise human capital investment as an asset rather than liability.

The ministry is also urging NGOs and civil society to do what they can to pitch in to the growth of TVET learning in this country so that all Malaysians would have the chance to be skilled, up-skilled or reskilled as well as equal opportunities at economic advancement.

NGOs can create free resources to offer world-class TVET training, courses and certification to achieve this so that those who do not have the means to enrol in expensive centres can also compete with those that do.

NGOs can also do their part to ensure that women and under-represented minorities like the Orang Asli are prioritised.

Similar work by NGOs are widespread in the United States and across Europe, where multi-million dollar social impact funds are invested in technology skills training in order to improve the economic mobility of low-income workers.

These grants are tracked and students must go through attitude and aptitude tests to systematically evaluate their ability to perform specific tasks.

MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCES