KUCHING: Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) is expected to create an additional 1.6 million jobs by 2030, as the industries involved are highly dependent on skilled workers.
Assistant Minister for Workforce Development and Training Datu Len Talif Salleh said it was partly for this reason that educators were stressing the importance of technical and vocational training (TVET).
“Through programmes, researches, projects and initiatives, the aim is to begin instilling these learning values in the community as early as possible.
“The government is committed to transforming the country’s education system to arm graduates with creative and critical thinking skills necessary to thrive and lead in demanding industries.
“It is vital that students are equipped with the necessary skills to become technical workers with industries in SCORE,” he said prior to officiating at the national conference on ‘Research and Innovation 2016’ at the Youth and Sports Complex here yesterday.
The conference was organised by Politeknik Kuching Sarawak in collaboration with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia and Malaysia University of Science and Technology.
Len Talif added that with many research activities now taking on a global dimension, it was imperative to embrace changes and challenges, especially among academicians to encourage enthusiasm in research.
“We have four years left to achieve Malaysia’s Vision 2020, but another 14 years to achieve Sarawak’s Vision 2030. Our chief minister has even acknowledged that we are still far behind.
“We need a catalyst to further develop our country and one of them is ‘Research and Innovation’. We should be mindful with the ‘Look East Policy’ to enhance our country’s development and modernisation,” he said, citing South Korea and Japan as countries with having research and innovation that had advanced them to their current success.
Len Talif said a quality and systematic research would lead to findings that would give a huge impact on the nation’s development.
“Education and research are fields that need to be addressed to trigger the findings of new knowledge and innovative inventions, parallel with good management skills.
“I believe this conference will provide all with the opportunity to interact and exchange ideas. The knowledge and experiences from each participant can be used as guidance in implementing and improving education practices in your respective organisations,” he said.
The two-day conference attracted about 200 participants from all over Malaysia, while the presenters came from various universities in the country.