New Industrial Training Centre to be game changer

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Riot officiates at the earth-breaking ceremony. From right are Ministry of Human Resources secretary-general Datuk Dr Mohd Gazali Abas, Bukit Semuja assemblyman John Ilus, and Kedup assemblyman Martin Ben.

SERIAN: The RM260 million Industrial Training Centre (ILP) to be built here will be a game changer for the state and country in terms of producing highly skilled human capital.

Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Richard Riot Jaem said construction of the centre would start in May.

“They (the contractors) are given 33 months to complete the job and by 2021 the centre should be operational and at the same time equipped with teaching facilities, teaching staff, and students,” he said before the earth-breaking ceremony at the 56.76-acre site yesterday.

“We should thank the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) and the federal government as well as the state government in approving the project and budget. It will also be part and parcel of the development of Serian.”

Riot said the centre is vital to move the country forward towards a high income and developed nation by 2030, and is also part of the National Transformation (TN50) agenda.

“We want to be the second high income country next to Singapore in this region by 2050 and our Prime Minister has put due emphasis that our labour force must not only be professional but they must be a highly developed workforce and must possess technical and vocational education and training (Tvet) qualifications,” he said.

The Serian member of parliament said having a skilled workforce with Tvet qualifications would leapfrog the country to Industry 4.0 much sooner.

“If there is no skilled workforce and our young people are not serious in getting these skills, and there are no training centre such as this, then we will all be left behind,” he stressed.

Riot called on youths to take the opportunity to seek training here in future or at other centres in Kota Samarahan, Miri, and Bintulu.

He added 91 per cent of Tvet graduates are employed within six months of graduation, pointing out they could continue their training even until doctorate level.

Riot said at present Malaysia’s skilled labour force stood at 28 per cent and the government sought to increase this to 35 per cent by 2020.

“Directly or indirectly it will decrease the number of foreign workers in the future. Now in 2018, we have 1.7 million as compared to 2.1 million in 2016, a decrease by 400,000, and we believe that we’ll produce more human capital in the future to reduce this number,” he said.

Riot hoped Serian would become the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh) headquarters for Sarawak, and also proposed Sarawak should have a rehabilitation centre for the disabled under the Social Security Organisation here too.

He also revealed that the Human Resources Development Fund board of directors has approved for Serian to be the centre of labour reskilling and upskilling in Sarawak.