Uggah (left) presents an appreciation certificate to a sixth former of the school witnessed by school principal Mohamed Rais Abang Busami.
SPAOH: The fact that about 500,000 technical and vocational workers will be needed in Sarawak in the coming years, it makes great sense for parents to consider sending their children for technical and vocational education and training (TVET).
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah said compared with other academic fields, it was much easier for those having technical education and training to find jobs after finishing their studies.
In support of this observation, some 97 per cent of community college students in the state were quickly absorbed into the job market upon graduation.
He said this when officiating at the SMK Spaoh’s annual ‘Appreciation And Excellence Awards Day’ here yesterday.
In contrast, Uggah said many university students particularly those from private ones are still jobless even a few years after their graduation adding this could be due to the weak demand for their qualifications.
Uggah who is the Minister of Agriculture Modernisation, Native Land and Regional Development said modern commercial-based agriculture was another field worth going into.
“Modern agriculture is not land or labour intensive as it largely used technology.
“We have, for instance, systems like fertigation and hydroponics which are percision farming.
“They do not require large hectarage and are technology driven for farm management and maintenance, resulting in products of superior quality and huge quantity and of course income,” he said.
Uggah said these were among the things that the government wanted and planned to promote among the new generation.
On another matter he said parents in rural areas should seriously consider letting their children stay as boarders in schools.
“There, the study environment is more conducive with free meals and the children also learn about discipline and other positive values.
“They also have teachers who they can consult on their weak subjects,” he said.
At the function, Uggah accompanied by a political secretary to the chief minister Dr Richard Rapo, announced approval of new grants amounting to about RM169,500 for the repair, improvement and maintenance of various facilities in the school.
The amount was on top of the almost RM290,000 grant he had approved earlier on.