Mara to produce 100,000 semi, professional workers

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VITAL ROLE: Len (third right) accompanied by Mara state director Shazali Salleh (second left) and others, launches the Mara Education Carnival 2013 at the Permata Exhibition Hall.

KUCHING: Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) under its Master Strategic Planning (PSM) 2011-2015 is projecting to produce 100,000 semi-professional and professional workers by 2020.

Heading towards a high income nation status under the new economic model, Mara is implementing the PSM based on two core principles, academic education and technical and vocational education.

“It is instrumental for Mara to realign and play its role as a socio-economic engineering agency to face global changes and the current transformation trend,” said Assistant Minister in Chief Minister’s Office (Promotion of Technical Education) Datu Len Talif Salleh during the launch of the Mara Education Carnival 2013 yesterday.

He also said under its two pillars of education, Mara is optimistic to produce leaders in local business, professionals and excellent graduates, competent global technologists, technopreneurs and craftsmanship-meister (specialists).

Len, who is also Belawai assemblyman, said among the focus of the new economic model under the 10th Malaysia plan is to transform and encourage the participation of Bumiputeras into an innovative-based economy (i-based economy).

“The initiative is based on four strategies which are i-entrepreneur, i-workers, i-investment and i-organisation,” added Len.

He also said students would start their education route at Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM) before entering Mara Professional College (KPM) or Mara Poly-Tech College (KPTM).

The technical and vocational studies would be further enhanced, according to Len, through certificate level studies at GiatMara, and Mara Skills Institute (IKM).

Students could also opt to pursue a diploma or a higher national diploma at the German Malaysian Institute or Universiti Kuala Lumpur.

He also stressed that affiliations with top-universities are constantly being made such as the Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education.

Meanwhile, 2013 marks the 47th anniversary of Mara and, according to Len, Mara has helped more than two million Malaysians through their educational institutions.

“Those who have completed their studies under Mara total 687,249 graduates,” said Len adding that half a million students have benefited from the Mara education loans.

He also said 200,000 people are recipients of entrepreneurship loans from 1951 to 2012 while more than 150,000 have been trained under the Mara basic entrepreneurship and business training from 1966 to 2012.

“There are also more than 7,000 business lots rented under the Bumiputera business scheme across the country, which have shown an annual income of RM2.6 billion,” added Len.

He also labelled the two million beneficiaries as contributors to the nation’s economy and is almost 30 per cent of the country’s workforce.

FRESH SCHOOL LEAVERS: MRSM Kuching students visit Mara Education Carnival to gather more information about study options.