97% of Montfort grads offered jobs

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KOTA KINABALU: Montfort Youth Training Centre (MYTC) yesterday celebrated the graduation of 69 trainees from its 14th batch of students in Automotive Mechanic, Welding, Carpentry and Refrigetration and Air-Conditioning programs.

All the graduates successfully attained their Montfort Certificate and Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia (SKM) Level I and II in the four trades respectively. They received their certificates from MYTC Board of Governors Chairman Tan Sri Bernard Dompok.

MYTC Director Brother Francis Chua in his welcoming address at the graduation ceremony yesterday said that 97 per cent of those graduating had been offered jobs and have received their appointment letters.

“In June we will be welcoming 90 new students who will be with us for the next two years learning skills in one of the four trades,” he said.

According to Brother Francis, MYTC has received 160 applications but due to space constraint, they can only accept 90 new students.

“We have never advertised our training programs but people know about us and the number of applications we received attests to the trust people have in our programs,” he said.

He added that with so many of the graduates securing employment, it indicates that Montfort’s vision and mission are in line with the Government’s aim to reduce unemployment in the state and country.

Montfort, he said is playing its role in the economic empowerment of rural youth in Sabah and Sarawak towards the aim of reducing poverty.

“By being competent in skills balanced with discipline and good character, Montfort Youth are ready and equipped for gainful employment,” he said.

According to Brother Francis MYTC’s two-year residential care program embodies the holistic approach to the physical, spiritual, intellectual, social and emotional quotients of human development.

Montfort in its character formation instruction also emphasizes the 5R values, namely being responsible, reliable, respectable, willing to respond to any situation and to build sound relationships.

“We believe that these values enhance the future of our youth and enable them to become contributing citizens towards their families, communities and society,” he said.

Brother Francis when met later and asked about if MYTC will be expanding its current premises and if it will be spreading its wings in Sabah said that they would like to maintain what they have now.

“We do not want to grow too much, we just maintain what we have at the moment. We depend on public funding because the students are from poor families who cannot really afford much. So I don’t think we have the capability of expanding.

“There are many other countries like Myanmar who are inviting us to go and we are actually intending to set up a similar centre in Myanmar. We are also short of manpower, as religious brothers we are very few, only 20 plus members.

“In Malaysia we have three institutions and we have seven in Singapore to manage. So I don’t think we would be expanding in Sabah,” he said.

When asked to comment if MYTC graduates can reapply to take up another trade program in the centre, Brother Francis replied, “Yes and No. Basically we believe in the economic empowerment and we want to give opportunity to many other students.

“What I am happy with is that just before they graduate, 97 per cent are already employed. It is important that at the end of the day they realize that ‘well, I missed my opportunity then I take this opportunity’ and there is some transformation, they become more responsible citizens. I think that is a blessing,” he said.

The graduates of course can pursue their education at other educational institutions, he said and disclosed that some of those employed in Singapore and Labuan are being sent by their employers to further their training and studies in other countries like India.