KAPIT: A total of 634 vacancies were featured at the Labour Department’s job placement programme here yesterday.
Minister of Land Development Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Jemut Masing said the positions offered salaries of between RM1,000 and RM1,200 a month.
“The Kapit Labour Department has made a good move to organise this programme of job placement and training at a rural area like Kapit where online services are still limited or unavailable due to poor coverage.
“This programme shouldn’t be done in urban centres only but more in rural areas so that school leavers from rural communities are given the opportunity to apply for jobs online through the Labour Department’s e-application. The presence of the huge crowd is proof of SPM (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia), STPM (Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia) and university graduates’ eagerness to seek employment,” he said.
Hulu Rajang MP Wilson Ugak Kumbong praised the Labour Department for initiating the programme.
“Now the question is jobseekers, do you want to take up the offer and another question, whether your knowledge and skills match the qualification stated in the job advertised,” he said.
He pointed out the need to set up a vocational or technical training institute here.
“We have to arm our school leavers with the necessary skill and knowledge to match the job market. As the country gears towards Vision 2020 developed country status, we need skilled and semi-skilled labour to meet the demands of heavy industrialisation,” he added.
Meanwhile, Labour Department Kapit senior assistant director Khusyairy Pangkas said from 9am to 1.30pm, 352 jobseekers applied for various jobs on offer.
A total of 18 booths were set up during the one-day programme and the companies involved were Jaya Tiasa Holdings Bhd, Pokiong Pharmacy Sdn Bhd, Subur Tiasa Holding Bhd, Ambang Wira Sdn Bhd, Supersave Group of Companies, Kobe Precision Technology Sdn Bhd, Ironwall Kintameru and Hariwood Sdn Bhd, as well as Shizen Foods Products Sdn Bhd.