Riot (third right) presents a cheque to the representative of a group. — Photo by Jeffery Mostapa
SERIAN: Serian will produce more technocrats once the fourth Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in the state is established in this newly-declared 12th division soon.
Saying that a 60-acre site had been identified for the institute, Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Richard Riot Jaem revealed that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had agreed for the institute (Institusi Latihan Perindustrian – ILP) to be set in Serian under the 11th Malaysia Plan even before the district was elevated to a division on April 11.
“By having this institute, school leavers in Serian will have the opportunity to become skilled labour that is much needed for our country to achieve developed nation status by 2020,” he told a press conference after presenting his special parliamentary allocation at the community hall here yesterday.
“People used to have the perception that having a technical skills qualification is the last choice but I am telling the people of Serian that this is not the case,” he said, adding that 10 years from now these qualifications would be in high demand.
With the setting up of the institute plus the ones in Kota Samarahan, Bintulu and Miri, he believed the demand for 35,000 skilled workers for SCORE would be met.
To allow more school leavers to enter the institute, he said his ministry had relaxed the entry requirement for certificate and diploma courses.
“My ministry submitted a working paper to the government and finally the government agreed and the entry requirement for Sarawakians and Sabahans to gain entry into the institute is reduced.
“It used to be three credits to enter certificate level but now you just need to pass SPM.
“To gain entry for advance level you need three distinctions and one must pass Mathematics and one Science subject but now the entry requirement is only three distinctions in SPM but one must be in Bahasa Malaysia,” he elaborated.
Despite the entry requirement being reduced, Riot assured that quality of graduates would not be compromised.
“All school leavers nationwide who are interested should take this golden opportunity to
enrol in the various Industrial Training Institutes in the country by June 21 for July intake,” he said.
Earlier on, Riot presented a total of RM805,000 to 27 recipients comprising non-governmental organisations, voluntary bodies and associations, village security and development committees, religious bodies and uniformed bodies.