Tuty Bujang
KUCHING: Human Resource Development Fund (HRDF) is strengthening its role in creating greater accessibility to its Sarawak customers besides providing better services to employers throughout the state.
Its Sarawak branch manager Tuty Bujang said it was important to get close to their stakeholders in Sarawak in line with the government’s aspiration to have 50 per cent skilled workforce in the country by 2020.
“Being a government linked company, HRDF is intensifying its effort in reaching out to every registered company in Malaysia to provide training and upgrading for every employee in the private sector,” she told reporters at a press conference at Perkeso Office here on Tuesday.
“Under the purview of the Ministry of Human Resources, HRDF is tasked to monitor human resource training and re-training for every company registered under our schemes,” she added.
Tuty emphasised that HRDF does not conduct training but acts as a monitoring agency between the training provider and companies who send their employees for training.
She explained that any company in the manufacturing, services and mining and quarry sectors that fulfil the HRDF Act 2001 is obligated to register with them and pay a monthly levy of one percent.
“Under the law, levy payment is mandatory as imposed by the government on specified groups of employers for the purpose of employee training and skills upgrading, she further explained.
Tuty disclosed that there is no limitation on the position of employees as long as they are in the payroll of a company.
She disclosed that 864 private companies were registered with HRDF in Sarawak, with most in the services sector. Nationwide, she said some 14,000 companies had registered with them.
Tuty admitted that training was always the last thing in any company’s plan as they were more concerned with their daily operations.
“If there is no action taken by the government, companies will take training and upgrading skills for granted. Thus, HRDF has enforcers that will monitor and approach companies in case we discover lack of training activities,” she stressed.
She said HRDF allowed companies conducting the trainings to source out trainers from any training house and after the training is completed, they can apply for training reimbursement from them.
Tuty also disclosed the government had introduced 1Malaysia Globally Recognised Industry and Professional Certification Programme or 1Malaysia GRIP to provide opportunity to employees to increase their skills and to enhance their career development and earn higher income by participating in specific fields of training.
“In Sarawak, we have appointed six training providers to run these programmes,” she said.
HRDF Sarawak Branch is situated at Level 4 Wisma Perkeso, Kuching. Its telephone contact is 082-254721.