Approval obtained for proposed HRDF training centre in Serian — Riot

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Riot (right) receives a grand welcome upon his arrival at the event yesterday. At far left is Vignaesvaran.

SERIAN: A training centre to re-skill and up-skill working adults, is going to be established here.

According to Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Richard Riot, this facility would be set up through the Human Resources Development Bhd (HRDB).

He said upon his request, HRDB board members had approved the proposed Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) training centre for Sabah and Sarawak, to be located in Serian.

“The HRDB board members, the investment panel, have approved it. So I hope that it could be launched before the 14th general election.

“This is not an empty promise. I don’t say it because of election. It is confirmed that the centre is already approved by the HRDB board members,” he spoke at the launch of the Skills Education and Career Programme 2017 here yesterday.

Riot, who is Serian MP, said with the industrial training institute (ILP) having been approved by Prime Minister and the HRDF training centre by the HRDB board, anything that has to do with skills training would now be focused on Serian.

“This is what Serian is now and tomorrow – if I’m not the Minister of Human Resources, I don’t think we would have the ILP and the HRDF training centre to up-skill and re-skill workers in Serian.”

Riot believed that with the availability of ILP and HRDF training centre here, many more ‘sons of Serian’ would become skilled workers in various fields for years to come.

On the proposed ILP, Riot said works are expected to commence in four months.

Last week during the presentation of outright grants at Ranchan here, the minister announced that a new ILP would be set up in this division, in addition to the already existing institutions across Sarawak.

He said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had approved the proposed ILP for Serian, adding that the site for the project had been identified and it had entered the contract tender process.

Currently, there are 32 ILPs nationwide, including one each in Samarahan, Miri and Bintulu.

The programme launch yesterday was witnessed by HDRB chief executive officer Datuk CM Vignaesvaran Jeyandaran and Serian District Education Officer Yunus Apok.