KUALA LUMPUR: Sime Darby Plantation Bhd (SDP) and the Malaysian Prison Department have collaborated on a corporate Smart Internship Programme at SDP’s oil palm plantations to provide technical and social skills training to parolees and supervised persons who are nearing the end of their sentence.
The programme aimed to help them prepare for a fresh start in life after prison and provide the opportunity to join the company upon completion of the parole period, subject to their behaviour and performance during the programme, the company said.
“Since the start of the partnership in 2018, 40 parolees have joined SDP;s operations in Sarawak while a total of 20 supervised persons have begun their training as part of the programme at Ladang CEP Renggam, Renggam, Johor and Ladang Jabor in Kuantan, Pahang,” it said in a statement.
SDP chief human resources officer Zulkifli Zainal Abidin said they had been offered incentives, including a minimum salary of RM1,100, as well as overtime pay if they were able to perform assigned tasks beyond the set target.
“The palm oil industry is a labour-intensive industry and as such, the participation of members from the local communities into the industry’s workforce is always welcomed. We believe that this programme is one of the ways that can help us shore up the demand for more workers at our oil palm plantations,” he said. — Bernama