BETONG, March 23: Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said Betong Metro Polytechnic has recorded 97.27 per cent employability among its 2018 graduates.
Uggah said this when officiating at the third graduation ceremony of the polytechnic here today.
However, he urged the graduates not to rest on their laurels but to continue their studies to higher levels.
Uggah stressed that the state government was committed to provide higher learning opportunities to young Sarawakians in the rural areas by setting up higher education institutions that have similar recognition or standard as those found in cities or towns.
Sixty-four diploma graduates majoring in Finance and Banking and 66 in Tourism Management received their scrolls at the function.
“We will neither differentiate between urban or rural areas nor between gender, races or the rich and poor in our efforts. A good education will be very instrumental for us to develop the country and the people,” he emphasised.
The Sarawak government, he assured, would give its full co-operation to the federal government in making a success of its education programmes to produce more skilled workers to meet the needs of the Sarawak Corridor Of Renewable Energy (SCORE).
Uggah, however, advised all institutions of higher learning to tailor their courses to the job markets to ensure employment for their graduates.
“Like other countries, we are embracing the Industry Revolution 4.0 now. This industry is about innovation and the need for the people to accustom themselves to new technology, where the future will be helmed by robotic technology and artificial intelligence,” he said.
Uggah said academic programmes such as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and Education and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) should be enhanced as well as strengthened in accordance with this revolution.
Such programmes could help the nation produce graduates who could face the challenges of the Industry Revolution 4.0, he said.
For Sarawak, Uggah said the state needed more skilled workers in the technical and service sectors to help it become a developed state by 2030.
“We have SCORE as the vehicle to achieve this,” he said. — DayakDaily
