By Karen Bong
KUCHING, June 7: Centre of Technical Excellence Sarawak’s (Centexs) skilling, reskilling and upskilling programmes are equipping locals with specialised skills to undertake jobs and opportunities in the digital economy that would have otherwise gone to outsiders.
Centexs chairman Tan Sri Mohd Morshidi Abdul Ghani said that its Wireless and Microwave Hardware Installation Training, for example, have provide opportunities for locals to earn a RM3,000 salary, instead of having to hire workers from Peninsular Malaysia and neighbouring countries to do the job on telecommunication towers in the past.
“But now that same job is taken by our local people trained at Centexs and they basically spend that money within the State and contribute to State GDP (Gross Domestic Product).
“According to the World Bank development indicators study on 150 countries, every dollar spent on training, it would contribute USD20 to the GDP.
“To me, training and education is an investment and digital education is now even more important for Sarawak’s digital economic growth,” he said when speaking at the Centexs International Symposium on Digital Industry Transformation 2022 which was officiated at by Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg at the centre near Rampangi here today.
With 94 per cent of Centexs graduates being employed after graduation, Morshidi emphasised that it is because the training was tailored to meet industries’ needs by working in partnership with leading global companies such as Huawei from China, EON Reality from the United States of America, Bosch Rexroth from Germany, Keysights Technologies from Malaysia, NeXT Schlumberger and IBM.
Referring to Singapore polytechnics which are owned and funded by the government which have in turn generated a pool of talent, he continued to stress that spending on education and training will lead to greater economic growth and social wellbeing, as well as higher income distribution.
Centexs, he added, has transformed beyond technical areas of welding or electrical works to include technology and technology applications in its training to be aligned with global industry standards.
The Digital Academy focuses on three main components in its offerings namely Training and Learning, Technology Capability Development, and Industry Project and Engagement.
“We need to address the lightning speed change that is happening around us. More so when our Premier is moving so fast that we need to be in tandem with him.
“Centexs through its Digital Academy plays a crucial role in producing a digital talent pool for the industries. It is an industry-focused reskilling and upskilling training targeting graduates and industry’s employees,” he said.
Meanwhile, the event also witnessed the launching of seven labs namely 5G Lab, Universal Technology Lab, e-Sports Lab, Internet-of-Things (IoT) Lab, Industrial Revolution (IR) 4.0 Lab, Smart Building and Electrical Lab and Technology Display and Projects Showcase.
“With these high-tech labs in Centexs, we provide state-of-art facilities for better experiential teaching and training,” Morshidi added.
In addition, the symposium also witnessed the exchange of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) between Centexs and University Malaysia of Computer Science and Engineering, Swinburne University of Technology Campus, Pustaka Negeri Sarawak and Sarawak Housing and Real Estate Developers Association (Sheda).
Among those present at the event were Deputy Premier Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian, Minister of Education, Innovation and Talent Development Datuk Roland Sagah Wee Inn, Deputy Minister of Education and Innovation Dr Annuar Rapaee as well as Centexs chief executive officer (CEO) Syeed Mohd Hussien Wan Abdul Rahman. — DayakDaily
