By DayakDaily Team
SIMANGGANG, June 12: Sarawak has reached only 26 per cent of its target median household income of RM15,047 per month under the Post-COVID-19 Development Strategy 2030 (PCDS 2030), highlighting the urgent need to bridge the gap between industry demand and the available workforce, says Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development Dato Sri Roland Sagah Wee Inn.
According to a Sarawak Public Communications Unit (Ukas) news report, he said the imbalance between labour demand and workforce availability in Simanggang and Betong must be addressed urgently to ensure sustainable economic growth towards 2030.
“This situation calls for a more structured and industry-driven approach to ensure that the local workforce possesses the skills required to meet current market demands,” he said when officiating the Sarawak Career Ordering System (SPEAK) Sarawak 2030 Talent Bridge programme on Wednesday (June 10).
According to Sagah, the programme was introduced to bridge the gap between education and employment by exposing students to labour market needs at an earlier stage.
He said the initiative provides school guidance and counselling teachers (GBK) with accurate labour market information, enabling them to guide students towards education pathways and careers that match industry demand.
He also stressed that strengthening talent development is crucial as Sarawak pushes ahead with major economic and agricultural transformation plans, such as the State’s target of achieving 100 per cent self-sufficiency in rice production by 2030, with Simanggang and Betong identified as pilot areas for high-tech modern agriculture.
He also noted the need for stronger collaboration among government agencies, industry players, academic institutions and technical institutions through the GIAT (government, industry, academia, and training providers) approach to produce more highly skilled workers.
“Today’s workforce challenges cannot be addressed in isolation. They require a collective commitment from all stakeholders, including educational institutions, industry players, the media and community leaders,” he said.
Therefore, he called on more companies and industry players to participate in the SPEAK programme by sharing information on employment opportunities and making use of human resource development funds to strengthen future workforce readiness.
The SPEAK Sarawak 2030 Talent Bridge programme brought together 15 agencies through exhibition booths showcasing education opportunities, skills training and career development pathways.
Also present was Sri Aman Resident Mahra Salleh. — DayakDaily
