By Karen Bong
KUCHING, Sept 26: Over 90 per cent of final year students from Kuching Vocational College (KVC) have a job secured before graduation, and this reflects the relevance and high marketability of vocational and technical skills in the job market.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan emphasised that skills are important keys to the entry-level job market especially in the private sector which plays a crucial role in driving the growth of industries in various sectors.
As such, he pointed out that KVC and other technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions are the answers to producing the required human capital or skilled workforce important for Sarawak to achieve its digital transformation aspirations.
“You (students of KVC) are the answer and I am proud to know that more than 90 per cent of students have already secured jobs even before they graduate. This shows your skills are highly marketable,” he said.
Awang Tengah, who is also the Second Minister of Urban Development and Resources, highlighted this at KVC’s Excellence Awards Ceremony at the college’s hall in Batu Lintang here today.
“The Sarawak government is putting emphasis on TVET as it is the answer to creating a semi-skilled and skilled workforce for state development through industrialisation,” he added.
He thus commended KVC for giving emphasis to academia-industry linkages to stay viable and help students get the skills they need to meet the needs of industries that were constantly evolving.
He acknowledged the important roles of the private sector, not only in state development but also in creating and providing job opportunities.
“The high-tech industries in Sama Jaya here are operated by over 12,000 workers and 98 per cent of them are Sarawakians. More importantly, 80 per cent of the workers have technical skills while 20 per cent are supporting staff.
“In LONGi, a company that produces solar panels, there are over 3,000 workers and 70 per cent of them are engineers,” he disclosed.
The Minister of International Trade and Industry, Industrial Terminal and Entrepreneur Development also said that the positive, stable and pleasant environment have put Sarawak as the top three investment destination in Malaysia.
“Sarawak has attracted desirable investments not only domestically but also through foreign direct investment (FDI). This will not only drive state development and grow industries but it will also provide job opportunities for our children.
“And only people with skills like you here can benefit from the job opportunities,” he reiterated.
Highlighting that his ministry has expanded to include Terminal Industry, he stressed that apart from establishing Sama Jaya and Bintulu’s Samalaju on energy intensive industries, the state government has now focussed on petrochemical and oil and gas industries.
“Terminal industry is related to the petroleum and gas industry. We will focus on this sector which will require more local workers (with skills) because we cannot always rely on foreign workers,” he said.
“Foreign companies in Sarawak are favourable towards local workers because our young workforce are disciplined, committed and highly skilled. That’s what the Japanese and Korean investors say (when asked) why they are attracted to invest here.”
Awang Tengah thus urged for more efforts to enhance the skills of Sarawak youth so that they will have better futures with good career prospects and the ability to earn high income.
At the ceremony, he also announced a RM20,000 grant for the college’s Parent-Teacher Association (PIBG) and gave assurance he would look into the issues hindering the construction of a surau in the college.
“We will include the project (surau) in next year’s budget and hopefully we can plan for it to kick off next year,” he added.
Assistant Minister of International Trade and Industry, Industrial Terminal and Entrepreneur Development Datuk Mohd Naroden Majais and KVC director Arni Suhaili were among those present. — DayakDaily
