RM20 Million Allocation To Strengthen TVET, Help B40 Enhance Skills And Employability
SHAH ALAM – The RM20 million allocation for the implementation of the Malaysian Skills Certificate Programme is seen as a precise move to assist the low-income group (B40) in upgrading their skills and strengthening their employment opportunities in an increasingly challenging labour market.
Bukit Lanjan State Assemblyman, Pua Pei Ling, said this initiative is extremely important given that the cost of education and technical training often becomes a barrier for students and young people from B40 families to enhance their skills.
She said the allocation also aligns with concerns over the rise in retrenchments recorded in Selangor recently.
“In my speech during the previous Selangor State Legislative Assembly sitting, I raised concerns regarding the worrying retrenchment rate, with Selangor contributing 29.3 percent of the total retrenchments nationwide as of March.
“I greatly welcome the RM20 million allocation for the Malaysian Skills Certificate Programme as a new initiative under Phase 2 of the Selangor Resilience Strengthening Package,” she said when debating the package during the Special Sitting of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly here yesterday.
At the same time, Pei Ling suggested that the implementation of the programme take inspiration from the SkillsFuture model in Singapore to ensure that the benefits of skills training can be enjoyed on a sustainable basis and not merely as a one-off assistance.
She said the model has proven successful in increasing the workforce training participation rate in Singapore from 35 percent in 2015 to 50 percent in 2021.
“Among the elements that could be adapted are the concept of individual lifelong training credits that can be utilised throughout one’s career, not just once, as well as training allowances for workers who need to take unpaid leave to undergo full-time training,” she said.
Earlier, Dato’ Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari announced an allocation of RM20 million through the Teraju IKTISASS initiative aimed at strengthening technical and vocational education and training (TVET) as well as increasing the number of professional workers in strategic industries in Selangor.
According to him, among the main components of the programme are offering artificial intelligence (AI) certification courses under Google to 500 teachers in Selangor to enhance their capability in leveraging the technology in education.
“In addition, 500 participants will be offered professional industry certifications, while another 1,000 individuals will receive Malaysian Skills Certifications,” he said when tabling the Phase 2 Selangor Resilience Strengthening Package.
Media Selangor