Sagah: TVET, STEM key in producing relevant workforce
28 Apr 2022
The state government has placed emphasis on the importance of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and strengthening Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education to produce the much-needed human capital to support the state’s development initiatives, said Datuk Roland Sagah Wee Inn.
According to the Minister of Education, Innovation and Talent Development, this is to support Sarawak’s ongoing effort to transform the state’s economy into a Digital Economy, and there is an urgent need to equip Sarawak’s workforce with the relevant knowledge and skills in line with the current and future needs of the various sectors of industry.
“The important area is the establishment of strategic partnerships between the government, various industry sectors and post-secondary educational institutions such as colleges, universities and skills training centres,” he said in his speech during the exchange of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Sarawak Skills and the Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC) Centre of 9 Pillars (Co9P) held at the Sarawak Skills Development Centre here yesterday.
He regarded the strategic arrangement between Sarawak Skills and the six companies under MTDC’s Centre of 9 Pillars as a major step in the right direction to support Sarawak’s ongoing initiatives to become a developed state by 2030.
Apart from that, he also said the MoU is also timely, because it is aligned with the state government’s ongoing initiatives and strategies under the Sarawak Post Covid-19 Development Strategy 2030 (PCDS 2030).
“At the heart of PCDS 2030 is Sarawak’s quest to develop a technology-driven economy that emphasises environmental sustainability. In this respect, I must commend Sarawak Skills and the MTDC for taking the all-important step forward to formalise this mutually-beneficial strategic arrangement.
“I understand that under this strategic arrangement, Sarawak Skills and the six companies under MTDC’s Centre of 9 Pillars will offer a wide range of customised Industry 4.0 solutions for the various industry sectors in Sarawak.
“Yes, this will be of utmost importance in supporting the strategic thrusts under PCDS 2030, especially in the area of Accelerating Digital Adoption and Data Utilisation to Generate Outcomes (Strategic Thrust Number 5),” he said.
He is thus confident that the strategic arrangement between Sarawak Skills and the six companies under MTDC’s Centre of 9 Pillars will pave the way for a host of fresh strategies to facilitate the adoption of digital transformation initiatives by the industries in Sarawak.
For that matter, Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg had launched the Action and Implementation Plan for Sarawak Post Covid-19 Development Strategy 2030 in February this year, Sagah added.
Essentially, the plan serves as a strategic roadmap for Sarawak to achieve the objectives of PCDS 2030, including a host of people-centric initiatives to improve the socio-economic status of the populace.
The PCDS 2030 is anchored on six economic sectors as the main engines of growth, namely Manufacturing, Commercial Agriculture, Tourism, Forestry, Mining and Social Services.
“These economic sectors are supported by seven enablers, namely Digital Transformation, Innovation, Education and Human Capital Development, Basic Infrastructure, Utilities, Transport and Renewable Energy,” he said.
Sagah thus believes that the state’s ongoing initiatives in digital transformation will empower Sarawak’s economic sectors to increase efficiencies and productivity.
These initiatives include digitalisation of the private sector economy through Big Data, Internet of Things (IoT) and Blockchain technologies while at the same time, Sarawak is developing the digital economy ecosystem to attract new industries such as international standard data centres, digital content creation, and boosting digital innovation and entrepreneurship for digital startups.
Source: Borneo Post Online
