MOU signed to raise IKBN trainees' employability factor

PUTRAJAYA: National Youth Skills Institute (IKBN) trainees will undergo internship and enhance their employability in the construction industry as a result of collaboration between the government and one of the country’s construction giants.
In a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between Youth and Sports Ministry and Gamuda Berhad today, 140 IKBN trainees will be given on-the-job training in various construction and technical segments such as electrical, scaffolding, tunnelling, safety and health, dam surveying and industrial building system (IBS).
“This also includes ‘training the trainers’ programme for six people. I am pleased with this collaboration since the IKBN trainees will also be exposed to tunnelling works, a rare technology in this country in view of the Mass Rapid Transit project,” said Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin after witnessing the MOU signing at the ministry this morning.
In addition, he said, the ministry has conducted two phases of 21-day fast track boot camp training on scaffolding for 80 trainees at IKBN Bachok and Chembong to prepare the trainees to be industry ready in the oil and gas sector.
As a result, a total of 79 trainees have secured employment with four oil and gas companies with basic monthly wage ranging from RM1,700 to RM2,700 for projects in Sarawak, East Coast of Peninsular and India.
“The government wants the IKBN trainees to have the 100% employability factor when they complete the training,” he said, adding that boot camp training for golf service and management was also conducted with Nilai Spring Resort.
Gamuda Berhad managing director Datuk Lin Yun Ling said such internship programmes would nurture skilled local workforce and create a win-win situation for the construction industry.
“The value is much better for sustainability. It is a big advantage for us when you are able to develop human resource for the long term period. To bring in foreign labour is also not very cheap. We need to add on to salary, levy charges, medical and the cost to bring them from other countries.
“The foreign workers come and go since they can only stay for five years. The value is much better when you train the local workers because we never underestimate our local resources,” said Lin.