Target of 35% skilled manpower by 2020 attainable

JOHOR BARU: The target of increasing skilled manpower from 28% in 2015 to 35% in another three years is not impossible to achieve, said Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Richard Riot Jaem.
This is because based on the unofficial statistics released by the Malaysian Statistics Department in 2016, the percentage of skilled manpower is already at 31%, proof that the target is attainable.
"We only have to work harder in these three years. We are also expecting 1.5 million new jobs to be created by 2020, with 60% or about 900,000 of them needing skilled manpower in technical and vocational fields," he said.
He said this in his speech at the launching ceremony of the Human Resource Department (JTM) – Samsung Tech Academy at the Industrial Training Institute in Pasir Gudang here today.
The event also included the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding between JTM and Samsung Malaysia Electronics (SME) Sdn Bhd to produce more workforce with high marketability.
Riot said such collaborations were crucial in helping Malaysia become a high-income nation, as stated in the 11th Malaysia Plan.
To date, there are 32 skills institutes under the JMT, with eight offering diploma courses in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
"To be competitive, we need more skilled manpower with high qualifications so that they can go far, and this MoU would allow the local workforce gain exposure to the latest technologies and be relevant to the giant electronic companies," he said. — Bernama