KUCHING: Sarawak Skills Development Centre (PPKS) has produced more than 45,000 graduates the past two decades, with 70 per cent of them employed within six months after graduation.

Its chairman Tan Sri Datuk Amar Aziz Hussain, who disclosed this, said PPKS had been in the business of providing technical vocationaleducation and training (TVET) to meet the state government’s goal of producing more skilled and semi-skilled workers.

“PPKS is now on its way to become one of the leaders in innovation for technical training and education in tandem with the National Education Blueprint towards attaining 35 per cent technical workers by the year 2020,” he said at the World TVET Conference 2015 at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) yesterday.

The three-day conference, organised by PPKS and endorsed by the state government and Ministry of Human Resources, was officiated at by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem.

Aziz also mentioned that PPKS aimed to fulfil the state government’s goal of producing more skilled and semi-skilled workers to meet the demand of Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE).

He added that TVET development was vital in bringing the country closer towards becoming a developed nation with high income by 2020.

According to him, since its formation 20 years ago, PPKS had successfully organised some conferences of such nature, to promote and share the importance of TVET in the nation’s socio-economic development.

Aziz also said MySkills Fair, organised by Department of Skills Development under the Ministry of Human Resources, was held in conjunction with the conference.

Some 50 booths put up by skills training and education centres from within and outside the country offering a variety of programmes are taking part.

Present at the function were Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu, Minister of Infrastructure Development and Communication Dato Sri Michael Manyin and Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office (Promotion of Technical Education) Datu Len Talif.