Taib presenting the award to Europe region recipient Kontturi. Also seen (from left) are Thompson, Baharuddin and Fatimah. — Photos by Chimon Upon

Taib (centre) with recipients and representatives of the 2015 TVET Leader’s Award. The Head of State is flanked by Baharuddin (on his right) and Fatimah.

KUCHING: The state, through its Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) initiative, will be able to make that quantum leap to produce the desired skilled manpower for industries.

In saying this in his speech read out by Welfare, Women and Family Development Minister Datuk Fatimah Abdullah at the World TVET (Technical Vocational Education and Training) Conference 2015 gala dinner on Tuesday, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem pointed out that Sarawak was already showing positive growth in technical and vocational education in line with the conference theme ‘Quantum Leap: Transformation and Living Skills in the 21st Century’.

Fatimah is also the minister in charge of education affairs in the state “I believe every place in this world needs the correctness and completeness of technical training programmes that would produce balance graduates for industries. I believe that the federal agencies, state agencies, the industries and educational institutions such as Sarawak Skills Development Centre (PPKS) should work together and make efforts at collaboration with partners from abroad.

“Efforts at international collaboration would be able to develop our nation’s skills building capacity programmes.

Researches, gatherings and conferences such as the Iveta (International Vocational Education and Training Association) conference are needed to improve and strengthen networking in the area of TVET,” Adenan highlighted at the dinner held at Pullman Hotel here.

The dinner was also attended by Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud and wife Toh Puan Dato Sri Ragad Kurdi Taib, Iveta president Carmel Thompson and conference organising chairman Datuk Baharudin Abdullah.

Adenan pointed out that exposure attained by students such as through TVET would not only equip them with the necessary theoretical knowledge, industrial skills and a constructive working culture but would also enable them to be more innovative and creative in their work.

“We need to work smart. Develop a complementing and workable framework that includes the employability of graduates as one of the components. We recognise the significant contribution that education makes to the economic health of our nation and are aware of the rich knowledge, social and cultural benefits gained by such exchanges.

“Making connections and linking up with the people across the world through education helps build enduring relationships and brings about greater understanding between cultures,” he elaborated.

Touching on the state’s economic scenario, Adenan mentioned that Sarawak aimed to achieve the ultimate goal of becoming a high income and developed state by 2020. Boasting its energy source as a competitive advantage, he said SCORE was one of the largest projects planned in Sarawak and regarded as a strategic initiative to assist in this transformation.

He added that the major growth nodes of Samalaju Industrial Park, Mukah and Tanjung Manis Halal Hub were now bustling with economic activities in intensive energy industry such as non-iron metals, iron and steel, silica and petrochemicals, which had attracted immense interest from local and foreign investors.

“Sarawak is very eager to create the desired critical mass to generate and sustain the economic activities in the designated growth nodes.

“Benefits from SCORE as well as world class education will allow our future generation to move the economy up the value chain to increase our per capita income, increasing the quality of life and achieve balanced regional development,” he continued.

The dinner also saw presentation of Outstanding TVET Leader’s Award 2015 to Iveta members in recognition of their contribution towards the development of technical education landscape in their regions.

The recipients were Wilson K Makulumiza-Nkhoma from Malawi (Southern Africa); John Ntamuhiira Twesigye from Uganda (Eastern and Western Africa); Ilhan Gunbayi from Turkey (East Europe and Central Asia); Lori Hocking from Australia (East Asia and the Pacific); Mari Kontturi from Finland (Europe); Nigel Forgenie from Trinidad and Tobago (Latin America and the Caribbean); Dr John S Gaal from the United States (North America) and Baharuddin for the South Asia region.

In his speech earlier, Baharuddin said TVET had become a mainstream education option in many developed countries and PPKS aspired to be the main player in this area by constantly keeping pace with the changing needs of education, whether through the use of innovative pedagogy or a wide range of co-curricular activities.