Sarawak’s drive to build a future-ready workforce is gaining momentum through sustained investments in education, free tertiary education and stronger industry-academia collaboration to prepare local talent for the state’s expanding green, digital and high-tech economy, said Datuk Prof Dr Lee Kuok Tiung.
The associate professor from the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), said education has become a key pillar of the state’s Post COVID-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030, with policymakers and educators working together to reshape Sarawak’s talent pipeline in line with future industry demands.
He said state-backed higher education institutions, including Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus, Curtin University Malaysia, University of Technology Sarawak (UTS) and i-CATS University College, are producing graduates in strategic fields such as computer science, engineering, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and environmental science.
Lee said this is complemented by a growing network of English-medium schools offering international curricula, led by Yayasan Sarawak International Secondary School (YSISS), which aims to nurture globally competitive talent while providing fully funded scholarships for deserving students from lower-income families.
However, he said the rapid growth of industries such as green hydrogen, artificial intelligence-ready data centres and advanced aerospace manufacturing has created a temporary shortage of highly specialised local talent.
“While these institutions are actively rolling out new curricula focused on digital literacy and automation, there is an acknowledged lag in producing highly technical local experts, occasionally forcing a reliance on foreign technical consultancy while local talent ramps up,” he said in an interview with Sarawak Tribune.
Lee described the Sarawak Free Tertiary Education Scheme (FTES) as one of the state’s most significant initiatives in developing a skilled workforce.
He said the scheme funds 64 strategic programmes at Sarawak government-owned universities that are aligned with the state’s economic priorities, making Sarawak the only state in the country to offer such a comprehensive free tertiary education initiative.
“The initiative has also encouraged many parents whose children hold the ‘K’ status to send them back to Sarawak to pursue higher education,” he added.
On educational assistance, Lee proposed extending the FTES Living Allowance and Accommodation assistance, worth up to RM15,000 annually, to eligible students from the M40 group instead of limiting it to the B40 category.
“All Sarawak children, as long as they have a ‘K’, should be able to enjoy educational assistance fairly and equally, regardless of their family background,” he said.
He also said household income alone should not determine eligibility for assistance, as it does not reflect differences in the cost of living between urban and rural areas.
“Secondly, it may be bridging the local wage gap. There are still Sarawakian graduates who choose to outmigrate to places like Brunei, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore or overseas due to entry-level wage suppression at home.
“Perhaps retaining top-tier local talent requires local companies to offer more competitive salaries,” he said.
Looking ahead, he said Sarawak’s economic transformation will create abundant career opportunities in green energy, renewable energy, digital technology and advanced manufacturing.
He said growing investments in hydrogen, carbon capture and storage (CCS), green data centres and cybersecurity, together with the expansion of Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (PETROS) as the state’s sole gas aggregator, will generate high-value jobs in engineering, logistics, legal services and digital technology.
“Lots of opportunities await young Sarawakians. Based on the current Sarawak economy blueprint, the next decade presents unprecedented, high-paying career avenues right in Sarawak,” he said.
