MIRI: Sarawak is looking to strengthen the employability of Sarawak Free Tertiary Education Scheme (FTES) graduates by aligning their skills and industrial training with industry needs.
Deputy Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee said the government is planning a mechanism to match FTES graduates with the requirements of industries as the state targets 500,000 new jobs over the next five to 10 years.
He said the initiative would include strengthening industrial training programmes to give students practical experience and skills sought by employers before they complete their studies.
“Industrial training should provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate their competency and readiness to the industry.
“If they perform well throughout the training period, they will have greater opportunities to be offered employment before completing their studies,” he said during an FTES engagement session at Curtin University here on Tuesday (Sept 8).
He added that the government was also considering the ‘campus in industry’ concept to make industrial training more comprehensive by placing students in companies and organisations related to their fields of study.
He said the move was important to ensure students were not only exposed to the working environment but also gained practical expertise before entering the job market.
Annuar added that FTES was also established to expand access to higher education for students from low-income families as well as those from rural and suburban areas.
“Experience from the implementation of previous education assistance programmes has shown that reducing the cost of education can create more opportunities for students from the B40 group to pursue higher education at institutions owned by the Sarawak government.”
He also stressed that the increase in the number of FTES recipients should not raise concerns over the quality of education as programme standards and accreditation remain subject to monitoring by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA).
“The government wants to ensure that FTES produces graduates who are not only able to complete their studies but also possess better skills, experience and employment prospects.”
