KUCHING: Sarawak is aligning its higher education offerings with future industry needs to ensure employment opportunities keep pace with the expected increase in graduates under the Free Tertiary Education Scheme (FTES).
Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said the state’s strategy focused on preparing graduates for industries expected to drive Sarawak’s economy in the coming years, rather than training them for declining or saturated sectors.
He said Sarawak had identified 64 programmes to support this approach, covering science-based disciplines as well as selected areas in the social sciences and arts, including finance, accounting, law and psychology.
He said psychology was included in anticipation of growing mental health and social pressures.
“People ask me why psychology is included. I believe society will face increasing levels of stress in the future, and this will affect mental stability.
“We do not want more people falling into depression or harming themselves — feeling hopeless or heartbroken. If this issue is not addressed, it will become one of the mental health challenges of the future.
“That is why we need more counselling services and experts in psychology,” he said during the townhall session held in conjunction with the ninth anniversary of his administration at the Hikmah Exchange Event Centre here on Tuesday (Jan 13).
Abang Johari said most of the programmes were science-based, reflecting opportunities in sectors such as the hydrogen economy, fuel production and advanced manufacturing, which required graduates with strong foundations in chemistry and related sciences.
He cited developments in methanol and ammonia production, saying the move towards new fuels and industrial processes would create demand for science graduates capable of supporting these industries.
He said information technology was another key area, particularly in cyber security, as increased digitalisation had led to a rise in scams and data-related risks across sectors.
“Engineering has many specialisations. Today, engineers use information technology (IT). For example, Building Information Modelling. Engineers must also understand Highway Information Modelling. Everything now uses IT.
“That means we need all these disciplines for the future economy. The future economy depends on new disciplines, and many new subjects are now emerging in university curricula,” he added.
Abang Johari said Sarawak was also looking at aerospace as a future growth sector, with plans to establish an aerospace faculty at the International College of Advanced Technology Sarawak (iCATS) to prepare graduates for space- and data-related industries.
He added tourism remained an important sector, but said it would require more integrated skills across aviation, services and digital platforms to remain competitive.
He said the government’s approach was to anticipate economic changes and align education and training accordingly, noting that new industries — including broadcasting and creative content — had emerged in recent years, creating jobs that did not previously exist.
“To answer the question, you must choose the discipline, but you must also understand what type of economy will exist in the future,” he said.
