Miti Minister Announces Measures Engineered To Strengthen Domestic Talent Pool For Key Economic Sectors

The announcements were made by the Minister of International Trade and Industry YB Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed at a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony jointly hosted by the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) and Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad (TalentCorp).

“To ensure that the country remains an attractive investment destination for both domestic and foreign investors, the Government has and will continue to invest in strengthening our human capital development framework to create a sustainable pool of highly-skilled talent. I am pleased that MIDA and TalentCorp have collaborated closely, and in extensive consultation with the industry, to develop these measures which will help prepare our talents of today for the careers of tomorrow,” said YB Dato’ Sri Mustapa.

YB Dato’ Sri Mustapa witnessed the signing of MoUs between TalentCorp, the Malaysia Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT), and the Selangor Human Resource Development Centre (SHRDC) which will go on to form the basis of several upskilling and apprenticeship engineering programmes.

Under the MOUs, several upskilling and apprenticeship programmes will be developed to enhance undergraduates’ employability for careers in the Electronic & Electrical, Oil & Gas, Telecommunications and Information Technology sectors. Participants will be provided technical skills relevant to the job needs in these sectors, taught soft skills to enhance their communication and undergo practical on-the-job training.

YB Dato’ Sri Mustapa also announced that engineering-related industries in Malaysia will now be able to leverage on four initiatives spearheaded by TalentCorp to tap into the larger supply of talent to meet their talent needs.

TalentCorp and the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) will collaborate on Structured Internship Programmes (SIP), whereby companies will be encouraged to provide a high quality practical learning experience through internships tostudents from locally-based public and private institutions of higher education. Pursuant to Budget 2012, Companies providing such programmes, with effect from January 2012, stand to enjoy double tax deduction incentives on cash allowances and other internship training-related expenses.

Additionally, engineering-related employers will now be able to access top Public Service Department (JPA) scholars under the Scholarship Talent Attraction and Retention (STAR) programme, which enables JPA scholars to serve their bonds in the leading companies in Malaysia. STAR will now be expanded to include JPA scholars from Malaysian universities, beginning with engineering graduates.

Similarly, priority companies in industries identified by MIDA will be accorded the facility to submit applications under the Returning Expert Programme (REP) to secure incentives for highly skilled Malaysian professionals, such as engineers, whom they have targeted to bring back from overseas. Allowing applications by employers is intended to support companies in their efforts to recruit Malaysians from abroad.

In areas of critical skills shortages, the Government will also facilitate applications by leading investors to employ top foreign graduates currently studying in local institutions of higher learning to work in the private sector. For more information on these initiatives, please visit www.talentcorp.com.my.