SEBERANG PERAI FACTORY TO ESTABLISH UNIVERSITY FOR INDUSTRIAL TRAINING

BUTTERWORTH, June 25 (Bernama) -- A factory in Seberang Perai is set to pioneer Malaysia's first university dedicated to training students for industrial roles as technicians and engineers.

Deputy Chief Minister II Jagdeep Singh Deo said the university is expected to be operational within two to three years on the factory premises, but he declined to reveal specific details at this time.

"We are supporting a Penang-based factory's initiative to establish Malaysia's first factory-integrated university, crucial for advancing our state's technological capabilities,

"As Penang continues its rapid industrial growth, there is an increasing demand for skilled professionals in science and technology. This university will help meet that demand by producing more technicians and engineers," he said after officiating at the 2024 National Training Week (NTW 2024) carnival held at the Butterworth Arena here today.

Also present at the event, organised by the Human Resource Development Corporation (HRD Corp) were its chief executive Datuk Shahul Dawood and chief financial officer Mohamad Farizul Yahaya.

NTW was introduced last year, with its inaugural week dedicated to nationwide training spearheaded by HRD Corp under the auspices of the Ministry of Human Resources (Kesuma). This week-long event is filled with activities and training sessions that bring together organisations and individuals from various industries and backgrounds, providing free learning and development opportunities.

Meanwhile, Mohamad Farizul emphasised the importance of skill development and continuous learning to ensure that Malaysia's workforce and business sector remain competitive both domestically and internationally.

He informed that the NTW 2024 Carnival organised in the northern region has attracted over 1,000 visitors and that HRD Corp, together with its partners in the northern region, will offer 791 free training programmes throughout the NTW 2024 week.

This includes 252 programmes in Penang, Perak (304 programmes), Perlis (67) and Kedah (168).

Collaborating partners include UiTM Penang Branch, Penang Infrastructure Corporation, Assistant Land Officers Association, Perak Entrepreneur and Skills Development Centre (PESDC), Universiti Malaysia Perlis (Unimap) and Bandar Darulaman Community College.

NTW 2024 aims to further inspire Malaysians to embrace lifelong learning for personal and professional growth by offering over 60,000 free courses nationwide, reaching more than 200,000 Malaysians.

This training initiative is expected to record over 700,000 training hours and provide a training value of RM200 million.

-- BERNAMA