KUALA LUMPUR – Leading engineering and construction firm Malaysian Resources Corporation Bhd (MRCB) will participate actively in the development and upskilling of the country’s workforce by investing heavily in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) centres
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in his Budget 2023 speech today announced that MRCB will be among the active participants and partners in the TVET initiative.
In an immediate response, MRCB said it will collaborate with industry skills accreditation and development institutions, such as the Construction Industry Development Board and its Akademi Binaan Malaysia, to enhance the TVET centres’ construction-related programmes and create customised TVET and upskilling programmes for young Malaysians.
“These programmes will focus specifically on modular construction, a sustainable construction method that reduces waste and carbon emissions, while reducing the industry’s reliance on foreign labour.
“By investing in enhancing these TVET programmes, MRCB will not only ensure that it will have a steady pool of talent to facilitate its expansion into modular construction, but it will also help grow the construction industry’s skilled workforce and support this important shift to more innovative and sustainable construction methods,” it said in a statement.
The new modular construction TVET programmes that MRCB will develop will enhance competency, and develop a market-ready workforce within the following disciplines: Concrete Technology; Formwork Technology; Architectural Finishing (Façade, Painting works and other finishes); Mechanical Works (Firefighting, Lifts & Escalators, Air Conditioning & Ventilation, Plumbing); Crane and Heavy Machineries; Welding Technologies; Wet Trades and Carpentry Works; Information Technologies in Construction (BIM, IOT, Fibre Optics, AR, and VR); Safety, Health and Environment Programmes; Green Buildings and Sustainable Programs (PV Solar Panels, Energy and Reusable Water Technology, Carbon Emission); Certified Construction Site Supervisor; Certified Safety Supervisor; Facility Management Executive; Facility Management Manager; and Certified Construction Project Manager.
It said this new TVET initiative is in addition to MRCB’s existing collaboration with the Youth and Sports Ministry and the Prisons Department’s Second Chance programme Peka, which provides training, upskilling, and employment opportunities for selected offenders who are at the tail-end of their prison sentences.
“This programme is designed to train and upskill low-risk offenders and ex=offenders selected by the Malaysian Prison Department, known as ‘Orang DiSelia’, and provide employment to re-integrate them back into society. The programme has benefitted 350 inmates to date,” said MRCB, whose main shareholder is the Employees Provident Fund. – The Vibes, February 24, 2023
