MIRI – Sarawak school leavers have been urged to look seriously into pursuing technical and entrepreneurial skills, and not just focus on plain academic courses for their further education.
Telang Usan assemblyman Dennis Ngau said school leavers must be guided towards a more balanced outlook in their career choices.
Speaking when launching an education exhibition in Long Lama town today, he said most school leavers prefer to go for courses that are academic in nature.
“Be more balanced in selecting future courses to pursue. SPM and STPM school leavers must give equal consideration towards courses of technical and entrepreneurial expertise too.
“Sarawak is opening up more opportunities in these sectors throughout the state,” he said.
The exhibition provides an opportunity for Form 5 and Form 6 school leavers to check out courses offered by public and private institutions of higher education.
State lawmakers have been stressing that there is a need for more Sarawakians to be trained in fields linked to technical and entrepreneurial skills.
The federal government is providing RM50 million for the training of young entrepreneurs this year, and Sarawak’s young business hopefuls have been told not to miss out.
Sarawak Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah recently said the young entrepreneurs development fund from Putrajaya bestows a grant that does not require repayment.
“The federal government is channelling this fund through Bank Rakyat as grants for young entrepreneurs registered with the ministries,” he said when attending a youth development programme in Kuching recently.
“The fund is relatively easy to apply (for) and approval is quite prompt with the amount of funds to be allotted depending on the type and size of the business.
Those allotted the money can use it for their business development, he said, adding that the ministry would check on the progress made by the recipients.
“Petty traders and small-scale businesses in Sarawak should apply. There is no need to pay back to the government,” he said.
Earlier this year, Sarawak launched a state-level Youth Entrepreneur Setup programme (YES) aimed at creating a new pool of young business talents in this vast state.
The YES programme will be implemented until 2030 in all the districts of the state, said Karim at the launch of the Miri YES chapter here.
State Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department, Datuk Juanda Jaya, had recently also advised youth not to dismiss food-related businesses as being low-earning or low-paying in nature.
“Youth who are still not employed can opt for the many training programmes in trading and entrepreneurship offered by the government programmes.
“These business ventures can bring in high returns for those who are willing to work hard, including the food sectors,” he reportedly said. – The Vibes, June 27, 2022
