Abang Johari said Sarawak will be a thriving society driven by data and innovation by 2030 where everyone enjoys economic prosperity, social inclusivity and a sustainable environment.
The Sarawak government places considerable emphasis on the importance of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and strengthening Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education to produce the much-needed talents to support the state’s development initiatives, said Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
In this respect, Abang Johari said Sarawak had in 2017 embarked on a digital transformation voyage known as the digital economy, where eight strategic initiatives were identified, namely the Development Bank of Sarawak (DBOS). Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA), Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC), ICT Infrastructure, Digital Village, e-Leaming, Data Hosting and Big Data, and Digital Economy Labs.
“The Sarawak government also launched a number of digital services via mobile apps such as Sarawak Gov and SPay Global. The Digital Economy has created an entirely new dimension of development and growth for Sarawak, including creating new jobs for young people in urban centres and rural areas.”
“This has gone a long way towards transforming the way we live and do business,” he said in his speech read by Education, Innovation and Talent Development Deputy Minister Datuk Francis Harden Hollis at the opening ceremony of the 3rd BIMP-Eaga TVET Conference 2023 here today.
Abang Johari also noted that around the globe, breathtaking advances in technology have brought to the fore an urgent need to assess the current role of TVET in developing a future-ready and industry-relevant workforce.
“In this respect, I am pleased to note that this conference serves as a platform to discuss the necessary evolution of TVET amidst the blistering pace of technological innovations and various massive transformation such as the multigenerational workforce and the importance of collaborative intelligence.
“This will facilitate the progress of another conference objective – the identification and incorporation of ‘must-have’ twenty-first century attributes and skills in TVET curricula, to facilitate the development of future-ready TVET graduates,” he said.
Abang Johari noted that the conference, with its theme of “TVET to Drive Innovation and Talent Development” is timely. “It reflects the Sarawak government’s ongoing initiatives and strategies to boost sustainable economic development throughout the State of Sarawak.
“I am confident that this conference, truly a commendable initiative, will set the stage for all stakeholders to contribute to the ongoing transformation of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), thereby facilitating TVET’s noble role to drive innovation and talent development across the BIMP-Eaga region, and around the globe,” he said.
Abang Johari said Sarawak will be a thriving society driven by data and innovation by 2030 where everyone enjoys economic prosperity, social inclusivity and a sustainable environment.
“As such, there is an urgent need to equip our workforce with the relevant knowledge and skills in line with the current and future needs of the various sectors of industry,” he added.
The two-day 3rd BIMP-Eaga TVET Conference 2023 is jointly organised by the Ministry of Education, Innovation and Talent Development Sarawak (MEITD), the Brunei Darussalam- Indonesia-Malaysia- Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-Baga) and the Sarawak Skills Development Centre (PPKS).
The co-organisers of the conference include the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysian Ministry of Human Resources, Federation of Malaysian Skills Development Centres (FMSDC) and the Asia China Education and Culture Association (ACEC Association).
Originally published at Borneo Post Online