The Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) plans to expand implementation of its Apprenticeship Programme to the national level with the participation of more than 100 companies and 700 trainees, as per a report by Bernama.

Deputy chief executive officer Zabidi Mahbar stated that from next month, the agency will expand the programme nationwide to attract more companies and trainees with potential to participate in it. 

"The second phase of the programme will begin at the end of next month and MIDA urges more companies to step up and participate to create even more places for training,” Zabidi said at the Apprenticeship Programme 2019 Convocation Ceremony. 

Zabidi added that the Apprenticeship Programme was a two-year initiative targeting Form Three Assessment (PT3) school leavers. The programme is based on the German training model of the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) where 70 percent of the training is undertaken in the industry and 30 percent at training institutes.

Like the TVET program, MIDA aims to prepare skilled workers who can be immediately absorbed into industry.

The Apprenticeship Programme is the result of cooperation between MIDA, the Education Ministry, Skills Development Department and the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers. The first phase involved five companies, namely Royal Selangor International Sdn Bhd, Top Glove Corporation Bhd, Gethi Engineering Sdn Bhd, Fire Fighter Industry Sdn and YKGI Holdings Bhd. It also encompassed three vocational colleges - Setapak Vocational College, the Klang Vocational College, and Sungai Buluh Vocational Collage.

As business needs evolve, skilling of workers and more importantly, skilling in time becomes imperative for both governments and organizations to make workers future ready. According to the Workmonitor quarterly report, employees and job seekers in Malaysia are aware that they need to upskill to take advantage of these opportunities that come with technological advancements and new innovations. Close to nine in 10 respondents (89%) said that they will need to acquire new skills if they want to work in a digital-led environment. 93% are willing to personally acquire these skills to guarantee their employability.