Various Industries Strive To Prepare Graduates To Meet The Ever Growing Demands And Challenges

KUCHING : The issue of Graduate Employability has come to fore as institutions of higher learning and various industries strive to prepare graduates to meet the ever growing demands and challenges in the workplace of the twenty-first century.

Assistant Minister of Rural Development and Assistant Minister of Housing Datuk Francis Harden Hollis said to participant that there has been much concern about managing the Skill Mismatch when it comes to the question of gainful employment of our graduate. Various factors contributing to Graduates Unemployability have been cited, such as the lack of soft skill, misalignment between graduates produced for various disciplines and actual workforce demand, changes in the industries and the role of educational institutions themselves.

" The state government has embarked on Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy or SCORE initiative. With SCORE initiative, the Sarawak GDP can reach RM118 billion and an increase in per capita income to RM97,400.00. This figures would also mean 1.6 million additional jobs will be created in Sarawak,"

" On the issue of graduates un-employability, we can also equip graduates with entrepreneurship skills so that they can be self employed and/or create new businesa venture in the form of Small Medium Enterprise or SME. As such instead of merely looking for employment in the workforce, the graduates can empower themselves as employers and in the process creating job oppitunities for others," said Francis.

Acting CEO i-CAT Isham Mohd Fauzi also attended the colloquium this morning.-Sarawakiana