KUCHING: The federal government has approved an allocation of RM30 million to the Centre for Technology Excellence Sarawak (Centexs) to develop Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the state.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the funding showed long-term collaboration between the National TVET Council and Centexs to bring about a workforce specialised in the high-tech field.
He added that this is also in line with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s desire to move towards high-tech industry.
“This fund aims to aid part of the students’ course fee in the targeted fields. Aside from that, it is also to finance the cost for the development of laboratories and learning facilities for this high-tech industry at Centexs,” he said during a press conference after completing his work visit at Centexs Santubong here on Saturday.
Ahmad Zahid also suggested that the field of robotics be offered here, in addition to new courses so that the centre could explore new opportunities and potential among students.
“We want to see all the efforts made by the Sarawak government through Centexs put the state at the forefront by providing training courses.
“This includes in terms of highly skilled training closely related to the field of hydrogen, electric vehicles (EV), solar energy and so on,” he said.
On another matter, he revealed that the National TVET Council has also created a secretariat to screen the recruitment of students in the TVET major.
“We created this application modality for those interested in TVET to enter training institutions including Centexs through the TVET Central Unit (UPT). Its function is similar to the student admission application system (UPU).
“We made this to create coordination and avoid inconsistencies in course offers,” he explained.
