SERIAN: Minister of Human Resource, Datuk Seri Richard Riot Jaem has allocated a RM10,000 grant each to four Malaysian Armed Forces Veterans Association (MAFVA) branches, namely, in Serian, Balai Ringin, Mambong and Tasik Biru.
Riot handed over mock cheques for RM10,000 each to the branches after launching the Warriors’ Fundraising Dinner organised by MAFVA Serian and Balai Ringin Branches at the Serian Community Hall here last Sunday night.
According to Riot, his ministry will endeavour to assist more veterans in the state to get jobs relevant to their skills through the Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL) programme initiated this year.
“We expect about 600 veterans in the first group undergoing the programme to receive diplomas for their skills.
“Now, we would like to train more veterans to fulfil the human resource needs in the market through RPEL. We want the veterans to meet employers with the certificates and diplomas required by the industries,” said Riot.
He added the programme was initiated by the government because it did not want the veterans to work only as security guards in factories or on farms despite their skills and experiences in the military.
“The government recognises their talents and acknowledge that they are always ready to be trained, just like when they were trained to construct roads, bridges and other things during services,” he explained.
Therefore, the RPEL programme initiated by the government this year, he added, aimed to recognise the experiences, knowledge and skills of the veterans through the Malaysian Skills Certificates (SKM) which were awarded until level four.
Riot said the Ministry of Human Resource was targeting about 1,000 veterans to receive the skills certificate through the programme within the first year of the RPEL programme.
