PUTRAJAYA: The Entrepreneur Development Ministry is targeting more participation from small and medium-sized entrepreneurs (SMEs) in the PROTÉGÉ (Professional Training And Education For Growing Entrepreneurs) programme formerly known as the 1Malaysia Training Scheme (SL1M).
The ministry’s secretary-general Datuk Wan Suraya Mohd Radzi said the participation was to fill the vacancies and the needs of the workforce required by SMEs and to provide marketable benefits to PROTÉGÉ participants.
“Perhaps the number of participating SMEs is not as much government-linked companies (GLCs), but it is important that all parties work together to develop the local industry,” he said when met at the closing ceremony of the PROTÉGÉ and Duopharma Biotech Berhad joint programme, recently.
He said that as of March, 2,300 trainees were involved in the PROTÉGÉ programme and targets an overall of 9,000 participants from GLCs.
He said PROTÉGÉ is now extended to school leavers and diploma holders to enhance their skills, experience and knowledge in entrepreneurship.
“It is hoped that with this programme, high-tech companies will not have to get foreign workers to fill vacancies because the number of PROTEGE participants can accommodate existing needs,” he said.
He said PROTEGE also collaborated with 13 public universities by participating in the ‘PROTÉGÉ Reach-Out and Awareness’ career carnival programme starting from the end of March to May to introduce training initiatives organised under the ministry.
Among the universities involved are Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Shah Alam campus, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) and Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT).
Wan Suraya said the ministry would also launch the National Entrepreneurship Policy by mid-year and to implement it, the ministry has issued a national entrepreneurial framework since November last year.
Meanwhile, Duopharma Biotech Berhad Group managing director Leonard Ariff Abdul Shatar said the company is aiming to increase PROTÉGÉ trainees with special background in the pharmaceutical field, chemistry and biotechnology, production planning as well as sales and marketing.
He said Duopharma would also invest RM2 million per year for site selection and training for PROTÉGÉ trainees.
“Duopharma will continue to be committed in training young talents and improving their skills to enhance graduates’ marketability in meeting the needs of the industry,” said Leonard Ariff.
He said throughout 2018, Duopharma had trained 64 PROTÉGÉ participants with 14 of them successfully absorbed into the company. – Bernama
