The industry scene in Sarawak encompassed various sectors that greatly contribute to the State’s socio-economic development.
This includes oil and gas, electrical and port, hospitality and tourism, construction, textile and heritage and most recently, digital economy.
And to accommodate the increasing demand for technical skills in fulfilling the economic development, the Centre of Technical Excellence Sarawak (CENTEX) was established as the main talent or skilled manpower provider in Sarawak.
During a recent interview with RAKAN Sarawak, the Chief Executive Officer of CENTEX, Haji Syeed Mohd Hussien noted that since 2015, the training institution has trained a total of about 3, 000 students.
To help maximise the knowledge and skills of talented individuals in Sarawak, the training institution through Centex Commercial Services (CCS) also launched the SaraX mobile application in 2019.
It was introduced so that the public can have access to technical services such as wiring, tailoring, welding, photography, indoor and cleaning and plumbing services via an apps booking.
As a constant user of the application himself, Haji Syeed said that the apps help people with technical skills to gain extra income and thus provides opportunity for him and his families to improve their socio-economics level.
“This initiative not only helps our students but also people who has technical skills as well,” he said adding that as of now, the apps have about 300 service providers.
Aside from that, another reasons why more technical skills are important for Sarawak is for the State to stop relying heavily on important goods and foreign technical labours.
Giving an example on the upholstery industry, Haji Syeed noted Sarawak can also catch up in producing industrial textile items locally that are normally imported from overseas.
“If we look at industrial products such as carpets and curtains sold on online shopping website (examples are Shopee and Lazada), most of them comes from overseas while only a small percentage is locally produced,”
“So, I think it is high-time that we established something new here,” he said adding that the locally produced products can be promoted outside Sarawak and thus contribute to the State economy.
Hoping to catch up with the growing industry, he noted that CENTEX is also planning to provide programs on Industrial Upholstery (Interior Decoration) and Professional Diploma in Bespoke Footwear and Innovative Design.
Apart from that, with digital economy considered as one of the main economic drivers for Sarawak, CENTEX hopes to produce more talented individuals in the digital field.
With the Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) as the main driver for the State’s digital economy, Haji Syeed added that the role of CENTEX is as the talent provider for digital economy is needed by the State and SMA. “The State government is planning to build more communication towers in Sarawak and we need people who has the skills to do it. So, that is the beauty of having our own people, they can fit into the industry,” he said.
