In order to achieve its aspiration of becoming an advanced, high-income state by 2030, Sarawak must embrace innovation, foster collaboration, and prioritise sustainable development.
“Through open collaboration, dedication to shared values, a forward-thinking mindset, and purposeful action, we will shape a brighter future for all.”
“Together, we can overcome all challenges, unlock new opportunities, and build a Sarawak that will thrive economically, socially, and sustainably for many generations to come,” said the Premier of Sarawak YAB Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg.
He spoke of this during Majlis Amanat Perdana YAB Premier Sarawak 2024 that was held at Borneo Convention Centre, Kuching on 12 January 2024.
Delivering his speech in the event that celebrated seven years of him helming the premiership, the Premier highlighted several current and future initiatives that Sarawak is undertaking in, among others, areas of digitalisation, the green economy, infrastructure development, research and development, business facilitation, and the Sarawak civil service.
Particularly, he emphasised the importance of education and talent development, as the State is in need of a competitive, highly skilled and innovative workforce capable of tackling new and complex opportunities in the new economy.
Equipping Sarawakians with quality education and skills training is also a means to fight poverty, he stated, “because we are in a high-income economy, we want to translate high income to high household income.”
“Poverty can only be fought by knowledge and skills…. We want graduates with skills, and this has been proven in Germany, as well as in Nordic countries. The productivity is high, the salary is high, therefore the income of our rakyat is high. That is our strategy for Sarawak.”
On that note, he outlined a few talent development strategies; firstly, the free tertiary education initiative by the Sarawak Government by 2026.
This is applicable to Sarawakian students enrolled in “selected disciplines” at five state-owned universities and colleges: Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus, Curtin University Malaysia, University of Technology Sarawak, iCATS University College, and Kolej Laila Taib.
Through the Ministry of Education, Innovation and Talent Development Sarawak, the Government is also developing the Sarawak Talent Master Plan, designed to fulfil the talent requirements of the new economy – especially the hydrogen and digital economy – as well as to reach the 30 per cent skilled workforce target by 2030 in various economic sectors.
“The strategies in the Talent Master Plan include collaboration between industry and academia, statutory bodies, agencies, regional development agencies, and associations of the likes of TalentCorp, Jabatan Pembangunan Kemahiran, Malaysian Board of Technologists, and Sarawak agencies and GLCs.
“Such collaboration is important to design relevant and timely curriculum and technical training to equip our future workforce with the right skills in an evolving job market,” the Premier elaborated.
He added that the Sarawak Workforce Information System (SWIS), which was launched in 2019 and is expected to be completed by this year, will feature a comprehensive labour market database system that is essential in matching industry demand to talent supply in the short to long-term.
To complement SWIS, Sistem Pesanan Kerjaya (SPEAK) is introduced by the Government as a platform to benefit school students, job seekers and young Sarawakians with the latest information on study, training and employment opportunities.
