| Danial Norjidi |
THE Centre for Capacity Building (PPK) held a Doa Selamat ceremony yesterday to mark the completion of the centre’s Phase 1 construction, which began on August 19.
The event also signifies the beginning of three months of formal training for 636 trainees in the first intake.
The event was attended by Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdul Rahman bin Haji Ibrahim, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance II and Pehin Datu Singamanteri Colonel (Rtd) Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Awang Haji Mohammad Yasmin bin Haji Umar, Minister of Energy and Industry at the Prime Minister’s Office.
Also in attendance were government officers, PPK staff, members of the Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) and trainees from the first intake.
The Doa Selamat was led by Khairul Arifin bin Haji Yusof, Imam of the Kampong Perpindahan Lambak Kanan Mosque. This was followed by a site tour of the Phase 1 facilities.
Prior to starting their training, the trainees attended an orientation at the Civil Service Institute (IPA) in Kampong Rimba on September 20-21.
The 636 trainees of the first intake are divided into the following programmes: Mason/Plasterer, Woodcraft, Steelcraft, Rigger, Scaffolder, Marker Fitter/Riveter, Blaster Painter, Heavy Vehicle Driver, and Insulator.
The training is conducted by RTOs, namely ATDC Sdn Bhd, Joffren Omar Company Sdn Bhd, Blue Oceanic Management Services, Syarikat Pakar Tenaga Bersatu, Mashhor General Contractors Sdn Bhd, Megamas Training Company Sdn Bhd, and STIA Sdn Bhd.
For the first intake, the trainees have been given conditional offers of employment to work with Hengyi contractors for the Pulau Muara Besar project.
The construction for PPK’s Phase 2 will begin this week and is expected to be completed by December. Meanwhile, construction for Phases 2B and 2C will begin in October.
In January 2018, PPK’s capacity development will be supported by the needs of the industry to enable locals to be qualified to work in a number of fields in the private sector, including the Hengyi project, together with other foreign direct investment (FDI) companies.
Once Phase 2 is complete, four new six-month programmes will be introduced – Welder, Mechanical Fitter, Electrical Mechanic and Instrument Mechanic – which will begin in January 2018.
Speaking in an interview with the Bulletin yesterday, the Minister of Energy and Industry at the Prime Minister’s Office highlighted that the training done at PPK is industry-driven.
“PPK will produce industry-ready workforce. They are critical, they can do the job. They can be on the ground in three months and in six months.
“We exist to help the Rakyat – the people – to skill themselves for employment,” he affirmed.
“We are developing the classes in the second phase, which should be finished by December,” he said, adding that these classes are for a number of industries, including retail. “We help the people that employ them by providing training and retraining.”
The PPK also has a Curriculum Development section, which the minister confirmed is constantly looking for new ways to train and courses to offer. This includes IT and hospitality courses. “It’s for multiple industries. There will also be options for people who just want to upskill themselves.”
Asked for his thoughts on the importance of having RTOs conducting the training, he said, “First of all, RTOs are industry-driven, and if you look at RTOs, they give a lot of employment to our people as instructors.
“These are people who have served the industry, who have the experience of the industry,” he added. “In that way, we get really up-to-date industrial experience from these instructors and teachers.”
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