organised by - Jabatan Pengajian Politeknik

REPORT
_____________________________________________
REGIONAL INDUSTRY DIALOGUE 2010
“SEMI PROFESSIONAL MANPOWER DEVELOPMENT
IN SABAH”
Date : 13th May 2010
Time : 10.30 am – 1.00 pm
Venue : Promenade Hotel, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
Chairman :
Y.Bhg. Dato’ Hj. Imran bin Idris
Director General
Department of Polytechnic Education
Ministry of Higher Education
ORGANISED BY :
THE DEPARTMENT OF POLYTECHNIC EDUCATION
MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION MALAYSIA
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
Page
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3
PREFACE 6
PROCEEDINGS : 6
Keynote Address : Collaborating for Workforce Capacity Building –
Engaging Industries
Y.Bhg. Dato’ Hj. Imran bin Idris
Director General, DPE
Presentation : Sabah Development Corridor : Needs and Perspectives
Ms. Janiah Zaini
Assistant Vice-President, Sabah Economic Development
& Investment Authority (SEDIA)
QUESTION & ANSWER SESSION 9
CONCLUDING REMARKS 14
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The 2010 Luncheon Dialogue, themed “Semi Professional Manpower Development in
Sabah” is the first luncheon dialogue, organized by the Department of Polytechnic
Education (DPE), Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE).
This regional dialogue has a two-fold objective. First, to enable DPE to gain better
understanding and grasp of the needs of industries nationwide. The input will be used
for developing and reviewing the polytechnic curriculum and training programs to
ensure the right match between workforce produced and industry needs. Secondly, to
enhance existing industry-institution collaboration in Sabah.
The Director General, in his keynote address, reiterated the importance of strong
academia industrial ties to enable polytechnics to produce graduates capable of
meeting the challenges in the job market. His keynote address, “Collaborating for
Workforce Capacity Building – Engaging Industries”, provided an overview of the
Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) system in Malaysia followed by
programs available at polytechnics. DPE’s Collaboration Model which has produced
several desired outcomes were highlighted. Amongst the desired outcomes mentioned
were the Industry Advisory Committee, the Employability Advisory Committee, the 1-
STOP Corporate Industry Services & Employment Centre (CISEC), the Annual National
Industry Dialogues, special focus group discussions, knowledge sharing by guest
lecturers from foreign universities, overwhelming response from industries for staff and
student’s industrial placement and signing of MoUs with well-known local and
international companies.
The Assistant Vice President of the Sabah Economic Development & Investment
Authority (SEDIA) spoke on “The Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) : Needs and
Perspectives”, touching on strategies in the SDC’s blueprint to turn Sabah into a high
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value manufacturing and services centre through rapid development in agriculture,
tourism, manufacturing and logistics. The presentation also showed how SDC’s
strategic development thrusts in the four areas will enhance human capital
development, move Sabah up the value chain, reduce regional imbalances and
increase participation in the K-economy. The presentation also showed how the goals,
characteristics and strategic reform initiatives contained in the New Economic Model
(NEM) will help Sabah deal with the challenges posed by the nation’s current economic
slowdown. The last part of her presentation touched on the importance of quality
education and training to produce a creative and critical workforce. This, together with
an industry driven curriculum, upgrading of skills in line with market needs and
availability of short technical and vocational programs for the non-academically inclined
were pointed out as strategies for moving forward.
The issues raised in the Question and Answer session can be categorized into three
main categories : labor, curriculum/programs and outline perspectives contained in the
SDC.
Labor
The acute labor shortage in the timber and oil palm industry is the result of paradigm
changes which have taken place in these industries, which demand new skills from the
existing workforce. These challenges have been further aggravated by an over
dependence on foreign labor. These challenges brought to light the importance of
having in place mechanisms suitable for different sectors of the industry which will
ensure smooth adjustments in the labor market.
Curriculum/programs
Positive response received from participating industries to work together to further
enhance the curriculum, especially training of skilled manpower in the oil palm industry
in the three critical areas – mechanical, bio-technology and agriculture technology.
Other suggestions include incorporating coal fire technology in the finishing school
program, having work-based learning programs to overcome the cost and time
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constraints of developing new curriculum. Concern was expressed over the phasing out
of polytechnic certificate level programs.
Outline perspectives in the SDC
The main concerns were related to challenges faced in achieving the desired outcomes
given the present economic slowdown and availability of grants for young
entrepreneurs.
A Dialogue Survey was carried out during the Regional Dialogue Industry. 91.8% of
industry participants responded to the survey. The findings revealed that 87.5% of the
respondents were interested to collaborate with DPE in the following areas : students’
industrial training, conducting short term courses, giving career talks, sharing their
expertise for curriculum development, industrial placements for polytechnic staff,
students’ final semester project, become guest lecturers and advisory committee
members, presentation of papers at seminars and conferences. 37.5% responded that
they already have polytechnic graduates working in their organizations and are highly
satisfied with their performance and attitude (integrity, quality of work, teamwork and
overall performance). However, there was still room for improvement in the
communications area.
The issues raised during the Question & Answer session and the findings of the
dialogue survey call for the following course of action :
♦
♦
♦
Further institution-industry networking
Curriculum development that caters to the developments in the timber and
palm oil industries in Sabah.
Working closely with industries to ensure skills of workforce match industries’
requirements, improving student employability.
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PREFACE
The 2010 Regional Industry Dialogue, themed “Semi Professional Manpower
Development in Sabah”, is the first to be held in Sabah. The dialogue, organized by the
Department of Polytechnic Education, Ministry of Higher Education, is aimed at
enhancing existing ties with the industries as well as obtaining a better understanding of
the skills needed by the industries nationwide to ensure the correct match between
workforce produced by polytechnics and needs of the industries.
61 participants from 55 organizations and 43 senior officers from the Ministry of Higher
Education and polytechnics attended the dialogue.
PROCEEDINGS
KEYNOTE ADDRESS : Collaborating for Workforce Capacity Building –
Engaging Industries
Presenter
: Y.Bhg. Dato’ Hj. Imran Bin Idris
Director General, DPE
The Director General highlighted the importance of strong academia industrial ties to
enable polytechnics to have a good understanding of the type of skills required by the
industries in this very FIRST Luncheon Dialogue held in Sabah. Dialogues from such
ties will provide invaluable input for the development of an industry-relevant curriculum,
introduction of industry-driven programs, preventing mismatches between needs of
industries and workforce produced by institutions.
The Director General proceeded to present an overview of the Technical and Vocational
Education Training (TVET) system in Malaysia followed by the programs available at
polytechnics.
He further elaborated on DPE’s Collaboration Model which comprises three main areas
– Industry Input, Industry-Institution and Institution Output. The importance of gathering
input for curriculum development through meetings with its Industry Advisory Committee
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(IAC) was mentioned. The IAC, made up of industry captains from various sectors of
the industry, is established at both institutional as well as departmental levels. The
Director General also pointed out that the four national annual industry dialogues have
provided an invaluable platform to gather input for curriculum and workforce
development. The practice of having small focus groups, comprising industry experts to
deliberate on specific issues, as in the recent Round-Table Discussion on the 2010
Polytechnic Transformation Plan, was also highlighted. The keynote address also
showed that DPE’s industrial linkages have resulted in guest lecturers from foreign
universities sharing their expertise in a number of Professional Tea Talks and Logistics
Seminars.
The address also drew participants’ attention to various collaborations between DPE
and its institutions which have greatly benefitted both staff and students of the
polytechnics. 8200 companies/agencies have come forward and offered places for
industrial attachment for 37,300 polytechnic students. Polytechnic staff have also
benefited from these industrial linkages. 63 of polytechnic staff were attached to 60
firms in 2009. Industries have benefitted through customized training programs
designed specially for their staff. MoUs signed with local as well as international names
such as Malaysian Airlines System, CISCO, Faber, NGV Tech SDN BHD, Siemens,
MAH Kedah/Perlis were also highlighted. The Director General also made special
mention of Proton - DPE’s partner in work-based learning. Other developments under
Institution Output highlighted plans for establishing the Employability Advisory
Committee and a 1–STOP Corporate Industry Services & Employment Centre (CISEC)
where institutions and industries can work together to enhance workforce capacity
building.
The Director General concluded his keynote address by stating that polytechnics have
the potential to become regional TVET institutions with the capacity to produce
graduates with the required certifications for various sectors. In a nutshell, this dialogue
is the best platform to engage institution-industry’s commitment in a two-way
relationship for mutual benefits.
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Presentation : Sabah Development Corridor : Needs and Perspectives
Presenter : Ms. Janiah Zaini
Assistant Vice President -Sabah Economic Development &
Investment Authority (SEDIA)
Ms. Janiah Zaini gave an overview of the SDC blueprint, the impact on human capital
needs, challenges faced and the way forward in her presentation on the “Sabah
Development Corridor : Needs and Perspectives”.
The presentation revealed strategies in the SDC Blueprint to turn Sabah into a high
value manufacturing and services centre by leveraging on Sabah’s strength in
agriculture, tourism and natural resources within the time-frame from 2008 -2025. The
presentation pointed out that the first stage of development will focus on infra-structure
building and high economic impact and poverty eradication projects, followed by higher
order value added activities to accelerate growth and attract foreign direct investments.
The second part of the presentation which dealt with the impact on human capital needs
elaborated on the direction of the agenda and SDC’s strategic development thrusts.
The areas earmarked for development are agriculture, tourism, manufacturing and
logistics. The expected outcomes of these developmental thrusts are the enhancement
of human capital, moving Sabah up the value chain, reducing regional imbalances and
increased participation in the K-economy.
The third part touched on challenges faced given the country’s economic slowdown. It
also provided information on the goals, characteristics and strategic reform initiatives
contained in The New Economic Model. The presentation highlighted the importance of
developing a quality workforce through quality education while simultaneously reducing
the dependency on foreign labor as a strong talent base will improve productivity and
provide the foundation for sustained economic growth.
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The last part of the presentation shared pointers on the way forward. The importance
of quality education and training which prioritizes growth and the production of a
creative and critical workforce, an industry driven curriculum, upgrading one’s skills and
the provision of short technical and vocational programs for the non-academically
inclined were cited as strategies for the way forward.
QUESTION & ANSWER SESSION
Panelists : -
1) Y.Bhg. Dato’ Haji Imran bin Idris
Director General, DPE
2) Ms Janiah Zaini
Assistant Vice-President
Sabah Economic Development & Investment Authority
(SEDIA)
3) Y.Bhg. Datuk Ir. Chong Hon Lee
Chief Executive Officer KKIP Sdn. Bhd.
Question 1 : Mr Fong Ming San – Sabah Timber Industry Association
Much emphasis has been given to downstream activities and clusters in KKIP. Special
attention should be given to downstream activities in tree plantation. The set skills and
the type of skilled personnel needed for tree plantation are quite different from the skills
required in traditional planting which just involves cutting the trees and transporting to
the mills. In tree plantation, the whole process, starting from clearing the forests,
planting the trees, field culture, harvesting, transporting and finally back to the mills, has
to be carefully planned. Statistics indicate that there is an acute shortage of skilled
personnel to deal with the paradigm changes that has taken place in the planting and
agriculture industries. It is hoped that our input regarding the critical shortage of
personnel with the required skills would be addressed as soon as possible. It should
also be noted that we appreciate this opportunity to provide input for curriculum
development and review as tree planting is envisaged to become the next major supply
of the raw materials for the timber industry.
Response : Y.Bhg. Dato’ Haji Imran
The suggestion will be noted. Politeknik Sandakan will address the issues mentioned.
As mentioned earlier to Datuk Chong, today’s session is a networking session,
providing a platform for DPE and its institutions to know the needs of the industries
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efore coming out with more detailed and concrete arrangements which would benefit
both parties.
Question 2 : Mr Ismail Salkilan – Sawit Kinabalu
Noticed that there are no provisions in the polytechnic curriculum to train skilled
personnel to work in the oil palm industry even though Sabah has the largest oil palm
plantation in Malaysia. The Sabah oil palm industry is facing a number of challenges as
a result of labour shortage due to the high turnover rate and difficulty in recruiting
resources with the right agricultural background. To solve this problem, Sawit Kinabalu
has started some collaboration with UMS especially in the area of management and
milling technology. Sabah is expecting a new quantum leap into downstreaming eg. the
development of POIC in Lahad Datu and Sandakan which is adjacent to the education
hub. Sandakan will be an important area for regional development. It is hoped that
Politeknik Sandakan will be able to support POIC in terms of producing the required
human resources as well as help the industry in its downstreaming activities - in
mechanical, bio-tech or agri-tech as these are the present critical areas. Sawit Kinabalu
will be spearheading the SDC project by SEDIA. Politeknik Sandakan should be a part
of this project so as to support the oil palm industry. The polytechnic can collaborate
with MPOV for example, in R&D and commercialization. This will help overcome the
potential crisis faced by Malaysia’s over reliance on foreign workers.
Response : Y.Bhg. Dato Haji Imran bin Idris
Polytechnics will be focusing more on the supply of workforce to cater to downstream
activities. An effective way to expedite the introduction of new programs is to work
together with a company/companies that can provide the infrastructure. Polytechnics
will oversee the curriculum design, the theoretical aspects as well as the basic lab
experiences while companies should be ready to provide the industrial experience for
these students. Politeknik Kota Kinabalu will discuss with Sawit Kinabalu to come up
with a draft to address needs of the palm oil industry.
Question 3 : Datuk Ag Buhtaman Ag Mahmun – Dewan Perniagaan Melayu
Economic development spearheaded by SEDIA requires a steady supply of both
professional and semi professional skilled manpower from many disciplines, ranging
from tourism to manufacturing. It would be unfair to expect polytechnics alone to solve
the issues pertaining to fulfilling the human resource requirements of the industries. A
more feasible alternative is to look into existing programs available at the polytechnics
and see how best to collaborate with appropriate industries to ensure a supply of the
required manpower.
The New Economic Model consists of plans for (a) increasing the per capita income of
the population at large (b) inclusiveness and equal distribution of growth and (c)
sustainability. Some clarification is needed concerning the issue of increasing the per
capita income of the people of Sabah to RM14,784 by 2025. It is stated in the New
Economic Model that the existing average per capita income be increased to RM49,500
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y 2025. If that is the case, the target is still short of more than RM30,000 and this
issue needs to be addressed. Given the current economic slowdown in Malaysia, what
are the strategies that will be deployed to achieve the target of RM 49,500 per capita
income by 2025.
Industries appear to be in a dilemma as to the type of recognition to be given to
polytechnic graduates. Polytechnic graduates who are diploma holders are classified
as middle level semi-professionals. However, their education and training have
equipped them with skills and knowledge above the requirements of middle level semiprofessionals,
but they cannot be recognized as engineers.
It would appear that work-based learning is a good place to start institution-industry
collaboration to overcome the high cost and time-constraint of developing a new
curriculum to meet pressing needs of the industries.
Response: Ms Janiah Zaini
Confident that plans to increase the existing average per capita income from RM23,100
to RM49,500 by 2025 is achievable in the light of the special emphasis given by SDC,
the strategic initiatives pursued by the government to reform the workforce and the
national agenda to move the country from the middle income to a higher income country
by 2025. Economic experts, in a recent briefing, explained that the economy only
needs to grow by 6% yearly to achieve this objective.
Response: Y.Bhg. Dato Haji Imran bin Idris
Polytechnics are not in a position to address all problems related to shortage of skilled
manpower faced by the entire industry as programs in polytechnics are generic in
nature. Our programs try to cater to the needs of various sectors. The concept of
Finishing Schools is our stop gap measure to address the specific skills of a particular
sector of the industry. The Finishing Schools try to bridge the gap between what
industry’s requirements and what is provided in the formal program. Only particular
skills, found to be needed by the industry, will be embedded in our formal program.
This strategy is adopted during curriculum is being reviewed, resulting in a more flexible
and dynamic curriculum.
Question 4 : Dr. Zhambree Gulam Rasul - Institut Usahawan Muda
Any grants allocated for young entrepreneurs to participate in SME development
programs?
Response : Ms Janiah Zaini
One of our focus areas is the SME development and we work closely with training
providers such as polytechnics, SIRIM and MARDI. Grants are allocated for skills
training and development of young entrepreneurs.
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Question 5: Mr Baharuhom K.K Sugon - Jabatan Kerja Raya
Is it true that the certificate level programs will be phased out? If so, when will the
exercise commence and who will take up this responsibility of training certificate level
staff?
Is the Diploma level programs equivalent to the Diploma programs offered by the local
universities?
Response: Y.Bhg. Dato Haji Imran bin Idris
Polytechnic certificate level programs will be phased out. In fact, starting this year –
2010, polytechnics will no longer take in students for certificate level programs. The last
cohort of polytechnic certificate level students to graduate will be one and a half years
from now. It’s a bit difficult, at this point, to ascertain the training provider for certificate
level programs. However, many other institutions like IKM, ILP and also community
colleges still conduct certificate level programs.
In terms of recognition, our diploma level programs is equivalent to the diploma offered
by local universities. However, the approach used in polytechnic diploma level
programs are slightly different from that of universities. Polytechnic diplomas enable
their graduates to be industry ready, able to contribute productively at the workplace
upon graduation. University diplomas, in comparison function as stepping stones to a
degree program. Findings from the Tracer Studies show that the number of polytechnic
diploma students getting employed upon graduation are much higher compared to a
university diploma holder.
Question 6 : Ms Zainurah Abdullah - SESB
Have polytechnics ever considered embedding coal fire technology in their finishing
schools because there is a demand for qualified personnel in this sector.
Response : Y.Bhg. Dato Haji Imran bin Idris
The finishing school is a stop gap measure. It is not possible to change the curriculum
overnight. Only some of the important critical skills that require immediate attention are
picked up and addressed in our finishing schools. However, your concern is noted and
will be discussed during our curriculum development meeting.
Question 7 : Mr Fong Ming San - Sabah Timber Industry Association
Would like to inform participants that at the present moment, the timber sector has not
found a robust matching mechanism where labor is concerned. The timber industry
experience the perennial problem of having a smooth adjustment in the labor market. It
is important to come up with a benchmark to see how well this so called labor market
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adjustment can be smoothened. It is timely for a robust discussion on the issue of
foreign workers which will be sensitive to the needs of different sectors of the industry,
as mechanisms which bring about change in one industry may not be applicable to
another industry.
Response : Ms Janiah Zaini
We do recognize that benching mechanisms require a holistic approach whereby all the
departments or ministries or industries have to play their roles. Matching the supply and
demand of our labor force is a difficult task which involves taking a lot of actions. The
dependence on foreign labor is particularly high in the plantation and timber sectors of
Sabah. Open discussions need to be carried out and this is where institutions of higher
learning and industries need to work together to address the mismatch between the
supply and demand of our labor force.
Response : Y.Bhg. Dato Haji Imran bin Idris
DPE welcomes all feedback to enable us to overcome our shortcomings and in the case
of this discussion, we would like to take the opportunity to solicit as much feedback as
possible for the future directions of our programs.
Question 8 : Hj Isa bin Hj Ismail – Politeknik Sandakan Sabah
Since polytechnics under MoHE have carried out measures to comply with the needs of
industries at the present moment, can we have an indication of the commitment from
industry, so that both parties can meet halfway and have a win-win situation?
Response : Y.Bhg. Datuk Ir. Chong Hon Len
Basically, polytechnics play an important function here. From what I observe, what is
needed to make our product marketable is to improve the quality of the product required
by the industries and polytechnics are doing a good job training quality skilled
manpower in the respective areas.
There is a lack of collaboration between the private sectors and institutions in Sabah.
The NGOs which represent the industries are not well organized as they do not receive
adequate funding. There is an urgent need for closer cooperation between the public
and private sectors. In order to bridge the gap, I would like to see more of this kind of
forum being organized.
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CONCLUDING REMARKS
Y.Bhg. Dato’ Hj. Imran Bin Idris, Director General, DPE
Y.Bhg. Dato’ Hj. Imran thanked all participants for their support and active participation
in this dialogue. The Director General assured participants that such dialogues would
continue to be held in Sabah in order to foster and establish strong relationships
between the industry and the polytechnic. :
The issues raised during the Question & Answer session will be addressed through :
♦ Further institution-industry networking
♦ Curriculum development that caters to the developments in the timber and
palm oil industries in Sabah.
♦ Working closely with industries to ensure skills of workforce match industries’
requirements, improving student employability.
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