TUARAN, Feb 16 — The Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Ministry (Kuskop) is open to collaborating with any educational institutions offering skills and professional training courses, especially those related to the focus sectors under the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 (NIMP 2030).
Its minister Datuk Ewon Benedick said this is to produce and supply more high-skilled graduates, particularly in the oil and gas sector, which is one of the key industries in NIMP 2030.
Ewon wants agencies under Kuskop to facilitate applications from institutions, especially in Sabah, interested in expanding training centres by developing the necessary facilities to conduct courses and training in the oil and gas sector.
“The oil and gas sector is one of our focuses, and in the context of Sabah, this industry is growing.
“Hopefully, with this collaboration, Kuskop and its agencies can help produce young Sabahans who will be guaranteed employment in the oil and gas sector,” he told reporters after visiting ESTC Academy Sdn Bhd, which was also attended by its chairman Datuk Seri Wilfred Bumburing.
ESTC Academy was established in 2015 and provides emergency response training, health and safety training, as well as industrial skills courses, including those in the oil and gas field.
So far, the academy has conducted 340 courses to meet the industry’s needs in Sabah, with approximately 3,600 trainees having attended courses at the training centre.
Ewon said Kuskop will also assess the need for participation in programmes under the ministry’s Professional Training and Education for Growing Entrepreneurs (Protege) Unit with training centres related to the oil and gas sector in Sabah, besides providing financing to B40 students enrolled in these courses.
“The Protege programme includes financing to train and place graduates (in the industry). I also want to see this Protege programme restructured to focus on new sectors highlighted in NIMP 2030,” he said.
In the meantime, Ewon said agencies under Kuskop, such as SME Bank, SME Corp and Bank Rakyat can also provide financing to small and medium-sized companies across the country that want to engage in services within the oil and gas sector. — Bernama
