Connecting People to Jobs and Businesses to Opportunities KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 19 (Bernama) -- “MIDA has emulated our MITI Day in organising this Open Day, lining up programmes that are not only beneficial for the industry players but our local youths as well. People are the intellectual assets that companies need to learn to cultivate and manage well, especially in today’s knowledge economy. The availability of talents with the right skill sets will be a critical enabler in accelerating Malaysia’s shift to high value-added, high technology and knowledge-intensive industries. MITI, through MIDA and our other agencies, has been an active conduit between the industry and academia, bridging the gaps in building the talents of the country. We want to ensure that our talents have the necessary skills and competencies to advance the country’s economic transformation agenda,” said YB Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed, Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI) during his keynote address at the Launching Ceremony of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority’s (MIDA) Open Day 2017.
In commemorating its 50
th Anniversary, the one day event at the MIDA HQ in KL Sentral leveraged on MIDA’s close contact with investors to provide a valuable platform to connect job seekers with a diverse range of employment options. From a total of 57 participating companies, more than 7,000 vacancies were offered. The majority, 76.9% of the openings, were in the skilled level for the managerial, professional & technical as well as technicians & associate professionals categories, while the rest were in the semi to low-skilled levels such as craft related workers and customer service & sales workers.
MIDA is embarking on a talent initiative with some manufacturing companies to provide job opportunities specifically to youths who are homeless, underprivileged and unable to secure employment due to their circumstances. For a start, MIDA has engaged with QSR Brands, Yakult and Coca-cola Bottlers to offer a total of 216 job vacancies to youths in these categories under its new ‘Talent CSR@MIDA’ initiative.
“There is a lot to be done as no amount of growth is enough for Malaysia if it is not paired with the creation of jobs for our people. I am glad we are all taking active steps in making jobs easily accessible. I was told that MIDA is developing a database of job seekers via the online submission of resume on the MIDA website. Given the close contact MIDA has with companies, the agency is able to stay updated with the direction the industries are moving and can identify the type of talents required. Using the database, MIDA will ramp up efforts in meeting the talent needs of companies and match job seekers with potential employers. I would like encourage more job seekers to seize this opportunity to register their interest with MIDA via the virtual platform on their website,” added YB Dato’ Sri Mustapa.
Also present at the event were ambassadors, representatives from business chambers and associations, C-level executives, top MITI officials as well as Dato’ Azman Mahmud, Chief Executive Officer of MIDA.
“Fifty years is an exciting milestone. It is not just an occasion to celebrate but an opportunity to look back and appreciate the foundation laid by our predecessors and a moment to look ahead at the mountains we have yet to climb. The programme lined up today serves to showcase MIDA’s signature role and functions in connecting with our stakeholders to create positive impact towards fulfilling the country’s aspirations in becoming a high income nation,” said Dato’ Azman.
Towards effectively utilising the occasion, MIDA also had an Industry Exhibition which serves to inform the public on the developments of the main industries that have contributed significantly to the country’s economic growth. It showcased companies that have been growing successfully in Malaysia such as ViTrox, which had a soft-launch of its new Internet-of-Things software-based product known as V-One. Other exhibitors include Intel Malaysia, Petronas Chemicals Group Berhad, UMW Maintenance & Engineering Division, Romstar Group and CCM Pharmaceuticals. There was also the Business Clinics, Business Talks by Telekom Malaysia (TM) and Royal Malaysian Customs Department on ‘TM Solutions Towards Industry 4.0’ and ‘GST Refund’, as well as an Industry Talk on ‘The IoT Effect – Opportunities and Challenges’ with featured presentations by ViTrox, Intel and Infineon.
On the topic of Industry 4.0, the Minister also highlighted that, “We need to look at technology, not as a competitor for our jobs but our partner in creating quality jobs. Like it or not, technology which includes automation and robotics, is here to stay. We owe it to ourselves to use it to our advantage or risk allowing our competitors use it to our disadvantage. This is why the government is prioritising innovation and encouraging the adoption of Industry 4.0 elements such as Smart Manufacturing and Automation to build greater economies of scale. We are not just talking about this but we want to address the challenges and make progressive steps forward. By the end of this year, MITI targets to table the National Policy on Industry 4.0 to the Cabinet.”
SOURCE : Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA)
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Name : Puan Masni Muhammad
Project Director for MIDA 50th Open Day 2017
Director of Oil & Gas and Maritime Technology Division
Tel : 03-2267 6786
Email : masni@mida.gov.my
--BERNAMA 
