Strengthen TVET To Produce Skilled, Competitive Workforce - Hajiji

KOTA KINABALU, Aug 22 (Bernama) -- Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) must continue to be strengthened to produce a skilled and competitive workforce capable of meeting the needs of the oil and gas industry, said Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.

He said institutions of higher learning and skills training centres have an important role to play by offering more courses and programmes related to the oil and gas industry.

“This year, a total of RM39.24 million has been allocated under the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation to implement human capital development programmes, with a focus on TVET as well as several other programmes including Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM); innovation and digital technology; and oil and gas.

“TVET can no longer be regarded merely as an alternative, but must instead be embraced as a mainstream choice in efforts to produce a skilled workforce capable of shaping Sabah’s future,” he said in a statement in conjunction with the launching of MYFutureJobs X Oil & Gas 2026 career carnival at Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) here today.

His speech was delivered by Deputy Chief Minister II cum Finance Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun.

He said activities related to oil and gas, tourism and trade are among the important drivers of Sabah’s economy, reflecting the diversity of economic opportunities available in the state.

“Sabah’s economic growth is supported by several key sectors. The construction sector recorded the highest growth at 28.3 per cent, followed by manufacturing at 5.0 per cent, mining and quarrying at 4.9 per cent and services at 4.5 per cent,” he said.

Hajiji said based on statistics from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), Sabah’s labour market has shown improving trends, with the state having about 1.90 million people in the labour force in the second quarter of 2026, of whom 1.23 million were employed, while about 106,600 were unemployed.

He added that efforts by the Human Resources Ministry through the Social Security Organisation (PERKESO) had also resulted in 71,821 job placements in Sabah between 2020 and July 24 this year.

“This achievement reflects the Government’s continued commitment to helping Sabahans secure employment and improve their economic well-being. Therefore, today’s career carnival is timely in increasing the participation of our young people, particularly in the State’s oil and gas industry.

“The participation of 30 employers offering more than 3,000 job opportunities at the carnival demonstrates the commitment of all parties to opening up more career opportunities for Sabahans, particularly job seekers in the State,” he said.

-- BERNAMA