Zakat MAINPP Sponsors 60 Asnaf Youth To Attend TVET Skills Course

BUTTERWORTH, Aug 12 (Bernama) -- A total of 60 selected asnaf youth trainees are undergoing skills training under the Special Division Project of the Penang Islamic Religious Council (Zakat MAINPP).

Penang Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Dr Mohamad Abdul Hamid said that through the programme, they were given the opportunity to undergo Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) courses for six months at four Zakat MAINPP partner agencies.

He said the four agencies are the Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia, Kulim Advanced Technologies, the Penang Skills Development Centre (PSDC) and GRAB Malaysia, which offer courses covering various fields, including construction, electrical and industrial technology, followed by a certificate upon completion of training.

All of these selected trainees are fully sponsored by Zakat MAINPP, and we allocate RM3 million annually to support the TVET empowerment agenda in this state.

"We hope that after completing their training, they can find employment in the industry with high incomes or start their own businesses, and subsequently become zakat contributors by donating back to zakat in Penang," he told reporters at the launching ceremony of Ummi Theraphy Women Entrepreneurs and Release of Zakat-Sponsored TVET Trainees MAINPP 2025 here today.

Mohamad, who is also the MAINPP president, said 120 trainees have received sponsorship through the project, which was established after the restructuring of zakat last year.

Besides the TVET programme, Mohamad said Zakat MAINPP also implements initiatives to empower women through entrepreneurship programmes to improve the socio-economic status of asnaf women under the Special Division Project.

For example, today we are launching the Ummi Theraphy Women Entrepreneurs, a programme implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH) to obtain traditional medicine licences for Zakat MAINPP therapists.

"A total of 40 therapists successfully obtained licences to operate their businesses, and subsequently, Zakat MAINPP rebranded MyBeedan (entrepreneur programme) to Ummi Theraphy for widespread commercialisation," he said.

He also said that such programmes not only aim to lift the asnaf out of poverty but also serve as an encouragement for zakat payers to contribute to the state's zakat fund.

Mohamad added that the increase in zakat collection also allows more programmes and assistance to be distributed to those in need in Penang.

-- BERNAMA