Drones to drive new job opportunities, reduce foreign worker dependence, says HR Ministry official

MIRI (Sept 28): The use of drones should be viewed positively as a catalyst for creating new job opportunities for today’s youths, said Human Resources Ministry (Kesuma) deputy secretary-general (operations) Sutekno Ahmad Belon.

He said the advancement of drone technology would not only reduce employers’ dependence on foreign workers, but it could also expand career prospects for the local talents.

“An estimated 20,000 drones are projected to be used commercially across the country, particularly in sectors such as plantations, construction, security and asset management.

“This shows that drone technology has proven to make significant impacts and bring about major changes to organisations.

“Kesuma thus strongly encourages expanding related programmes to larger-scale initiatives,” he said at the launch of the Manpower Department (JTM)’s Drone Technology Hub, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) programme, held at Miri Industrial Training Institute (ILP) on Friday.

At the event, Sutekno witnessed the signing of a smart partnership agreement between ILP Miri and Jhexa Sdn Bhd.

He emphasised that Kesuma, as the leading agency for technical and vocational education and training (TVET), had been continuously stressing about the importance of talent development in high-impact technology sectors like drone technology to meet current and future industry needs.

“Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), or more commonly known as drones, have become one of the fastest-growing technologies today, with applications in various industrial sectors including geo-spatial, agriculture and even security and intelligence.

“Therefore, the training provided at JTM’s training institute (ILJTM) focuses on developing students’ abilities to adapt to advanced technology rather than merely producing graduates who become users of existing technology,” Sutekno stressed.

On the ESG programme, he said it served as a means to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which had been becoming increasingly important and should be instilled among ILJTM students.

He also lauded JTM’s pioneering efforts in ESG as a positive example within Kesuma, which could create a ripple effect as graduates enter the workforce equipped with the relevant knowledge and skills.

Additionally, the programme featured a drone competition and exhibitions which took place at the Intrim Hall of ILP Miri.

Also present were JTM director-general Rospiagos Taha; JTM deputy director-general Kamaruzaman Md Ali; Adtec Bintulu director ILJTM East Region chairman Syahrull Nizam Perdan; ILP director and the event’s organising chairman Mustal Makmud; and Khexa Sdn Bhd executive director Hendra John.