MEITD: School-industry collaboration key to closing Sarawak’s skills gap

KUCHING (Sept 24): Stronger collaboration between schools and industry is needed to bridge the gap between the skills students acquire and the talent requirements of employers, said Ministry of Education, Innovation and Talent Development (MEITD) permanent secretary Datu Adana Jed.

He said school counsellors and industry players had to work together to ensure students received accurate and up-to-date information on career pathways.

“MEITD will serve as the bridge connecting the (talent) supply and (industry) demand.

“Imagine an industry that needs 500 technicians but cannot find a single qualified graduate (to meet that demand). That is the mismatch we must avoid,” he said in a speech read by his deputy Caroline Cleophas Joseph at the ‘Sistem Pesanan Kerjaya (SPEAK): Talent Bridge 2030 Kuching Series’ closing ceremony.

Education, Innovation and Talent Development Minister Dato Sri Roland Sagah Wee Inn officiated at the ceremony.

Adana said as Sarawak works towards achieving its target of a 30 per cent highly skilled workforce by 2030 under the Post Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030, the ministry’s call for action is driven by data.

“Based on the Social Security Organisation’s (Socso) Sarawak Talent Capture Data, more than 3,903 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) holders, 7,890 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) graduates and over 4,600 higher education graduates were placed in 2023.

“By 2025, TVET placements had increased significantly to more than 12,800, while higher education placements also grew to more than 8,400,” he said.

He said these figures showed that not only the demand for skill talent was increasing, they also indicated that more young people were entering technical and vocational pathways.

“Opportunities are expanding across sectors such as manufacturing, social services, digital transformation and other emerging areas,” he added.

However, he said Sarawak still had a considerable gap to close, with the state’s skilled workforce standing at 244,200, or 20.05 per cent, based on the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM) Labour Force Survey 2025.

“We still have a long way to go to reach 30 per cent by 2030. The challenges we face are real.

“What our students choose to study often does not align with what industries truly require. TVET is still regarded as a second choice when it deserves to be a first and parents are concerned about prestige when their child’s future should matter most,” he said.

He said the SPEAK programme was intended to serve as an essential decision-support mechanism for school counsellors, who played an important role in helping students understand their options and identify suitable career pathways.

“School counsellors, you sit with our students. You listen to their hopes and fears. You guide them when they are unsure.

“I ask that you help them to build the careers they deserve, whether through STEM or through TVET because every path has a destination and every student has a gift to give,” he said.

He also called on industry players to move beyond highlighting talent shortages and become more directly involved in developing the future talent pipeline.