Premier: S’wak to reduce reliance on foreign experts through FTES, training aligned with new economy

KUCHING (Feb 12): Sarawak is positioning itself to reduce reliance on foreign experts by building a high-income, skilled local workforce through the Free Tertiary Education Scheme (FTES) and industry-based training initiatives aligned with the state’s new economy.

Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said Sarawak has achieved significant milestones in developing high-skilled talent to transform the state into a high-income society by 2030.

“Beginning this year, the Sarawak Government has implemented the Free Tertiary Education Scheme (FTES), allowing eligible ‘Anak Sarawak’ to pursue undergraduate studies free of charge at Sarawak-owned Institutions of Higher Learning (SIHL).

“Under FTES, Sarawak provides free tuition at state-owned universities — Swinburne Sarawak, Curtin Malaysia, i-CATS, and UTS — for 64 selected STEM and professional programmes. Through this initiative, Sarawak’s new economy will create a high-income workforce rather than relying on imported foreign experts,” he said during the 10th Centre for Technology Excellence Sarawak (Centexs) Convocation Ceremony at the Centexs Kuching multipurpose hall here.

His speech was read by State Education, Innovation and Talent Development Minister Dato Sri Roland Sagah Wee Inn.

Abang Johari said even before FTES is fully rolled out in 2026, Centexs has already been providing free education platforms for school leavers and university graduates through industry-based certification training programmes.

Human capital development remains a crucial component under the Post-Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030 and the Sarawak Digital Economy Blueprint 2030, which aim to accelerate the state’s transformation into a technologically advanced, high-income economy.

Citing a 2024 World Bank Group report, Abang Johari said high-skilled labour is the only sustainable way to break out of the middle-income trap, stressing that Sarawak must focus on creativity and innovation while creating its own high-value technologies instead of merely consuming them.

On industry-linked training, he highlighted collaborations between Centexs and key partners, including Sarawak Microelectronics Design (SMD), which is targeting 500 highly skilled semiconductor engineers by 2030.

“We now have a laboratory in Cardiff, UK, serving as a platform for advanced chip design research. Sarawakian scientists are already involved in developing artificial intelligence-powered chip designs, including the KETEQ AI chip,” he said.

Abang Johari also pointed to the establishment of the Sarawak Artificial Intelligence Centre (SAIC) in 2024 and Centexs’ collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) in certifying local talent through AI training programmes, which have since expanded to C-level leaders, civil servants, and university graduates.

He highlighted the launch of the Aerospace Academy at Centexs Lundu in October 2024, aimed at equipping the workforce with specialised skills in aerospace engineering, drone technology, satellite manufacturing, and maintenance, repair, and overhaul services, with the first batch of aerospace trainees graduating this year.

Centexs’ expansion into permanent campuses in Lawas and Dalat in 2025 forms part of the state’s decentralisation strategy to ensure rural communities can participate in high-tech training and the new economy, including green mining, power grid engineering, and hydrogen and biomass technologies.

Abang Johari described Centexs as being at the forefront of green energy, digital technology, aerospace, and electrical competencies, expressing confidence the institution will continue leading in emerging areas such as robotics, AI, electric vehicle technology, and green mobility.

The four-day convocation, held from Feb 10 to 13, saw 2,496 graduates receiving industry-based competency certificates — 2,150 from Sarawak and 346 from Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah.

Graduates represented the Industry and ESG Academy and the Aerospace, Digital, and Green Energy Academy.

A historic highlight was the presentation of employment offer letters to 36 pioneer graduates of the Aerospace Programme, covering the Certificate in Aerospace Sheet Metal and Certificate in Aerospace Machining Operations.

National Aerospace and Defence Industries (Nadi) Group executive chairman Tan Sri Dato Seri Ahmad Johan presented the letters, marking the graduates’ entry into high-value roles in the global aerospace supply chain.

The ceremony also included the exchange of Memoranda of Agreement with Huawei Technologies Malaysia and Gamuda Technologies, covering AI, digital construction, smart tunnelling, and leadership programmes.

State-of-the-art facilities were officially launched, including the Hyperscale Green Data Centre Lab, Global AI Centre, AI for Large Language Model Lab, Digital Leadership Lab, and AI for Construction Lab, further strengthening Sarawak’s capacity to produce future-ready, high-skilled talent.

Also present at the convocation ceremony were State Education, Innovation and Talent Development deputy ministers Datuk Francis Harden Hollis and Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee; Centexs chairman Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Morshidi Abdul Ghani; and Centexs chief executive officer Datuk Syeed Mohd Hussien Wan Abdul Rahman.