3 days ago
Pulau Gaya residents receive lifelong learning
Sim (third right) presenting a RM10,000 contribution to the SK Pulau Gaya PIBG, while Phoong (fourth right) and Ashim (right) look on.
KOTA KINABALU (June 1): The Ministry of Human Resources (Kesuma) and the Human Resource Development Corporation (HRD Corp) have extended their human capital development initiatives directly to the residents of Pulau Gaya through the 'Sentuhan Kesuma Bersama HRD Corp di Bawah Bayu' community-focused programme.
Officiated by Kesuma Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong, the event reflects the ministry's strong commitment to ensuring that lifelong learning and training opportunities are accessible even to remote communities.
In conjunction with HRD Corp's flagship annual event, the National Training Week (NTW) 2025, themed 'Learning Without Borders', this initiative in Pulau Gaya is a reflection of the main objective of ensuring equal access to quality training opportunities for all, regardless of location or background.
The programme brought together over 450 residents from four local villages: Kampung Gaya, Kampung Lok Urai, Kampung Torong Logong and Kampung Kesuapan, who took part in a series of training sessions specifically designed for women, youth and students.
These included workshops on flower arrangement entrepreneurship, digital marketing and drop shipping, as well as motivational sessions to inspire academic excellence.
In his speech, Sim stressed that officers from each agency under Kesuma should always go down to the countryside including Pulau Gaya to provide the services required, including skills training.
'We want all citizens to be given skills so that they can generate higher income. When the citizens are more skilled, the country will also be more advanced.
'Next week, HRD Corp will launch the National Training Week 2025, and we will make sure we go back to Gaya Island and provide new skills to at least 5,000 residents of this island.
'For 2025, our target is to provide training to 60,000 participants from all over Sabah, compared to 15,000 last year,' he said.
Meanwhile, State Industrial Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Datuk Phoong Jin Zhe in his speech also stressed the need to bring more skills training to Sabah in order to open up more job opportunities.
'Such skills training can not only provide higher job opportunities and income, but it can also attract large-scale investment to Sabah, thus changing the fate of the people as a whole,' he said.
During the same programme, HRD Corp also collaborated with Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) for the strategic initiative 'Sabah Human Capital Initiatives & Nurturing Excellence (SHiNE)', an innovative platform that will function as the first lifelong learning hub of its kind in Malaysia, focusing on research, skills training and real-world talent development solutions tailored to meet the needs of the local and future workforce.
According to HRD Corp board of directors deputy chairman Ahsim Jamat, he is confident that the SHiNE initiative will become a national reference model for talent and human capital development, thereby positively impacting the economic growth and well-being of the people in Sabah and Malaysia.
More meaningfully, Sunday's programme also included the Industry and Community Training Collaboration Centre, where local tourism sector employers received benefits from HRD Corp's Training Facilities and Modification Scheme (ALAT) with the support of training equipment worth RM36,000 to enhance local skills training capabilities.
Reflecting Kesuma's focus on holistic well-being, Sim also presented a Corporate Social Responsibility contribution in the form of 700 safety jackets for daily boat passengers, food baskets for 300 families around Pulau Gaya as well as a cash donation of RM20,000 to the Parent-Teacher Association (PIBG) of SMK Pulau Gaya and SK Pulau Gaya.
The programme was also attended by Kuching Member of Parliament Dr Kelvin Yii; UMS registrar Luqman Ridha Anwar and Jesselton University College president Professor Dr Chin Yuk Fong.
