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MEOA-MYTC training answers call for skilled local talent in plantations
Graduates from the MEOA-MYTC Plantation Conductorship Programme in Sabah.
KOTA KINABALU (June 26): In direct response to Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani's directive to prioritise Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) graduates in plantation hiring, the Malaysian Estate Owners' Association (MEOA) highlights its long-standing commitment to developing local talent through its partnership with Montfort Youth Training Centre (MYTC) in Sabah.
The minister's call signals a strategic shift to reduce foreign labour reliance and foster a skilled, innovation-driven workforce in both upstream and downstream plantation operations.
MEOA strongly supports this vision but emphasises the need for a clear, sector-specific blueprint to ensure its practical and sustainable implementation. MEOA fully supports the minister's initiative to develop local talent in the plantation sector — both to reduce reliance on foreign labour and to drive innovation, sustainability, and career progression for Malaysian youth. However, the success of this policy hinges on the development of a clear, realistic, and differentiated implementation blueprint.
The plantation industry encompasses a wide range of roles with varying skill sets and physical demands, particularly between upstream and downstream operations. Even within upstream operations, there is a clear divide between technical or supervisory roles and highly labour-intensive tasks such as fertilising, weeding and manual harvesting.
While TVET programmes can play a vital role in preparing local youth for supervisory, technical and machinery operation roles, they are not a long-term replacement strategy for the skilled foreign workforce currently relied upon for intensive manual works especially harvesting. Commercially viable mechanised harvesting remains years away from full-scale adoption. In the interim preparation for future mechanisation, the most practical approach is to train locals to operate estate machinery and prepare them for future mechanisation efforts, rather than expect them to replace foreign workers in demanding fieldwork.
In contrast, downstream segments such as milling, refining and chemical processing offer more immediate and realistic opportunities for TVET-trained Malaysians. These areas require technical expertise that better aligns with the competencies developed through structured vocational education.
To transform the plantation workforce effectively, it is essential that policies recognise these operational distinctions. A strategic roadmap must be developed — one that ensures industry stability and productivity while progressively building a skilled and resilient Malaysian talent pool.
Since 2019, MEOA has invested in a structured training programme with MYTC to upskill marginalised youth for staff-level plantation conductorship roles.
The programme includes: – A two-year, live-in syllabus blending technical, academic and character development – Practical training in plantation operations, English, IT and leadership – Accreditation under the Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia (SKM) in disciplines like motor
mechanics, welding and maintenance
