Focus on effective strategies to upskill workers
THE Association for Welfare, Community, and Dialogue (Acid) is calling upon the Human Resources Minister to prioritise the structural processes for upskilling Malaysian workers.
Recently, the minister expressed Malaysia’s goal of having 35% of its 15.7 million workforce under the highly skilled category by year-end – up from 28.2% in 2020.
The ministry is actively working to enhance the country’s capacity to produce highly skilled workers, particularly in sectors such as information, communications and technology.
“We will provide programmes on top of training to enable the workers to obtain more skills,” V. Sivakumar said after launching the National Human Capital Conference and Exhibition for the northern region.
According to the minister, the training dynamics are also important because of the constant changes in the workplace, driven by technological advancements and the challenges they present.
“Many new technologies are being introduced in the workplace and industries, so there is a need for the human resources capacity not to fall behind.
“The Human Resources Development Corporation (HRD Corp) has a crucial role to play,” he said, adding that by acquiring new skills, workers can seize opportunities to explore new employment prospects.
It is important to recognise that in order to identify the necessary training needs, we must take into account the diverse range of industries and the specific skills required within them.
Training extends beyond technology and includes a wide range of functions and roles. Achieving successful training outcomes requires the collaboration and cooperation of employees, unions and employers.
The current system, wherein employers who contribute to the HRD fund determine who will receive training, has resulted in many being deprived of training.
During my tenure as a training officer in a small- and mediumsized manufacturing company, I encountered a situation where the general manager highlighted concerns about productivity loss if the machine operators were sent for training, even for a single day.
He further analysed that employees who attended training did not contribute effectively upon their return to the workplace.
In response, I said if the management maintained an autocratic approach and did not empower employees, any training provided would have limited impact.
To achieve meaningful results in terms of human capital development, training and development must be accompanied by reforms in micromanagement practices.
Given the complexity related to upskilling workers, it is vital that a proper mechanism be established to address the problem of workers being denied training and development due to short-sighted reasons.
Furthermore, it is important not to overlook workers in security, cleaning and maintenance roles as the skills they possess are vital for maintaining safety and cleanliness within the nation. These workers are paid low salaries and most of them belong to the B40 category.
It is time we revive the tripartite consultation and dialogue system to effectively address the shortcomings that hinder training and development opportunities for specific groups of workers.
Through this consultation process, a comprehensive structural and operational mechanism should be implemented to upskill and reskill workers from various professions. It is essential to facilitate easier access to training programmes and certifications.
In light of these considerations, Acid strongly recommends the revival of the dormant tripartite system of consultation as the Human Ministry embarks on its mission to upskill the workforce.
Ronald Benjamin Secretary Acid