RM50 MIL TO BE SPENT ON RETRANING

The Star - Wednesday, 1 April 2009

MERSING: The Government is offering RM50mil worth of short-term modular training programmes for workers wanting to upgrade their skills and earn extra income.

Human Resource Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said this would benefit employees of companies that were temporarily shut down or had reduced working hours.

“We are now facing a situation where workers sometimes have their income slashed by 50%.

“We hope those who have been retrenched or have had their incomes reduced will use the facilities,†he told reporters after attending the launching of the Mersing Industrial Training Institute in Jemaluang by the Tunku Mahkota of Johor, Tunku Ibrahim Ismail Sultan Iskandar.

As of end March, 27,297 workers have been retrenched nationwide, with over 4,686 workers losing their jobs in Johor alone.

Dr Subramaniam said that under the retraining programme, the workers would also be paid an allowance of about RM10 per hour and could use the extra money to supplement their income.

He said this was also another option to help companies reduce operating costs.

The duration of the training programmes was flexible and depended on industry requirements, he said.

Last year, around 75,000 people were retrained in 27 industrial training institutes nationwide. The Government hopes to increase the number this year.

On a separate matter, Dr Subramaniam said the Government was in discussions with job agencies to assist those looking for jobs.

“The Government is also looking at the possibility of giving an allowance if they (the agencies) succeed in providing employment,†he added.