Malaysia Hopes To Organise World Skills Competition In Future

From Kamarul Irwan Alias SAO PAULO, Aug 13 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is hopeful of organising the World Skills Competition (WSC) in future in efforts to spur skills development in the country. Human Resources Deputy Minister Ismail Abdul Muttalib said hosting the WSC could help introduce various skills to the youths in Malaysia, besides changing public perception that the skills field was second class. "Although currently we see that organising the WSC in Malaysia is still far away to materialise, it is not impossible for us to do that provided we have the determination to succeed in it. "We also need the support of the private sector in some years to come, and we are confident that we can organise the World Skills Competition," he said after visiting Malaysian participants in the 43rd WSC at Anhembi Park, here, the biggest exhibition centre in Latin America. Also present was Malaysia's Deputy Works Minister, Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin. The 20 Malaysians are taking part in 19 fields of skills in the competition held for the first time in Brazil. The six-day event from Aug 11 to 16 involves 1,200 participants competing in 46 skill fields altogether, including mechatronics, electronics, culinary, fashion technology and automobile technology. Ismail, who is also Malaysia's chef de mission to the Sao Paulo WSC, said hopefully, the selection of Malaysia as host for the ASEAN Skills Competition (ASC) from Sept 19 to 29, 2016 could give exposure to the people on the potential of the skills sector. In this regard, he urged all the country's parliamentarians to send selected students from their respective constituencies to the ASN venue, Malaysia Agriculture Exposition Park, Serdang in Malaysian state of Selangor to see for themselves the skill fields they could venture in. "The cost for us to bring them (students) to see the competition is rather low compared to taking them abroad (for the same purpose)," he said. Meanwhile, Rosnah said greater participation of youths in the skills sector was required for Malaysia's development process as a developed nation. She said that 60 per cent of the 1.5 million jobs to be created under the 11th Malaysia Plan required workers in the vocational and technical fields. The involvement of more youths in the skills sector could also reduce the country's dependence on foreign workers, she added. (photoBERNAMA) -- BERNAMA