Asean Skills Competition Boon For Human Capital Development

From Ahmad Erwan Othman HANOI, Oct 27 (Bernama) -- The Asean Skills Competition (ASC), introduced 19 years ago, has been a boon towards the development of innovative and skilled human capital in Malaysia. Malaysian ASC contingent manager Abdul Halim Jahaya said the contest was also a platform for Asean member countries to cooperate in developing a more efficient and skilled workforce. "The competition was endorsed by the 10th Asean Labour Ministers Meeting in Singapore in 1994, before Malaysia hosted it for the first time in 1995 and the 7th edition in 2008. "It has brought Asean countries closer together, in improving worker productivity," he told Bernama here Saturday. A total of 51 youths from various selected local skills institutes are taking part in the 10th ASC at the National Convention Centre in Hanoi from Oct 19 to 29. Gold and silver winners in the competition will be eligible to represent their countries at the World Skills Competition (WSC) in Sau Paulo, Brazil next year. On the performance of Malaysians, Abdul Halim said the national contingent had been prepared in 25 fields of skills for ASC 2014 where 17 areas were coordinated by the human resources ministry through the skills development department (JPK). The areas by JKP are IT software solution for business; electronics; web design; fashion technology; automobile technology; restaurant service; cooking; mechatronics; graphic design technology; IT network system administration; beauty therapy; hairdressing; industrial automation; cabinet making; information network cabling and two demonstration fields, namely CNC maintenance and mobile robotics. Training in another eight fields coordinated by the works ministry were welding; wall & floor tiling; plumbing and heating; electrical installation; bricklaying; joinery; CAD mechanical engineering design and refrigeration and air-conditioning, he said. In this regards, Abdul Halim said participation in ASC was the best platform to obtain recognition for skills talent at international level. "The competition is also a benchmark of the technical and vocational training conducted among youth institutes in Asean countries. "It also promotes the skills of the Malaysian workforce as an added attraction to foreign investors," he said. According to him, Malaysia's participation in the ASC and WSC is in line with the objectives of the 10th Malaysia Plan (RMK10) to have 33 per cent skilled workers by 2015, and 50 per cent by 2020, on par with countries such as Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea. ASC is held biennially and is hosted in rotation among Asean countries. -- BERNAMA