MIDA: M'sian Govt Has Taken Steps To Address Aerospace Industry Issues

LANGKAWI, March 18 (Bernama) -- The government has taken steps to address issues related to the aerospace industry, such as bridging the gap between the academic input of educational institutions and industry needs. Malaysia Investment Development Authority (Mida) Chief Executive Officer Azman Mahmud cited as an example, the establishment of the Asia Aerospace City (AAC), spearheaded by M-AeroTech Sdn Bhd. "The AAC has target direct gross national income (GNI) contribution of RM1.1 billion (US$297 million) and RM1.16 billion (US$313 million) in investments, leading to the creation of 3,368 highly skilled jobs by 2020. "Several institutions have embarked on aerospace-related training activities to provide direct support to the industry, by supplying the desired trained and skilled workers. "They include UniKL, University Putra Malaysia, University Science Malaysia, the International Islamic University and University of Technology Malaysia, which conduct related courses at diploma and degree levels, " he added. Azman told reporters this at a Mida forum on the aerospace industry, in conjunction with the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA'15), here Wednesday. He said at present, Malaysia produced skilled workers for the region with over 300 graduate engineers annually and over 2,000 para-professionals. He said there are 56 education and training providers involved in the aerospace sector. "These training and education providers need to improve their bachelor's degree programmes by aligning with the latest technology and industry trends and facilitate bridging programmes to fast track employment. "For para-professionals, there is a serious supply shortage in the aerostructure manufacturing sub-sector which requires further investment by the training and education providers," Azman added. He said while Mida is able to identify the demand in advance, it is important to create a platform to share with the supply side, relevant agencies and institutions. Mida is the government's principal agency for the promotion of the manufacturing and services sectors in the country. --BERNAMA