Najib Announces Three Programmes To Achieve Six Strategic Reform Initiatives

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today announced three new programmes to achieve the six Strategic Reform Initiatives (SRI) in respect of human resource development which was announced in June.

He said that to achieve the aspiration, MSC Malaysia's MyProCert programme would be launched this month to raise the skills of Malaysians towards international certification standards.

"Trained and certified Malaysians within this programme will be part of the critical supply for talent sourcing and development for industry players and potential foreign investors," he said at the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) update, here Thursday.

Najib said the second programme was the establishment of the National Talent Enhancement Programme (NTEP), an initiative within the electrical and electronics (E&E) National Key Economic Areas (NKEA).

The NTEP is open to engineering graduates with one or two years of working experience and those who wish to upskill/re-skill to enter into the electrical and electronics and green technology sectors.

It is a 12-month trainee programme to help develop industry-relevant skills via partnership with E&E companies.

Najib said five agencies and companies would spearhead the initiative namely Akademi Teknologi Hijau Sdn Bhd, the East Coast Economic Region Development Council (ECERDC), the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA), Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA) and the Selangor Human Resources Development Centre (SHRDC).

Meanwhile, TERAS or High Performing Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) which was launched by Unit Peneraju Agenda Bumiputera (TERAJU) to increase Bumiputera SMEs, has identified 1,100 Bumiputera SMEs and 1,000 small/micro companies as a starting point.

Najib said the programme was intended to develop the next generation of world class Bumiputera entrepreneurs across all 12 NKEAs and aimed to increase the participation of Bumiputera SMEs in the economy by enabling SMEs to scale up, accelerate their growth and compete in the open market without heavy reliance on government contracts.

"I am pleased to say that the participation has been encouraging so far and I urge more Bumiputera companies to come forward and participate in this programme which will be beneficial to all of you as entrepreneurs and to the country as a whole," he said.

The SRIs are the second critical component of the ETP in addition to the 12 National Key Economic Areas in a bid to boost the nation's global competitiveness.

The other SRIs are the Government's Role in Business, Human Capital Development, Public Service Delivery, International Standards & Liberalisation and Narrowing Disparities.