BY JAMES WONG & IDA NADHIRAH
KUCHING: Eleven Sarawakians have graduated from the Accelerator Programme for Construction Entrepreneurs (ACE), an initiative by the Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia (CIDB).
Conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance Malaysia (MoF), the programme was aimed at nurturing a new cohort of skilled, high-quality, competent and competitive contractor entrepreneurs.
Deputy Works Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan emphasised the pivotal role of such initiatives in propelling Malaysia’s construction industry towards greater heights.
He highlighted Sarawak’s substantial presence in the industry, boasting 10,423 contractors, which is indicative of the state’s significance in the construction sector.
“Nationally, there are over 100,000 contractors, with the construction industry’s total value reaching RM180 billion this year, including RM90 billion from government development budgets, compared to RM80 billion in the previous year.
“With quality contractors, it will bring success to the industry with substantial value. It needs to be built by qualified, knowledgeable, and skilled contractors.
“We envision a promising future for the construction sector with efficient and skilled contractors who possess entrepreneurial knowledge. This is crucial for Malaysia’s journey towards becoming an advanced nation in entrepreneurship,” he said.
He said this during a press conference after the ACE Programme certificate presentation ceremony held at the CIDB Convention Centre here today.
Ahmad Maslan announced that the MoF has allocated an additional RM5 million to ensure the continuation of ACE Programme 2.0 in 2024, with a target of 150 participants, scheduled to start in May this year.
“For the first edition of the programme, a total of RM10 million has been allocated through MoF with a target of 300 participants.
“I am pleased to announce that the effectiveness of the CIDB’s ACE Programme has sparked the interest of MoF to allocate more funding to ensure its continuation,” he said.
According to CIDB, its programme has recruited 262 individuals from 2022 to 2024 across five ACE Satellite Centres (Northern Region, Central Region & Eastern Region, Southern Region, and Sarawak Region).
The programme, tailored for Bumiputera contractors in Grade G1-G4, is part of Budget 2022 initiatives. It focuses on enhancing the capacities of Bumiputera TVET graduates and young contractors through structured courses and On-job Training (OJT).
Also present were CIDB Malaysia chairman Yusuf Abdul Wahab, deputy chief executive I Razuki Ibrahim, senior general manager Suhaimi Mansor, CIDB Sarawak director Rosmen Ag Hassan, and ABM Sarawak Region senior manager Roslinda Fadli.
