KUCHING: Sarawak is exploring the possibilities of further collaboration with Australia in the development of the State’s human resource particularly in skills training, the Chief Minister, Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg, said in Melbourne, Australia yesterday.
Johari said this during a briefing at Melbourne’s Kangan Institute.Kangan Institute is one of Victoria State’s largest providers of apprenticeship training with strong relationship across a range of industries in Australia.
Johari and his delegation arrived in Melbourne early in the morning on a five-day working visit.
On Thursday, he and his wife, Datuk Amar Juma’ani Tun Tuanku Bujang, will receive a honourary doctorate award from Swinburne University of Technology in recognition of his long and outstanding service to Sarawak.
The afternoon’s visit was part of Johari’s itinerary that included a meeting with members of the Victoria Chamber of Commerce scheduled for tomorrow.
Johari pointed out that as Sarawak was embarking on the development of green transport it would certainly need a strong human resource base to man and maintain the new utilities once put in place.
“That’s what we are interested in,” he told the host comprising of Kangan’s chief executive officer, Trevor Swenke; Joe Ballato, the executive director of the Automotive Centre of Excellence and the staff members.
Schwenke said the institute would be willing to assist Sarawak using its expertise and experience and expressed his sincere hope that further discussion would follow suit to determine how best they can help Sarawak in training and further education (TAFE).
The State government had drafted a programme to build an LRT system that would serve Kuching and greater Kuching with a view to develop an efficient mass transit system using trains that would run on hydrogen.
The programme had been deferred to give priority to rural development but public opinion has warranted a reconsideration of a route linking Kota Samarahan and Kuching to reduce traffic congestion.
Johari also said Sarawak was equally keen to collaborate with the institute on training in the field of smart and digital agriculture as it was embarking on an agricultural transformation programme and striving to become a net food producer.
Later, Johari and his delegation were taken on a tour of the facility.
Members of the delegation included the Assistant Minister of Education, Science and Technological Research, Annuar Rapa’ee; Deputy State Secretary, Datu Abu Bakar Marzuki;chairman of Sarawak’s Skills Development Centre (PPKS), Tan Sri Datuk Amar Haji Abdul Aziz Hussain; and board and council members of Swinburne University, Sarawak.
