KUCHING: The new economy which is based on environmental sustainability provides plenty of opportunities for youths in the job market, said Tupong assemblyman Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman.
He said while the strategies have been implemented for Sarawak to embark on economies based on the production of hydrogen, ammonia and methanol, the youths have to take up the challenge and participate in these industries.
“The challenge of tackling unemployment is a problem everywhere in the world. What the Sarawak government has done is implement initiatives to provide a new industry whereby the younger generation is secure in terms of their careers.
“This has been done, our methanol plant has been completed and we are embarking on our own ammonia plant. We are highlighting this new industry as well as modern farming. We are also emphasising the creative industry.
“These platforms are there – it is now up to ourselves, the youths. We have to join in the strategy as otherwise, it would be a bit difficult (to leverage on the opportunities),” he said.
He said this during a ‘Juh Randau’ talk show organised by the Sarawak Public Communication Unit (UKAS) which was aired last night (Sept 20).
Fazzrudin, who is also chief political secretary to the Premier, said the youths need to add to their existing skills and qualifications to participate in the new economy as well as boost their employability.
“Say, if a youth has graduated, for example, from the public administration or business studies programme but they are unable to find a job, they should upskill.
“Under the Sarawak Foundation, we have five training and education centres such as Swinburne Sarawak, i-CATS University College, Curtin University, Universiti Teknologi Sarawak (UTS) and Centre of Technical Excellence (CENTEXS),” he said.
Fazzrudin also urged youths to obtain information on how they can participate in the new economy and job market through researching on the initiatives implemented by the Sarawak government.
“The youth have to look at how they can participate. Now it is the hydrogen economy, they need to take some interest in that. They might not necessarily become hydrogen scientists as the industry is huge.
“To produce hydrogen, we need a plant, this requires electricity and we need people with expertise in all fields. For example, the Autonomous Rail Transit (ART) is currently on a trial run, we need people to work in that sector.
“We need to understand what the new economy means and together, we must put these strategies to work,” he said.
