New pact to boost industry-led training and career progression of women and youth
The official launch ceremony was held today in Royale Chulan Kuala Lumpur and was graced by FMMI President Tan Sri Dato’ Soh Thian Lai, Deputy British High Commissioner David Wallace and Panudda Boonpala, Deputy Director of the ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.
It is critical that we engage more with employers who understand current skills needs."
Panudda Boonpala, Deputy Regional Director of the ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Over the next few months, the ILO – through its Skills for Prosperity Programme in Malaysia (SfP-Malaysia) funded by the United Kingdom government – and the FMMI will work with governmental agencies, employers’ and workers’ organizations, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions and civil society to deliver industry-led TVET and skills training modalities to enhance the FMM’s capacity as a leading sector skills body.
The partnership will also develop a skills strategy for the food-processing industry that will be a shared vision among industry, the government and other stakeholders.
Based on the strategy, the pact will create career progression maps for identified critical occupations, tailored to meet the needs of women and youths. The FMMI will then run a pilot micro-credential training programme to reduce gaps between workers’ current skills and industry needs, and enable the workers to achieve continuous career development.
Results of activities under this partnership will be shared with stakeholders, aiming for wider adoption and replication to other sectors.
The food-processing industry accounts for 2.5% of the country’s gross domestic product and 3.5% of total employment.
Panudda Boonpala, Deputy Regional Director of the ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, pointed out that the industry needs diverse talents who possess skills required by employers in order to grow.
“Therefore, it is critical that we engage more with employers who understand current skills needs,” said Ms Panudda.
She added that this partnership comes at the right time, giving the FMMI a greater role in developing and disseminating industry-led and inclusive TVET models through a national-level platform.
Ms Panudda added: “This partnership will be built through a participatory approach with the aim of ensuring sustainability and scalability of good local practices.”
“Like any other industry, food processing companies face difficulty in hiring candidates with the right employability skills, and end up with skills mismatch. Consequently, employees may have to be retrained for the job, which may not be feasible for SME companies with limited resources and training funds. For an effective institutional mechanism, the industry must be fully engaged to solve these structural issues at both the skills demand and skills supply side,” said Tan Sri Dato’ Soh Thian Lai, the FMM President.
“There is also a need to create opportunities for employees with working experience who lack the minimum requirements needed to pursue their tertiary education. Micro-credentials for manufacturing may allow more employees to have a proper paper qualifications and eventually increase the high-skilled workforce pool,” said the FMM president.
David Wallace, Deputy High Commissioner at the British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, spoke about the changes in the industry and its significant impact on the need for skills. “The Food and Beverage industry is rapidly restructuring due to the shifts in food and digital technologies, which signifies the importance of reskilling and upskilling to create many more opportunities as the industry expands,” Mr Wallace said.
He also emphasized the importance of the ILO-FMMI-UK partnership, saying: “We are proud to be part of this exciting journey to help TVET and skills education in Malaysia to innovate, evolve and become more responsive and resilient to any future challenges.”
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Notes to editors:
About the Skills for Prosperity Programme in Malaysia
The Skills for Prosperity Programme in Malaysia (SfP-Malaysia) works with government, employers’ and workers’ organizations and other local and international stakeholders to address these challenges and make the Malaysian workforce resilient and adaptable to the changing world of work. As part of the International Labour Organization’s Skills for Prosperity in South-East Asia Programme, SfP-Malaysia aims to increase national capacity for inclusive economic growth through more future-ready and equitable skills and TVET systems in order to improve employability, employment opportunities and earning potential of workers in Malaysia.
About FMM
The Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) has been the voice of the Malaysian manufacturing sector since 1968. Representing over 11,500 member companies (3,500 direct and 8,000 indirect) from the manufacturing supply chain, the FMM is actively engaged with government and its key agencies at federal, state and local levels. The FMM is also closely linked with international organizations, Malaysian businesses and civil society. Apart from benefitting from the federation’s advocacy, FMM members enjoy value-add services, including training, business networking and trade opportunities as well as regular information updates.
Media Enquiries
Han Mong Ying, Senior Manager, Corporate Affairs, Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers |Tel: 03-6286 7200 |Email: webmaster@fmm.org.my
Mohd Afzanizam Mohd Badrin, Senior Project Officer, Skills for Prosperity Programme in Malaysia (SfP-Malaysia), International Labour Organization |Tel: 019-223 1751 |Email: mohdbadrin@ilo.org
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