KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia must take the lead in being the region’s top Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) service provider for the aviation industry, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
He said in doing so, the Malaysian Institute of Aviation Technology (UniKL MIAT) can be the leading institution in the country to provide a skilled workforce for MRO and the aviation industry.
"Malaysia would like to be known as the service provider for MRO in this region. When I was Defence Minister, MRO was one of my focuses, especially in promoting the defence industry.
"And now we see commercial and cargo flights, and a bigger market,” he said.
Ahmad Zahid said this in his speech at the joint venture document exchange ceremony between Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions under the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (KKDW) and industry partners here today.
Zahid, who is also the Minister of Rural and Regional Development said other TVET institutions are welcome to collaborate with UniKL MIAT, as the institution has produced graduates with a high employability rate now working in over 20 countries around the globe.
Meanwhile, he said the 280 TVET institutions under KKDW and its agencies have been told to work closely with industry players to ensure that the graduates of their institutions are in line with market demands.
"The employability rate must be far-reaching. My aim is to get 100 percent the rate of employability with graduates from UniKL and TVET institutes. I hope more industry players will join us at TVET@KKDW,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Zahid said besides being helped by the government's investor-friendly policies, TVET played a big role in achieving the government's target to boost foreign direct investment (FDI) this year by producing a more highly skilled workforce.
For example, he said Brazilian mining company, Vale, which has invested US$1.37 billion and electronics company, AT&S, which has made an investment of RM8.5 billion in Kulim Hi-Tech Park have collaborated with TVET institutions especially under KKDW to train the required workforce.
At the event, a total of 18 industry partner companies in the field of land, maritime and aviation technology signed strategic joint ventures with TVET educational institutions under KKDW, namely GIATMARA, Institut Kemahiran Tinggi PERDA (PERDA-TECH), Institut Kemahiran MARA (IKM), Kolej Kemahiran Tinggi MARA (KKTM) and Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL).
On land technology, among the companies involved are German Auto Garage Sdn Bhd (GAG), Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL), Motosikal dan Enjin Nasional Sdn Bhd (MODENAS), Acson Malaysia Sales & Service Sdn Bhd (ACSON), Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas), and AT&S Austria Technologie & Systemtechnik.
As for maritime, the companies are Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd, Vale Malaysia Minerals Sdn Bhd and Radimax Group Sdn Bhd, while aviation technology was represented by Turkish Aerospace Inc., Galaxy Aerospace (M) Sdn Bhd and Hammock Helicopter Sdn Bhd.
Through the concept of Industry Based Education Training (IBET) implemented by the TVET@KKDW institutions, the joint venture continues to be intensified through the Teaching Factory model which benefits both parties in terms of transferring and sharing of knowledge, skills and technology, in addition to improving student competence. - BERNAMA