KUCHING: The strategic collaboration between the Sarawak Centre of Excellence for Performance (SCOPE) and the Sarawak Social Security Organisation (SOCSO) strengthens the state's talent development ecosystem by ensuring that Sarawak graduates are better prepared, competent and effectively matched into the real job market.

Through the Graduate Enhancement Training Sarawak – Work Readiness Programme (GETS-WRP), a total of 700 graduates have been registered as of January and February this year, with 300 vacancies remaining to meet the set quota of 1,000 trainees.

SCOPE Chief Executive Officer Joseph Lim Jit Sek said that recruitment for the current cohort is still open, especially for graduates of Public Higher Education Institutions (IPTA) and Private Higher Education Institutions (IPTS) who have not secured permanent employment.

“So far, we have successfully registered 700 trainees out of the allocated quota of 1,000.

"We still need 300 more and welcome interested graduates to apply immediately so that we can meet this year's target," he said.

He said this on the Juh Randau talk show produced by the Sarawak Public Communication Unit (UKAS) which took place at the UKAS Studio, on Wednesday.

Joseph added that some of the participants have been placed in the industry, while the rest are undergoing soft skills training for three months in preparation for the next placement in April.

The training provided emphasises professional communication, work ethics, emotional intelligence (EQ) as well as exposure to industry realities through a co-creation approach with employers, thus ensuring that graduates not only have academic qualifications, but also practical competencies needed by the market.

The GETS-WRP programme also supports the state's talent development agenda in line with the post-COVID-19 development aspirations by emphasising social inclusivity.

The placement of graduates in areas such as Sibu, Miri and Limbang without having to migrate to Kuching opens up more balanced job opportunities and stimulates local economic growth.

Meanwhile, SOCSO Sarawak Regional Head of the Employment Services Unit Dr Belinda Lim Kim Moi stressed that the collaboration with the national employment portal MyFutureJobs ensures more accurate job matching and is based on the actual demand of the labour market.

“Our main role is to ensure that this programme is directly linked to the actual demand of the labour market and produces measurable employment outcomes.

"Through MyFutureJobs, participants are matched with legitimate employers and relevant job vacancies, thus reducing the issue of job mismatch,” she said.

She added that the MyFutureJobs platform not only provides access to registered employers and labour market data, but also monitors the placement rate and marketability of participants after completion of training.

This strategic collaboration between SCOPE and SOCSO is poised to strengthen Sarawak's talent development ecosystem by accelerating the path of graduates from the training phase to the real work environment, thus contributing significantly to efforts to reduce youth unemployment rates and strengthen the competitiveness of the state's workforce. -UKASnews

Prepared By: Mia Amira
Photo: Mia Amira & Nurshamilya Ameera
Translator: Nerissa Sia