SPEAK 2030 Overhauled: Sarawak Emphasises Actual Placements, Not Merely Exposure
SIBU: The Sarawak Government has emphasised the need to overhaul career guidance programmes, ensuring initiatives like the Career Messaging System (SPEAK): Talent Bridge 2030 result in actual job placements rather than merely providing students with exposure.
Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development, Dato Sri Roland Sagah Wee Inn, stated that the priority now is to ensure that every programme implemented delivers a direct impact on graduate employability.
"Our students require pathways, not just possibilities. We want programmes like this to truly create opportunities for actual placements and not merely offer exposure," he said during his speech at the closing ceremony of the SPEAK programme at the Kingwood Hotel, Sibu, on Tuesday.
According to him, this high-impact approach is essential to ensure that the alignment between education and industry requirements is effectively implemented, thereby addressing the issue of skills mismatch.
This emphasis, he noted, reflects the Sarawak Government's commitment to ensuring that every talent development initiative yields tangible returns in the form of employment opportunities, thereby strengthening the state's workforce readiness.
He added that the efforts to empower SPEAK 2030 are in line with the need to address workforce gaps as outlined in the Post-COVID-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030.
At the same time, he emphasised that industry involvement must be strengthened so that it is not merely symbolic, but instead provides clear and structured career pathways for students.’
In this regard, he called upon school counsellors to play a more proactive role in assisting students to secure actual placement opportunities throughout the implementation of the programme.
Also in attendance were the Deputy Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development I, Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee, the Deputy Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development II, Datuk Francis Harden Hollis as well as senior officials from the ministry and related agencies. -UKASnews
