KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 22,849 talents have been trained under the National Semiconductor Strategy (NSS) as of the third quarter of this year, as Malaysia works towards its target of developing 60,000 highly skilled engineers by 2030.
Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani said the training was conducted through programmes run by higher education institutions and technical training providers.
"While this marks progress towards the target, sustained efforts are needed to ensure the talent pool meets not only industry demand in terms of numbers, but also the increasingly complex skills and expertise required by the semiconductor sector," he told the Dewan Rakyat today.
Johari was responding to Yeo Bee Yin (PH-Puchong), who asked about progress under the NSS, including the number of talents trained, expenditure to date and a breakdown of placements by subsector.
He said the government was taking a whole-of-government approach, with the Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti), Higher Education Ministry and Human Resources Ministry working together to develop the workforce needed by the semiconductor industry.
Efforts include upskilling existing workers, strengthening technical and vocational training, and expanding collaboration between industry and academia.
On talent placements by subsector and retention rates, Johari said the data had yet to be fully compiled.
"We do not have precise data on where they are employed. It is similar to how we produce many graduates from our universities, but once they graduate and secure jobs, some do not report back to us.
"Therefore, the ministry is coordinating data collection with the Human Resources Ministry, the Higher Education Ministry, implementing agencies, educational institutions and industry players to determine the number of talents placed in each subsector and their retention rates within Malaysia's semiconductor ecosystem."
Johari said the effectiveness of talent development should be measured not only by the number of people trained, but also by their industry placement, the relevance of their skills to employers' needs and the industry's ability to retain skilled workers locally.
"This is important to ensure investments in talent development translate into higher productivity and growth in high-value-added activities in Malaysia," he said.
He said the government would continue to focus on meeting the 60,000-talent target by 2030, developing specialised skills, improving graduate employability and retaining skilled workers.
"Miti will continue coordinating data collection on subsector placements and talent retention to help Malaysia strengthen its position in the global semiconductor value chain sustainably," he added.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd