Malaysia has a grand plan to transform its industrial landscape. It’s the New Industrial Master Plan (NIMP) 2030 tabled on September 1, 2023, which outlines the strategies and targets to be fleshed out by the government.
Among some sectors that will be seeing enhanced support include the aerospace and medical devices sectors.
On March 13, 2024, news broke that a RM30 million grant was launched in order to nurture talents in the above industries to meet the growing demand in high-value sectors.
Here’s how it’ll be carried out, and who will be managing it.
RM30 million for rapid talent development in one year
Called the Upskilling Grant for Aerospace and Medical Devices Industries, it was launched by Collaborative Research in Engineering, Science and Technology (CREST), in conjunction with the Malaysian Aerospace Industry Association (MAIA) and the Association of Malaysian Medical Industries (AMMI).
CREST has been an agency under MITI (Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry) since July 2023. It focuses on creating a vibrant research, development, and commercialisation (R&D&C) ecosystem by promoting collaboration between the industry and academia, with support from government organisations.
Meanwhile, MAIA is a private sector organisation aiming to support the continued in-country growth and capacity development of the expanding local aerospace industry.
AMMI was established in 1989, and is recognised as the voice of Malaysia’s medical device industry with a vision to make Malaysia the preferred global manufacturing and services location for medical technology.
Together, the three parties will carry out the execution of the upskilling grant within one year.
The grant itself comprises four programmes:
1. Upskilling Grant for Industry Current Workforce
This training grant gives employees an opportunity to continue strengthening their skills in order to be relevant to the current needs of the industry while increasing their competitiveness in the job market.
Companies from aerospace and medical devices industries may apply for this training grant in order to upscale their current employees.
Applications opened on March 11, 2024, and the detailed process on how to do so can be found here.
2. Train and Place Program
Targeted for school leavers, unemployed graduates, and retrenched workers, this will cover the training cost and monthly allowance of RM1,500 for each participant for a training period of three months.
Applications for this are already open, with more information here.
3. Grant to Upgrade Technical Capabilities of Educational Institutions
This grant emphasises on upgrading the technical capabilities of educational institutions in the field of aerospace and medical devices. The goal is to create a conducive learning environment, improve the quality of education, and prepare academic staff and students with the technical skills required by the industry.
This initiative also aims to ensure that educational institutions are equipped with the latest equipment, software, and technological facilities. The grant amount is RM500K per education institution, and the grant should be open for applications in April 2024.
4. Finishing School Program
This is an early intervention initiative designed to equip tertiary education institutions students with skills and knowledge related to the aerospace and medical devices industries.
Activities under this programme may include technical training, industry talks, industry related projects, bootcamps, design competitions, and other related talent development activities.
The industry representatives may contribute as industry speakers, project evaluators, trainers, company visit hosts as well as other related roles.
This programme will commence in April 2024.
Actions speak louder than words
In summary, the Upskilling Grant for Aerospace and Medical Devices Industries will benefit:
- Aerospace and medical device companies located in Malaysia, and their Malaysian employees
- Malaysian unemployed individuals which consist of unemployed graduates, retrenched workers in their period of unemployment, and school leavers
- Malaysian education institutions in need of help to improve their technical capabilities
- Malaysian students from tertiary education institutions
CREST is no stranger to talent development, as it’s worked closely with universities and leading industry partners to develop relevant programmes for the past 11 years.
We often hear sentiments of Malaysia’s underdeveloped or lacking talent pool in public spheres, and while opinions might differ depending on who you ask, one thing is clear:
Efforts to nurture and support our existing and future talent pool across prominent industries in Malaysia are always welcome, and CREST, MAIA, and AMMI are leading the way for such initiatives in the aerospace and medical devices sectors.
Featured Image Credit: CREST
