Here are some pertinent views from key people in Government, Academia and Industry regarding the development of knowledge workers in today’s society.
While these views were made in specific relation to Penang, where a conference on Catalyst for K-Economy will be held in October as part of the MSC-Malaysia Cybercity@Penang programme, they are just as applicable in any place where similar challenges are being faced.
Penang State Education Committee chairman Datuk Dr Toh Kin Woon: “Employers should find ways to keep good workers and lure back local talent who are overseas while employees must continue to upgrade their skills in the face of a growing and changing economy which is undergoing structural changes as we move away from labour-intensive production. To move up the value chain, we must produce knowledge-workers in areas like logistics, services, R&D and ICT. In the light of mega developments in Penang, the focus on software development is just as important as hardware. We need our own k-workers to help sustain and manage economic growth. We cannot rely on foreigners forever.”
Wawasan Open University vice-chancellor Tan Sri Prof Emeritus Gajaraj Dhana-rajan: “Knowledge today can become obsolete within a short time. We must tailor educational programmes to help workers acquire new knowledge and we have to turn their knowledge into economic benefits. Penang’s biggest challenge is to use the people’s knowledge, energy and skills to meet the rising demands of investors. We must invest in the people.”
The Star online editor Mohd Raslan Mohd Sharif: “Potential workers must be targeted from an early age and experienced workers must be encouraged to look beyond what they do now. A key human resource concern is the mismatch between qualifications and industry requirements, which to some extent has resulted in employers complaining that it’s difficult to find the right people while graduates lament that it’s difficult to find jobs. Policies for the development of a knowledge-based economy should target potential workers at secondary school level. Lifelong learning must also be encouraged because Malaysian workers rarely consider new challenges outside the scope of their experience.”
Malaysia Multimedia University Dean of Engineering and Vice-President Prof Datuk Chuah Hean Teik: “There must be industry-university collaboration for the training of undergraduate students. Students should be exposed to input from industry in terms of technology forecast. For professional development, and mid-term research, there must be a close relationship between industry and academia.”