BY James Kon

The HNTec Construction and Draughting (Dual TVET) system facilitates the transition from learning to employment and responds to the skills needs of the labour market, said Permanent Secretary (Infrastructure, Housing and Professional) at the Ministry of Development (MoD) Ir Haji Amer Hishamuddin bin Pehin Orang Kaya Amar Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Haji Zakaria, as Co-Chairman of the Manpower Industry Steering Committee (MISC) for Construction.

He said this during an engagement event at Indera Pahlawan Hall of Authority for Building Control and Construction Industry (ABCi) building at the Old Airport on Tuesday.

The permanent secretary emphasised on the importance of the working relationship between regulators, industry and educational institutions to meet the main objective in increasing the employability and marketability of the local workforce to suit the skills needed for the construction industry.

Over 50 companies from the construction industry, who are currently participating in the programme initiated by MISC for Construction Industry, gathered at the event.

The dialogue sought feedback from the industry and discussed the recommendations for improving the quality and outcomes of the Dual TVET programme implemented at the Institute of Brunei Technical Education (IBTE) Nakhoda Ragam Campus.

Initiated by the MISC for Construction through the Dual TVET Taskforce, the programme was co-developed through contributions and collaboration among various agencies including government agencies, the private sector and IBTE, to provide training for students in meeting the required skills for the construction industry.

Co-chairperson of MISC for Construction Ar Siti Rozaimeryanty binti Dato Seri Laila Jasa Haji Abdul Rahman, in her closing remarks, spoke on the importance of lifting barriers of communication between industry, regulators and educational institutions with the aim of aligning and meeting the demand of industries with the right supply and at the right time.

ASEAN Future Workforce Council and the MISC for Construction member Ir Bahrin Mohammad facilitated the event.

It concluded with the discussion of the results from the feedback as a way forward to ensure it achieves its main objectives.

The event was also attended by key representatives from IBTE, the Secretariat to the Manpower Planning and Employment Council (MPEC) and ABCi.

-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin