The TVET route to success KUALA LUMPUR:
Since its establishment seven years ago, TTA has improved the lives of the younger generation through its internationally recognised courses.
This was evident in the career path of the pioneer batch of trainees, who began their training in 2011.
Among them is Said Khudri, 28, from Raub, Pahang. Said was only a crew member at a tunnel construction site earning a monthly salary of RM1,200 when he enrolled into the academy.
After completing his course at TTA, he was appointed as a senior supervisor, earning more than RM3,000 a month.
“The academy has changed my views on the industry. My first experience at the MRT Cochrane construction site after completing the course at TTA was an eye-opener especially when I was tasked to supervise the slurry treatment plant.
“My current responsibilities are more challenging as I need to monitor the construction of the project and look after the safety of my charges. Their safety is my utmost concern,” he said.
His colleague, Mohd Nor Shafiq Hadi Misro, 25, could not stop singing praises for the academy. Similar to Said, Shafiq joined TTA after completing his Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia.
He declined admission for a Civil Engineering Diploma course at a polytechnic here due to financial constraints but has come to terms that he made the right choice by joining TTA.
“The academy changed my life. I was exposed to many skills and practical know-how, including the method of installing a “cutter head” replica and operating a tunnel boring machine,” said Shafiq, who now earns more than RM4,000 monthly compared to RM1,700 when he first started in 2012.
Muhammad Haizad Abdul Karim, 25, from Bukit Mertajam, Penang, was absorbed into MMC Gamuda five years agoaftercompletingayearattheacademy.
He started his career as a forklift operator earning RM40 daily before he was promoted to the position of assistant supervisor. He is now earning more than RM2,000 a month.
“Intheearlydays,Ihaddoubtsoperating a forklift, especially when I had to manoeuvre the machinery through narrow areas. However,myprevioussupervisorhelpedto improve my skills a lot.
“Tunnel construction is not an easy task. Having said that, I am excelling in my profession now. I learn new things at work almost every day,” he said.