Serian MP warns of job scams targeting villagers for yet-to-be-operational ILP Serian

KUCHING: Serian MP Dato Sri Richard Riot Jaem revealed that he has received reports on those trying to scam village folks with jobs at the Institut Latihan Perindustrian (ILP) Serian which is not yet operational.

He said these village folks told him they were offered jobs by those claiming to be a cleaning services contractor at ILP Serian, on condition they must pay monetary advance first.

“They claimed to be looking for workers and offered them good salary. However, those who are interested have to pay a certain amount of money first for the purpose of buying uniforms.

“Don’t be fooled by tactics like this,” said Riot in a posting on his social media page.

He pointed out that any employment at ILP Serian is through the relevant agency such as the Public Service Department (JPA), while jobs such as ‘cleaner’ are through contractors who have been appointed and given authority by the relevant agency.

He called on community leaders to be aware of such scam tactics, and alert village folks about it.

Meanwhile, Riot on Friday visited the ILP Serian which had just reached 100 per cent physical completion status.

He was joined by Serian Resident Caroline Cleophas Joseph and Serian district officer Inting Nyami during the visit.

“Physically, ILP Serian is 100 per cent ready and just waiting for the entry of equipment, machines and other items. ILP Serian is the fourth ILP in Sarawak and is the 33rd skill institute (for the Manpower Department) in Malaysia,” he said.

Riot added that once ILP Serian is operational, the institute can accommodate about 600 students at a time. Developed on a 22.9 hectare land site, the ILP Serian includes five blocks for training and workshops, an administrative building, hostels, quarters for staff, sports facilities and others.

Meanwhile, earlier news reports mentioned that ILP Serian is expected to be operational in 2025.

The scheduled first intake for ILP Serian will be in January 2025, with courses offered such as Building Construction Technology, Building Maintenance Technology, Computer-Aided Design & Drafting (CADD) Architecture Technology, Electrical Technology and Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technology.

According to the earlier news reports, the ILP Serian involves a total construction cost of RM250 million with the project starting on April 28, 2018.