‘More engagement with stakeholders needed’

Federation executive director Shamsuddin Bardan said training provided under Inbase may not be necessary for hitting the national agenda of having a 35% skilled workforce by 2020 and employers’ utilisation rate may not necessarily commensurate with the amount contributed.

Maintaining the MEF ’s previous stance, he said employers have objected to the pool fund since its implementation, preferring for all levy contributions be available for use for training of their respective employees, stating that the current available funds are not sufficient.

The Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry chairman of SMEs and human resource development committee Koong Lin Loong echoed Shamsuddin’s sentiments.

“There is a mismatch between the course offered and required. There is also a mismatch between the funds. Some companies would like to send all of their staff but the fund is not sufficient, while some companies have been contributing but have not used the fund. There is a mismatch of this matrix, that’s why 30% of the pool fund comes into the picture,” he added.

“There should be more engagements with relevant stakeholders in order to have a better mechanism to make use of this 30% pool fund or totally overhaul it,” Koong said.

Three of HRDF’s board members and CEO Datuk CM Vignaesvaran Jeyandran have resigned since a town hall session with training providers was held in the presence of Human Resource Minister M. Kulasegaran.

The HRDF is due to hold its AGM this week, and an announcement on the members of a governance oversight committee to assist its board is expected to be made then or at some other time.