Qualification mismatch remains a dilemma
KOTA KINABALU: In order to solve the employability dilemma faced by graduates, the country must first address the issue of qualification mismatching.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Raymond Tan said some of the country’s graduates are facing this dilemma due to qualification mismatching with the available jobs in the open market and the lack of English communications skills.
“The bottom line is that we need to address mismatching. Why is it still occurring?
“This may occur due to misinformation or selfignorance on job opportunities and its requirements in the open market,” Raymond said in his speech forthe opening ceremony of the Sabah Tshung Tsin Secondary School (STTSS) Education Fair 2017.
Students planning for further education upon completion of their secondary school studies can only make good decisions on what courses they should take once they have understood the country’s economy, he stressed.
He reiterated that students must first understand the nation as well as the state’s economic development direction and achievement.
“The students must understand the future manpower requirement and the new pool of jobs that will soon be created by industrialization.
“Through this, they can make preparation to acquire the required qualifications,” said Raymond, who is also the Industrial Development Minister.
It was understood that in 2015, 10 per cent of the 1,771,100 employed persons in Sabah did not even acquire formal education.
Thirty-one per cent of them had only managed to complete primary school education and 42.4 per cent managed to complete their secondary school education.
Only 16.4 per cent of them had managed to obtain tertiary education.
Raymond’s speech was delivered by political secretary of the Industrial Development Ministry, Chang Shui Kiong.
The fair, which has been held yearly since 2010, aims to provide students with the necessary information and opportunities about the programmes offered by various international and local colleges and universities.
STTSS Board of Governors chairman Datuk Jimmy Yong Kiok Ming disclosed that this year’s instalment will feature 75 distinguished participants from higher learning institutions.
The fair had also featured top international institutions from countries such as the UK, Australia, USA, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore.