Great opportunity for SPM leavers to become skilled fishermen

SIBU: The number of fishermen in the country is on the decline, raising a need for a new generation of young and skilled fishermen to fill the vacuum.

Manager of Fisheries Technology Training Centre in Tanjung Manis, Marjuki Juli, said the older fishermen were no longer keen to go out to the sea.

These fishermen did not hand down their trade and skills to their children but encouraged them instead to venture into other fields.

“If skills like making a net is not passed on to their children, how do you expect them to become a fisherman let alone a skilled fisherman? Some will work in factories while those with tertiary education would not want to venture into this trade.

“Hence, we see the opportunity in the SPM leavers, whom we can train to become the next generation of young and skilled fishermen,” Marjuki said when met after the opening ceremony of Bruit Fishermen Association’s ( PNK) fishermen market at Ding Lik Kong Road here on Wednesday.

Chief political secretary to the chief minister Abdullah Saidol officiated at the ceremony.

Marjuki said the centre came under the National Agriculture Training Centre ( NATC), catering for both Sabah and Sarawak.

He said another such centre was in Terengganu while one would be coming up in Perak.

He added the centre in Tanjung Manis, which started operation in 2010, offered training in Skilled Crew and Assistant Skippers to SPM leavers.

Trainees are required to complete three levels to qualify for the Malaysia Skills Certification (SKM).

According to Marjuki, the Tanjung Manis centre only offered up to Level 2, after which the trainees would be sent to Terengganu to complete Level 3.

He said the centre was equipped with classrooms, hostel and a training vessel.

He added that the centre could accommodate 20 trainees per intake. Advertisement on intake was done online.

Meanwhile, Abdullah, who is Semop assemblyman, mulled organising an trip together with fishermen associations and youth NGOs from his constituency to visit the (Tanjung Manis) centre and see what it had to offer.

He said this was in line with the aspirations of the state government, through agencies such as Tabung Ekonomi Gagasan Anak Bumiputera Sarawak ( Tegas), of which he (Abdullah) is the secretary and headed by Assistant Minister for Workforce Development and Training Datu Len Talif Salleh.

Abdullah said they would be responding to such challenge.

“We want to work together with them because technical field also involves the fishing industry. We want to promote this activity to strengthen the (fishing) industry.”

He said that fishing industry was not just about going to the sea to catch fish as there were many other fish-realted activities that the youth could venture into.