CM: Tourism, talent, innovation catalyst for devt in Lundu, Sematan
KUCHING: Two sectors in Lundu and Sematan will help in the state’s Post Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) to recover the economy, said Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
“One is tourism sector, and the second is talent development and innovation.
“In the Post Covid-19 (Development) Strategy, we want to recover our economy. These are the two sectors in the strategy that have been identified as the platform for development in Lundu and Sematan,” he said at the official opening ceremony of Centexs Lundu yesterday.
Abang Johari pointed out that Lundu and Sematan are fortunate to have all the a ractions, from the sea to the mountains.
As such, he believes that Centexs Lundu can play its part in training the youths from the area to develop the two sectors mentioned.
“From the perspective of tourism, we can promote (Sarawak) using augmented reality. We can use virtual platforms to tell others what Sarawak has to offer.
“As for talents, we train the youths and ensure there is continuous supply of talented and innovative people,” he said.
On a related ma er, taking note of Tanjong Datu incumbent Datuk Amar Jamilah Anu’s request, Abang Johari said that furniture design and interior design (ID) ought to be part of the courses offered at Centexs Lundu.
“Hotels also need furniture and ID. They could be part of the courses to complement what is needed in this area,” he added.
Earlier, Centexs chairman Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Morshidi Abdul Ghani in his speech said that the main focus of Centexs Lundu is in the field of tourism and hospitality although other courses are also conducted.
“To strengthen the tourism programme as a whole, Centexs has established the Hospitality and Tourism Academy (Hata).
To train students so that they achieve the level of employability needed, Centexs Lundu also has its own hotel and cafe. Through this platform, trainees are given exposure to real practical experience before they are absorbed into the real industry.
“In addition, there is also a unit in Centexs Lundu known as the Centre of Tourism Excellence (Cotel). Cotel’s main mission is to be a liaison and facilitator for the collaboration between Centexs and the tourism and hospitality industry, with relevant government agencies, universities and the local community to provide a trained workforce. Its role is to assist local or foreign investors who need a trained workforce in various fields related to the tourism industry,” he explained.
He added that with Hata and Cotel, a tourism ecosystem that can support the efforts of the state government will be created, especially in a racting investments and developing the tourism industry.
Besides courses for the tourism and hospitality industry, Centexs Lundu also offers programmes in other fields such as Fashion Technology, Traditional Beauty Therapy (Postnatal Care), Photography, Indoor Aquaculture, Hair Design and Makeup, Wireman, Welding Technology (3G), Android Mobile Application Development and Augmented Reality (AR) and others.
The campus, which cost RM89 million to construct, can accommodate 800 trainees. It has seven lecture rooms and 14 workshops besides providing other facilities like hostels, canteen, offices, multipurpose hall and staff quarters.
In conjunction with the opening ceremony, an exchange of memorandum of understanding documents also took place between Centexs and its strategic industry partners namely Sarawak Convention Bureau (SCB), Huawei, Keysight Technologies, Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) and Bosch Rexroth.