SMR focusing on education system
PETALING JAYA: SMR Technologies Bhd is changing its business model to become a workforce education provider rather than being a pure human resource (HR) solutions provider. This change has started being reflected in the contracts it has won in the last few years.
“We have seen a pick up in demand for our services in the last 12 months. Our competencies in HR development solutions are especially suitable for the Government’s call to have a skilled workforce for the country,” said founder and chief executive officer Dr R. Palan.
“While we have always been offering HR services, our solutions are not administrative or transactional in nature. We have been focusing on solutions ranging from consulting, outsourcing, learning and talent search, which is in line with the Government’s needs.”
In Malaysia, SMR won its first major education contract in September 2010 when it secured a Rm90mil job from the Education Ministry for an English language teaching project over three years.
Its most recent contract was the Accelerated Skills Enhancement Training Programme worth Rm14mil from the Human Resource Ministry. Currently it has an orderbook of Rm100mil, of which 60% comes from Malaysia and the remainder from the Middle East.
SMR’S HR competency solutions and online learning facilities are based on its Human Resource Development Power software. The system was developed by Palan himself.
The software helps corporations identify knowledge areas where employees need to be trained and the best way to train them. It also identifies shortcomings and plans training as well as manage succession plans and talent pipelines.
SMR is now bidding for a total of Rm200mil workforce education contracts from the governments of Oman and Saudi Arabia. It is also bidding for more projects in Malaysia.