JOHOR BARU, July 18 — The Johor government has announced the proposal of a one-stop agency targeting key talent groups to prepare and drive the state’s aim of becoming a developed state.
Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said the Johor Talent Development Council (JTDC) will be established to overcome the state’s expected demand for skilled manpower and talent needs.
He said JTDC’s initiative will be in line with the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) to realise Johor as a developed state by 2030.
“Since January 1, the number of jobs in Johor has rapidly increased with 74,710 employment vacancies advertised.
“However, only 51,946 job applicants were recorded.
“According to statistics, 22.3 per cent of graduates in Johor work in non-relevant jobs and 20 per cent to 60 per cent of vocational institute graduates in the state work outside their field due to skills mismatch factors,” he said in his latest post on his official Facebook page today.
Earlier, Onn Hafiz attended a high-level meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in Kuala Lumpur.
The meeting was also attended by federal ministers and Johor state executive council members.
Onn Hafiz expressed his confidence that JTDC, based on a two-pronged framework, can increase the marketability of graduates as well as meet the needs of the industry in Johor and Malaysia as a whole.
“With a comprehensive policy and solid support from all stakeholders, I am confident that JTDC will play an important role in making Johor a developed state, as well as being the main reference in meeting sufficient and sustainable skilled manpower needs,” he said.
Earlier, Onn Hafiz said among the matters discussed and agreed upon during the meeting was for JTDC to be a one-stop centre, together with the Invest Malaysia Facilitation Centre Johor (IMFC-J), to facilitate all operations, recruitment and the entry of investors in Johor.
The menteri besar added that JTDC will also act as a liaison between higher education institutes and the industry to increase talent development programmes, skill improvement and direct career placement.
“JTDC will also be tasked with undertaking a study of the success of existing programmes and courses, as well as the retargeting of courses that coincide with the needs of the industry.
“JTDC will also act as a data collection centre by government ministries, agencies and stakeholders for workforce studies and industry needs,” said Onn Hafiz.
