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PORT KLANG: The national productivity rate must be increased from the current 2.3% to 4% for Malaysia to become a high-income nation, said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
One criteria for this was to make the people high-wage earners, the Prime Minister said.
“And earning a high income depends directly on an individual’s level of education and skill,” he said in his speech during his visit to WIT College here yesterday.
He said whenever there was a call for more skilled workers, it was not only to meet industry needs but also to support the Government’s efforts to transform Malaysia into a developed and high-income nation.
“I urge all parties to pay attention, not only on increasing the quantum of work, but also on how the productivity of workers can be increased by at least 4% annually,” said Najib.
He said the Government was also working on increasing the number of skilled workers. Currently, only 28% of the nation’s workforce was highly-skilled. “We have to increase this to 35% by the year 2020 as we need highly-skilled workers to fulfil the demands of various industries.”
On another matter, Najib said the success of a college was measured by the marketability of its students.
“I was told that employers come to this college (WIT College) to offer jobs even before students graduate.
“This shows that the employability of the college’s graduates is very good,” he added.
Najib also congratulated WIT College for still standing tall after 40 years despite competition from the 511 private colleges nationwide.
He added that he usually did not visit private colleges but he came to WIT College because it was set up by the nation’s trades union movement for the benefit of the country’s workforce.
WIT College, formerly known as the Workers’ Institute of Technology, was set-up in 1977 by the Transport Workers’ Union (TWU).
Najib also announced a RM4mil allocation for the college, of which RM2mil will go towards helping students who were children of workers from the low-income group.
The gathering at the WIT College campus was attended about 2,000 students, teaching staff and guests.
Also at the event was the trade union movement stalwart Tan Sri Zainal Rampak, who is also chairman of WIT College’s board of directors and TWU secretary-general, and Malaysian Trades Union Congress secretary-general J. Solomon
Source : http://www.thestar.com.my/…/step-up-national-productivity…/…
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